"A very mixed experience"

I brought my son in initially to the Emergency Department at Daisy Hill with an infection and high temperatures. I wasn’t really listened to on this occasion and I was sent home again. However, my son continued to get worse and so we returned again as he was having temperatures over 38 degrees. I was told initially by the receptionist that ED was very busy and that we may have to phone first. However, after getting across how ill my son was, the doctors and nurses eventually looked at him.

Up on the Daisy Children’s Ward, the care was absolutely dead on when we were initially admitted. We really did have a good few days until yesterday. The staff really made me feel like I was a bad mum, telling me when and how to look after my son when I know him best as his mother. One nurse in particular I found quite argumentative with me which made me quite upset. They really were quite rude to me and I think because of our interactions, they didn’t really check up on my son as much as they should have.

Today however has been absolutely grand, I was just quite annoyed yesterday with the care I received. Apart from yesterday, the staff have all been brilliant. One of the student nurses, has been with me since day one and has been absolutely brilliant since my son was admitted. She managed to reassure and explain everything that was going on to me. Other staff have also been amazing.

The ward itself has been clean and comfortable. I feel that the communication between the doctors and the nurses on the ward could also be better, as staff members don’t appear to be fully aware of plans that have been put in place etc.

Overall, my experience in Daisy Hill has been a bit of a mixed one. There have been some good staff and some bad staff, but the care I received yesterday really could have been better. I also feel that if my son had been treated when we first presented to the Emergency Department, he wouldn’t have ended up as bad as he did.