Three weeks ago Simon Heazell went to have the removal of temporary stents at University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) following an operation to remove kidney stones.
Ahead of the operation Simon had a detailed discussion with a member of the UHD pre-assessment team to ensure that he was physically fit to undergo the operation.
Simon, who lives at Yetminster, close to the Dorset/Somerset border, was really impressed with the detailed questions being asked: “It was incredibly comprehensive…. They asked everything possible.
“I am currently on quite a lot of pills and remembering what doses I require and all of their names is an effort. But they managed to track down all my detailed records including paperwork related to Dorset County Hospital.
“This went on for some time and I was told which x-rays had been done and when and various other things, including when I last saw a consultant and blood test results.
“Off the top of my head, I couldn’t swear that I could have got everything right and then at the end of the interview, she said “thank goodness for the DCR (Dorset Care Record).”
Simon’s journey to remove the kidney stones had taken him first, in February, to DCH before being blue-lighted (rushed by ambulance) to UHD in time for an emergency weekend operation as one stone had blocked the bladder, meaning that no fluid was going from the kidney to the bladder.
Grateful for his treatment and firmly on the way to recovery, Simon said the amount of information and records available through the DCR gave him additional confidence in the system.
But he added that the success of the records would only be fully realised if all doctors and consultants used it!