Ok, we all rely on the NHS, so don't get me wrong. I'm a fan. But I am really fed up with the lack of info, poor communication, ridiculous systems etc. I'm sorry, but it needs to be said. The story of my elderly father's day surgery today. Hernia. General anaesthetic. 1/12

2/12 He's coming up to 85 and has advanced Parkinson's. It takes me five minutes to get him between the car and the day surgery unit, which would be maybe 30 seconds walk away for me. We reach the threshold and he has his temperature checked. But I can go no further.

3/12 This policy is fair enough because of Covid, but I point out he has an overnight bag (we've been told we have to be prepared for a stay) and a small bag with his Parkinson's meds. How's he going to get this stuff down the corridor to wherever it is he's being directed?

4/12 The nice lady who's doing the check-in says that she'll help him. I'm grateful and say my goodbyes. They head off to what I presume is some kind of waiting area. With seats? With beds? Who knows? No information. No chance to see him settle.

5/12 I've brought him in at 1pm. But it's a classic NHS list. And no one knows when he'll be operated on. They'll call my mum when he's out of surgery. And then they'll call again when he's ready to be discharged, so we can make our way back and collect him.

6/12 So the afternoon goes by and it's coming up to 6pm. No word from the hospital. I say to my mum that I'll call. I have a number for the day surgery unit. The answerphone message says they're closed. You can call them up to 5pm.

7/12 Ok, Plan B. I call the main switchboard and explain the situation. They find an extension and put me through. After a minute or two of cross-purpose conversation, I discover I'm talking to gynaecology.

8/12 The gynaecologists find me another number and I speak to a nurse. She knows my dad. He came out of surgery at 5.15 pm. (Given most of these ops are relatively short, this presumably means he waited about three and a half hours before going in.)

9/12 But let's not worry about the fact that he's unnecessarily spent hours in a hospital during a pandemic. He's 85, been abandoned by his son at the door and struggles to walk by himself, but I'm sure he's fine.

10/12 The nurse says they'll have to see that he's ok over the next hour or two and then discharge him. Or if there's a problem, he'll stay in. But they never discharge after 9. Or maybe 10. So if it gets that late, he'll stay in. Hmmm. They'll call my mum.

11/12 By about 7.30 pm, my mum is anxious. She phones the number I'd been given. No answer. She goes through the main switchboard and finds someone. Oh, dad's only recently come out of surgery. Eh? I'd been told he'd come out at 5.15. Hmmm.

12/12 So he's staying in. And tomorrow morning, you can bet we won't know what the hell is going on and we'll be on the phone again. Please don't tell me that this whole thing cannot be done so much better. Because it really can.