"Calm professionalism and reassurance"

I recently rang NHS 24 at around 19:00, requesting a call back, due to some symptoms that were really worrying me about my right eye. The first thing that I appreciated was that I received a text confirming that I would get a call back. I received another text 15 minutes later just to state they hadn't forgotten about me and I would get a call back soon. Both of these things made me feel reassured that I would speak to someone.

When NHS 24 rang, I spoke to a woman named Emma. Emma was professional, kind, empathetic and so very helpful. I was a bit worried about my symptoms and not focusing very well, but Emma's patience and reassurance helped me so much and I was able to explain myself better. I also very much appreciated that Emma let me know why she was asking me certain questions, and explained what she was doing, when she was putting me on hold while she spoke to a clinician.

She was still waiting to speak to a clinician but popped back in just to make sure my symptoms hadn't changed or gotten worse. She said this repeatedly throughout the call, and this helped me focus on my symptoms and make sure that I was explaining myself properly. Emma was excellent. Extremely reassuring and helpful.

I was then advised that I was given a slot at the OOH at the Western General, only 45 minutes from the time I got off the call with Emma. When I arrived for my slot, the receptionist was relaxed and smiled welcomingly. I was seen very quickly by Julie. I'm afraid I cannot remember if Julie was a doctor or nurse practitioner but she was absolutely excellent. She thoroughly explained what she thought was the issue and gave me medication for my eye. Julie repeatedly advised what to do in the event of my symptoms getting worse. This reassured me a great deal, but also kept me vigilant to monitor my symptoms.

I don't think I have used NHS 24 before, at least, not as far as I can remember, and I felt a bit ashamed to be using such a valuable service for something that was potentially not very serious. However Julie reassured me and emphasised that I did the right thing by contacting NHS 24 and seeking OOH support. I cannot thank Emma and Julie for their calm professionalism and reassurance.