"A and E treatment 14.1.2014"

My husband was taken to A and E by ambulance in severe pain due to kidney stones at about 10.30pm on 14.1.2013. We can give nothing but praise for the staff who attended to him that night. The two nurses who initially assessed him and gave his initial treatment for pain relief were efficient and instilled a high degree of confidence of their competency and explained everything they were doing and why at each stage. The doctor we felt was very thorough and kept us informed as the night went on of the results on various tests that were taken and the likely course of treatment. The nurse who attended to him with the doctor and who took him to the ward on his admission was again thorough, efficient and helpful. He was admitted to Sunderland Ward very late at night and again the level of care he received there with both the night and day staff was outstanding. At all times the staff gave an air of efficiency and at a time when I was feeling very stressed due to my husbands condition were a very reassuring presence. However, I would make mention about some instances were it was obvious the staff were providing this care when under a significant level of stress themselves. When the doctor took us to the cubicle there was no bed and he had to go hunting for one himself, as indeed the nurse who took my husband to the ward had to go and hunt for a wheelchair. It appeared that things were being tidied away in readiness for an audit on the tidiness of the department! Really? Doctors and nurses looking for basic equipment and in a busy A and E where the main function of the staff is saving lives and treating 'emergencies', why were there not orderlies to do this for them? And why should the staff have to worry about these audits as well as performing their already stressful jobs? If our experience of A and E and its staff is anything to go by, then you have an amazing team to whom I would ask you to convey our thanks. At a time when their morale must be affected by the recent bad publicity they are providing a first class service in difficult circumstances. When you actually sit and listen and watch what they have to put up with they are worth their weight in gold and deserve the highest praise.