As a teacher who enjoys staying active through cycling, tennis, and pilates, Sarah had been living with pain caused by a bunionnette (or Taylor’s bunion), a deformity on the outer side of the foot.
As the discomfort worsened, Sarah decided it was time to seek treatment. ‘It reached a point where it had to be done. My dad had a similar operation, so I kind of knew that I'd need to have it as well,’ she explains.
Following an initial consultation and imaging, Sarah’s bunionette was confirmed, and minimally invasive (keyhole) surgery was recommended — a procedure that shaves off and realigns the deformity through a tiny incision in the skin, avoiding a long incision and the longer recovery that comes with it.
She was referred for treatment at Welbeck, where the timing worked perfectly. 'Mr Malagelada’s availability at Welbeck was great for my needs – I'm a teacher, so I had quite strict requirements as to when I wanted the operation to take place.’
From the beginning, Sarah felt she was in safe hands, describing Mr Malagelada as someone who balanced calm reassurance with obvious technical expertise. 'I felt like he'd given me so much time before the operation to make sure I understood what was going to happen, and so much space for me to talk about it in the way I wanted and to ask questions.'
Sarah arrived at Welbeck on the morning of 19 December, spending the day in the care of the our Surgery Centre team before being discharged that evening. Visiting just before Christmas, the environment made her feel at ease from the moment she arrived.
'The first thing I noticed was how nicely decorated it was — a Christmas tree in the lobby and decorations on the outside of the building. Big open space, nice and uncluttered, that felt really welcoming as well.'
The warmth of the environment was matched by the staff from her very first encounter.
'The security guard was just so lovely and there to help. He was simply a lovely person to encounter and made a great first impression of the hospital.'
From the front entrance to the operating room, that same warmth and attentiveness ran through every encounter.
As she prepared for surgery, Sarah was supported by Hakin, the assistant anaesthetist, whose care went beyond the clinical. Hakin made sure Sarah felt comfortable and dignified throughout — helping her onto the operating table in a way that felt considerate and unhurried.
‘As the only female in the room, Hakin’s consideration meant a great deal to me. The sensitivity and pre-emptive kindness with which she handled it made such an impact.’
It was a standard of care that continued throughout the rest of her day at Welbeck.
For many patients, the lead-up to surgery can be just as daunting as the procedure itself. Sarah, who describes herself as anxious around needles and cannulas, found that the team at Welbeck went out of their way to make sure she felt heard and prepared.
'Tom the anaesthetist came and talked to me beforehand, and that was really great because I could ask any questions,’ Sarah explained. ‘I think when people take the time to talk to you about what's going to happen and show you that they understand how you're feeling and that it is a nerve-wracking situation, that really helps.'
By the time surgery came around, any anxiety had turned into confidence – 'On the day, I just felt really excited to get it done and feel better long term. I wasn’t worried in any way at all!'
Coming around after the procedure, Sarah quickly realised she’d received more anaesthetic than originally planned. Rather than feeling unsettled, the way the team handled it left her feeling reassured.
'I asked for Tom the anaesthetist directly, because I knew I'd had more anaesthetic than I had wanted to. He came in and explained why — I'd been very wriggly and restless, and with a foot operation you have to be very still, so they had to give me more. It was really reassuring to speak with him.'
The team also provided additional treatment, identifying and removing a bursa — a fluid-filled sac — on one of her feet.
Sarah recovered in her own private room, cared for throughout by Larisa, her nurse. While in her recovery room, Sarah asked Larisa to sing Feliz Navidad — and she did, happily.
'I feel like that's next level customer service. She didn't need to do that. That was above and beyond.'
Having her own space to recover made a meaningful difference too – 'When you're going through something that could be quite scary, having your own space to process that is very helpful.'
Sarah explained that her Welbeck experience stood out from previous hospital visits. 'When I've had operations before, it felt like you're just part of a machine — get you in, get you gone. Whereas at Welbeck, I really felt like I wasn't being rushed and shunted to do things that I didn't feel ready for. I really felt like everybody had the time to answer my questions and listen to what I was worried about. There was never pressure to make that conversation quicker than it needed to be.'
Sarah’s recovery was carefully managed through a series of follow-up appointments, with Sarah returning to Welbeck for check-ins at key milestones.
‘I had stitches and bandages removed at 2 weeks post-op, X-ray imaging at 4 weeks, and imaging again a couple of months after that. There was a very scheduled process to it.’
What reassured her most was how close the recovery process was to her expectations. Before the operation, Mr Malagelada had walked Sarah through a clear timeline of when she could expect to return to everyday activities and the things she loved.
‘Before the operation I was really worried about the amount of time it would take to get back to normal because I'm quite an active person — I cycle to work, I play tennis, I like doing Pilates. Every milestone that he had told me happened. I just feel really, really happy that the recovery was as predicted.’
5 months on, Sarah is back to doing everything she did before. 'The time does go quickly, and you see that you're making progress. I can even wear shoes now that I never thought I would again.'
Looking back, what stood out to Sarah the most wasn’t just the success of the surgery, but how she was treated throughout her entire experience at Welbeck.
‘I genuinely couldn't have improved the service. From the professional expertise side of things, I never had any doubt I was in the right hands. When I was there on the day, the way everybody treated me and was so attentive — not just in a physical sense, but in an emotional sense, aware of my feelings and respectful of me — I genuinely couldn't fault that. As an anxious patient, feeling like you don't need to manage this because it's clearly in hand — that's such a nice feeling to have.’
The experience extended to the finer details too, including the food. As a vegan, Sarah hadn't known quite what to expect, but Welbeck's collaboration with Ottolenghi left a lasting impression.
‘The food was such a perk for me as well — being vegan and health-conscious, to have really fresh, healthy food as part of the package was a real bonus. About a week before the operation I was sent an email asking what I’d like. I'm a big Ottolenghi fan, so immediately I ran to my husband — "can you believe this, I'm having an operation and getting Ottolenghi food as well!”’
For Sarah, it all added up to something far greater than she had anticipated. 'Surgery can be frightening, vulnerable, and overwhelming, yet this experience felt calm and genuinely positive because of the people involved. Every person made me feel cared for not just medically, but personally. I felt seen, listened to, respected, and safe throughout.'
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