Having so enjoyed my stay in The Victoria Wing being thoroughly spoiled by the nursing staff and Chef Dave, I returned to take some pics of the team and Chef Dave’s food.
One thing leads to another
The pics were liked so much that they reached the eyes of my consultant, Mr Owen Cole, and Debbie Guillot, CEO of The Medical Specialist Group.
A meeting was arranged with Ms Guillot, her Deputy CEO, and the Communications and Marketing Manager.
The upshot is that du Pré Guernsey Ltd has been engaged as an advisor to the CEO’s team to re-design The Medical Specialist Group’s new web-site, and also that of The Victoria Wing.Claudine and a selection of her nursing staff click to enlargeThat includes the design, branding, colours as well as new wording and photography. Exciting.
The Medical Specialist Group provides emergency and elective specialist medical services for the Bailiwick of Guernsey within the secondary health care framework of Guernsey, in partnership with the Health and Social Services Department.
The Plan is…
The plan is for the websites to go live in early September which will coincide well with our next trip to South Africa (more of this to come in another post!).
The emphasis of the new sites is to concentrate on patient care.
So maybe this is a good opportunity for me to give something back to the staff who gave so much to me when I had my prostate op.
Here are some of the pics…
Cod with a red pepper sauce click to enlarge
Monk fish, so succulent click to enlarge
Chef Dave and lamb chops click to enlarge
Meringue anyone? click to enlarge
A mango delicious click to enlarge
This time it’s a strawberry delicious click to enlarge
Piers and Lin
from the design studio of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
Owen Cole of The Medical Specialist Group click to enlargeIt’s Saturday and Lin’s on her way to collect me, homeward bound to Play d’eau in Beaucette Marina, Guernsey.
In a nutshell
Guernsey’s Princess Elizabeth Hospital; The Victoria Wing; a successful TURP operation; zero side effects; many friends made, and I think – correction, I know – I’ve put on weight.
The Victoria Wing
After wondering for ages how best to describe my three day stay in The Victoria Wing, I have at last found the right words. A treat. It really was. I was spoiled. A special treat. And my health insurance was paying for it.
Medical matters
If the truth be told, I’m a wimp when it comes to medical matters. I wasn’t looking forward to having the TURP but I knew it had to be done.
I’d met Owen Cole, the Island’s consultant urologist at Guernsey’s ‘The Medical Specialist Group‘. We’d talked for a long time, not only about my prostate and prostates in general, but boating and music.
Google researching had eliminated the last shred of doubt. Without sounding patronising, Owen Cole is right at the top of his profession.
A holiday
So the last three days have been like a holiday. OK, it had it’s time of stress but that’s the same with any holiday, n’est ce pas?
I checked into The Victoria Wing, was shown to my room (complete with en suite); the bed was comfy and had a controller which was more fun than any TV remote; wi-fi, and a room service call button labelled ‘nurse call’.
The staff
And now to The Victoria Wing’s staff. We all know that the greatest asset in any business is its staff. The staff make the business. The same applies to The Victoria Wing where their staff is supreme.
From the moment I arrived everyone made me feel at ease, at home, valued and cared for. It was so reassuring.
The cooking
In a 5 star hotel you’d expect good cooking, wouldn’t you? But in The Victoria Wing it’s even better. Unexpected? Yes.
I’d heard about the Chefs, both called Dave, but thought some of the stories had to be urban myth.
Chef Dave
10:30am. A knock on the door. ‘Come in,’ I called.
‘Good morning, Mr du Pré. I’m your Chef, Chef Dave. What would you like for lunch today?’
‘What’s on the menu?’ I asked. ‘Well, I have a suggested à la Carte menu which I’ve put together for today, but maybe it’s easier if I tell you the ingredients we’ve had delivered this morning from which we can make anything you’d like.’
Ideas of the urban myth were being blown out of the water. ‘Apart from most vegetables including some lovely asparagus, we have just had in some turbot, brill, cod, salmon, smoked salmon and scallops – hand dived, of course. We have beef fillet, pork, rack of lamb and veal. It’s all fresh every day. We keep nothing in the freezer except ice-cream and peas.’
Had I died and gone to heaven? Maybe not the best comment to make given I was in hospital.
Two lunches, three dinners, and I know I’ve put on weight. And I haven’t even mentioned the breakfasts with bacon, fried bread, fried egg…
Guernsey is blessed
There’s no doubt that Guernsey is well and truly blessed by having such a competent team in the Urology department of The Specialist Medical Group and such lovely and dedicated staff to run The Victoria Wing.
Leaving today
On the one hand, I’m sad to be leaving. Everyone’s been so lovely and I’ve really enjoyed myself. On the other hand, I can’t wait to be back home with Lin and Play d’eau.
And I want to tell everyone ‘I can pee!’ It’s such a relief – literally. I can pee as if I was eighteen again. Success all round.
Thank you Owen Cole, The Victoria Wing, its staff, and last but not least by any means, Chef Dave.
I just wonder. Do you think Lin will bring me a menu to discuss tomorrow morning?
Piers
…about to leave…
The Victoria Wing, Princess Elizabeth Hospital
…en route and able to pee, to… Play d’eau
Fleming 55
Beaucette Marina
These were the voyages of Piers and Lin du Pré aboard their Fleming 55
Having so enjoyed my stay in The Victoria Wing being thoroughly spoiled by the nursing staff and Chef Dave, I returned to take some pics of the team and Chef Dave’s food.
