"Extremely smooth A&E service and lovely friendly..."

Anything else?

I was referred to a&e by my gp yesterday, nothing super critical (i walked there) but she wanted me checked out by the on call opthamologist. She provided me detailed notes which i took with me to the hospital which no doubt assisted in the whole experience but nonetheless i was impressed with how good my overall experience was at the hospital. It was clear that these were hard working people who have an extremely tough job at an east london a&e yet they couldnt have done more for me. - first contact - the receptionist was friendly and efficient, smiling despite being on an 11 hour shift (which seems like terrible planning at the trusts end!) and was very happy to help despite it being clear it wasnt a critical emergency. - second contact, the triage assessment was smooth, the woman was polite and immediately called the on call consultant, before taking me herself to the waiting room in a&e and putting together my file (cover sheet, plus the notes i had brought) and speaking to the nurses station to relay the request that they do my bloods there. Knowing that she couldnt guarantee they would have time to do this, but that getting the results back before the consultant came down would save time, she used her friendly relationship with the nurses to make that possible. She couldnt have done more than she did to make me comfortable and ensure i was looked after. - third contact - a nurse made time almost immediately to take my blood (she was clearly looking after at least one other patient) and even took me into an area with some privacy so i wouldnt have the blood taken in the waiting room. She was lovely and put me at ease, also very good with the needle, i barely felt a scratch. - fourth contact - opthamologist. An absolute joy! very friendly, funny, and clearly knew his stuff. He did lots of tests on me, explained each one and gave me all the results on the spot, even checked something with his manager before discharging me with a great deal of confidence that there was nothing seriously wrong with my eye. altogether, brilliant, could not recommend this hospital more highly. I know the NHS is under pressure and it was clearly primed to get much busier after i left, but with those sorts of people working there, it is an absolute asset for this country and we should look after it.