"Hard working and caring people"

On Saturday I managed to fall over my daughters skateboard, thinking I'd just dislocated my elbow. A friend took me to minor injuries at the VOL, however they were closed and I was seen within minutes by the team at MAU.

I couldn't fault the doctors and nurses there, who very quickly organised analgesia and an xray. Less than an hour later I was on my way to the RAH for surgery on my rather broken and displaced elbow. 

In a rather busy A&E (on a Saturday night), I was seen within an hour by an orthopaedic reg who arranged some morphine and a back slab cast to be put on before organising a ward bed. I was boarded to ward 20 where every member of staff I encountered were amazing.

As a nurse myself, being on the other side of it was not where I wanted to be but the staff were so brilliant. I'd arrived in the early hours with nothing but the clothes on my back and a dead phone. The auxiliary on on Saturday night helped me undress and get me as comfortable as possible, while a nurse tried to find me a phone charger (my priority at the time to contact my family) (apologies I dont recall many names).

I had surgery the following morning and was discharged home on Monday. The anaesthetic team were calming and reassuring before I went under and when I woke up I rather distressed with pain, but the recovery nurses went above and beyond to try and manage my pain and distress.  The nurses on ward 20 were so kind and empathetic throughout my stay, and my dayshift nurse on Monday was amazing at advocating for me, ensuring I was discharged with appropriate pain medication. 

I was discharged via the discharge lounge. There, the nurses were so caring and attentive. I needed to go and get my plaster cast changed before discharge and on return felt rather nauseous and sore. The nurses were very quick to recognise this, giving me analgesia, a recliner chair to compensate the wooziness, and a fresh hot cup of tea! My IDL and discharge medication was ready in less an hour of arrival and it was then just a matter of waiting on my husband collecting me. A very efficient service and asset to the hospital!

Overall, hospitals and their departments are so quick to be penalised these days, with the negative opinions often those that are commented on and gaining the most attention, however, having been in 2 hospitals, via multiple departments with them, I cannot fault the service being delivered by such hard working and caring people.