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Paediatric care in A&E and on the ward

Posted By fvmum35

"Paediatric care in A&E and on the ward"

About: Forth Valley Royal Hospital / Accident & emergency Forth Valley Royal Hospital / Children's Ward

(as a parent/guardian),

This is just some minor feedback: my son and I received great care in A&E but although the four or five nurses who cared for us were all very pleasant and helpful, not one of them introduced themselves or wore a name badge! The only person who introduced herself was the doctor.

The A&E staff thoughtfully put numbing cream onto my son's arm in preparation for having blood taken, but unfortunately it took 4 hours in the paediatric assessment unit before blood was taken. By this time the cream's effects had worn off and the experience was painful & distressing for him.

The two nurses in the PAU made no attempts to interact with him or us, and again didn't introduce themselves and nor did the ward doctor who led us off to take blood. I had to ask him who he was.

After this we moved to the Paeds ward, where every one of the staff was friendly, introduced themselves and went out of their way to put my son at ease, throughout the day and night. The surgical doctors were very nice too, making jokes and making him laugh even although he was sore and upset.

Overall we were very impressed with and grateful for the care we received, but it means a lot to know who is looking after you!

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Responses

Response from Gail Bell, Deputy Head of Midwifery, Women and Children, NHS Forth Valley 8 years ago
Gail Bell
Deputy Head of Midwifery, Women and Children,
NHS Forth Valley

Submitted on 07/03/2016 at 17:02
Published on Care Opinion at 17:22

Dear fvmum35

Thank you for your posting. I hope your son is keeping much better now.

I was sorry to hear that staff in PAU did not introduce themselves to your wee boy or attempt to chat with him. Having a friendly person tell you their name can make all the difference to a child at what is a very frightening time. The ward Manager has already shared your posting with the teams to ensure staff are mindful of the impact first impressions and introductions make on a child’s experience (and a parent's!) and also to remind everyone about updating when there are delays in carrying out procedures.

It was great to hear that your experience in the ward was much better and we will ensure that the surgical team are made aware of the positive impact they had on your son.

Once again, best wishes to your wee boy for a continued speedy recovery.

Kind regards

Gail

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