"Empathy, compassion and advocacy"

I recently had a 2 week stay in ward 309, as an emergency admission. I can't thank the staff enough for all their support, compassion and care during my stay in hospital, All the staff in ward 309 are a credit to SCN Low, who was always present on the ward and was a fantastic support and advocate for me during a difficult stay in hospital. 

I would like to particularly mention 4 other staff in ward 309 - SN Ruth, SN Lynsey, SN Hannah and HCSW Tracey.

Ruth showed incredible empathy and professionalism, she was thorough and I had great confidence in her care delivered. She treated me with respect and dignity and she never appeared flustered under pressure.

Lynsey (apologies unsure of the spelling) was a fantastic advocate for me, she listened and helped to ensure my family’s and my concern were heard by the medical staff.  I found ward rounds overwhelming and found it difficult to be heard at times.  She was also very supportive and professional.

Hannah always made me feel like she had plenty of time for me, and nothing was ever too much of an ask, even at 2 am. She always had a smile on her face and this helped raise my spirits on some of my toughest days. Again, she was was supportive and professional in the care she delivered .

Tracey is an excellent HCSW, she has a brilliant ability to gauge mood and atmosphere and always approached a situation in the correct manner, she help lift my mood on low days, made me smile and again nothing was ever to much for her.

The junior medical staff were also fantastic and had great communication skills, and empathy toward me as a patient.

However, I felt the senior medical staff rarely listened to my concerns and every 2 days I had a new consultant who would have very little information on my admission and would try the same treatment as the consultants the days before, which did nothing but left me in even more pain and discomfort. It wasn’t until I became very unwell with a temperature that anything different seemed to be considered and our concerns were listened to.

I had surgery during my stay and both the theatre staff and the recovery staff were excellent, and I could not fault the care they delivered.