In early April, John was making beautiful wooden name plates for his grandchildren’s bedroom doors when the electric saw kicked and pulled his thumb into the blade. He had sliced through the top of his thumb and his wife rushed him to A&E where he was seen quickly then referred to the specialist hand surgeons at Queen Victoria Hospital for a surgical repair.
John said “I had a video call from home with a hand expert at Queen Victoria Hospital who was able to assess my injury and confirm that I needed to come into hospital. When I got to Queen Victoria Hospital everybody was very friendly and the whole process was efficient. I had to stay for two nights so I got to talk to the catering staff and cleaners as well as seeing the doctors and nurses. The clinical staff all explained things clearly and I had a nerve block not a general anaesthetic so although my arm was carefully screened off I could hear the surgical team talking as they worked – all very professional.”
The specialist hand surgeons were able to repair John’s thumb and he is now recuperating before trying his next craft project.
Steve Jenkin, Queen Victoria Hospital chief executive said “At Queen Victoria Hospital we have a unique role to play in making sure that patients from across the southeast who need surgery for cancer or following an accident involving their hands, eyes or face can continue to be treated by our expert teams. We have put in place additional safeguards to protect our patients and our staff. That includes working with private provider Horder Healthcare so trauma patients, like John, are seen by NHS doctors in the private McIndoe Centre which is on our East Grinstead site.
“I know some people are scared of coming into hospital at this difficult time. I hope John sharing his experience will help to reassure people that the important work of the NHS goes on despite coronavirus and you can be treated safely.”