"Puzzled by difference in procedure"

My wife and I after attending University Hospital Crosshouse in October with my wife for our sons MRI scan. My wife and I were left upset and astounded that the environment for childrens MRI scans were not properly managed. Staff were fantastic, and could not have done more for you, but the setup for the procedure was poorly orchestrated.

My son was well cared for in the childrens assessment ward, and treatment was fantastic. My son then had to leave the calm, yet colorful and bright childrens ward to go down stairs to a dingy, dull and probably scary experience with nearby adults on hospital beds with quite visually graphic injuries coming out of x-ray department.

We had to be seated in a corridor to await my sons anesthesia. We waited patiently but surprised as to where we had to be as there were no distractions for children, for example, colorful pictures or anything what so ever.

After careful checks and great professionalism of the staff, my wife was then led into a room for my sons anesthesia. Now Im sure my son is not the only child to be afraid of needles, so why the tray of needles and syringes were sitting out for him to see is some what poor common sense.

It was then my sons harrowing experience began.

Kicking, wriggling and screaming shouldn't be what my son had to go through, while my wife tried to hold him still for the anesthetist.

I am somewhat annoyed and puzzled because my son went through the exact same procedure last year in December for a tooth extraction at day surgery and the health professionals at that different area of the hospital had all the correct setup for my son getting anesthesia. His experience on that occasion was no problem and went really well, no screaming, or kicking, that is why he was reasonably OK for the MRI scan this year.

How and why the setup is like this in one area, and different in another, in the same hospital, is beyond me! As you would expect the same practice given especially that we are living in the 21st century.