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Care Opinion

A brilliant service

Posted By oscaryt66

"A brilliant service"

About: NHS 24 / NHS 24 (111 service) St John's Hospital / Accident & Emergency

(as a relative),

My mother who is in her nineties fell out of bed last night.  She pressed her Careline button and I received a call from West Lothian Careline to notify me of a problem.  I attended and found her on the floor.  The Careline team asked me to press the button when I was with her to inform them of her condition.  The lovely gentleman, Connor, was exceptionally calming and advised he was arranging for the Rapid Response team to come and get her up off the floor - they attended within 20 minutes which was fantastic.  

I noticed this morning that she was in a bit of pain and suffered some bruising.  As she suffers from osteoporosis I took the decision to contact the 111 service for advice.  I got connected to this service without requiring to wait too long and, again I was greeted by a caring gentleman who asked all the relevant questions and got me transferred to a nurse to discuss further.  Everyone I spoke to were professional but also “human” they appreciated that I was worried about my mother’s situation.  I was duly advised that I would be contacted by NHS Lothian to advise me where to take her.  

I subsequently attended St John’s Hospital A&E department where the lovely receptionist advised me that my mother was on the “expected list”.  After about 5 minutes she was called in to see a nurse/practitioner who examined her and was happy that she hadn’t broken any bones and the minor injuries clinic would provide information on how to manage her pain.  After a few minutes we were called again and advised of some exercises and pain relief to take to avoid my mum stiffening up.  

The whole experience has been exemplary, we have spoken to some dedicated and compassionate staff in a timely manner whom I believe truly cared about my mother.  I received a telephone call this afternoon from the Rapid Response team to check on my mother’s condition after the fall - what a brilliant service!

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Responses

Response from Shona Lawrence, Clinical Governance Lead, Nursing and Care, NHS 24 15 months ago
Shona Lawrence
Clinical Governance Lead, Nursing and Care,
NHS 24

Submitted on 01/02/2023 at 11:41
Published on Care Opinion at 11:41

picture of Shona Lawrence

Dear oscaryt66

I’m so sorry to learn of your mother’s fall from her bed. This sounds like a worrying time for you both. I hope she is doing well following her ordeal.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience of her journey of care. All staff sound as though they did a fantastic job in providing care tailored to your mum’s needs which I'm sure was hugely reassuring for you.

I see you made a call to NHS 24 when you spoke with our staff who then arranged onward care for your mother. You are absolutely correct when you mention the importance of being ‘human’. As NHS 24 staff don’t have the benefit of seeing our patients face to face, we work hard to ensure we are still able to provide person-centred care, not only for the patient, but also for the caller too when they have concerns about the health of a loved one.

The staff at St John’s sound great, so well done to them for checking your mother for broken bones and in providing advice in relation to pain management. I am sure all of this would have been very reassuring for you.

Great communication too from the Rapid Response Team, especially in taking the time to check on your mother’s condition.

Thanks again and best wishes to you both. Should you care to share any further detail about your call to 111, it would be great to hear from you. You can call me on 07814 299944. This would also allow me to share your kind words with our staff.

Take care

Shona

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Response from Rachel Anderson, Clinical Director of Emergency Medicine, Accident & Emergency, St John's Hospital, NHS Lothian 15 months ago
Rachel Anderson
Clinical Director of Emergency Medicine, Accident & Emergency, St John's Hospital,
NHS Lothian

Submitted on 01/02/2023 at 15:04
Published on Care Opinion at 15:04

Thank you for your positive feedback about the Emergency Department at St Johns. Its really great to hear you had a good experience. We do appreciate it when people take time to feed back a compliment. I hope your Mother is doing well and on the road to recovery!

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Response from Agnes Ritchie, Associate Nurse Director, St. John's Hospital & Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion, NHS Lothian 15 months ago
Agnes Ritchie
Associate Nurse Director, St. John's Hospital & Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion,
NHS Lothian

Submitted on 01/02/2023 at 15:12
Published on Care Opinion at 15:12

Dear oscaryt66

I’m so sorry to learn of your mother’s fall from her bed. Thank you for taking the time to comment and post the experience that your mum and yourself received from all services involved in responding to the care and treatment of your mum at what would have been a very worrying time. I will pass on your kind comments to the staff within the St Johns Hospital Emergency Department. I do hope your mum feels better soon and continuous to improve.

BW
Agnes Ritchie

Associate Nurse Director

St Johns Hospital, Howden West, Livingston

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