"On the whole, an efficient professional..."

What I liked

I attended the Cardiology outpatients with my daughter. In the outpatient department she was treated with the utmost respect by all clinical staff, from the health care assistant who did her initial observations to the consultant dealing with her care. A thorough medical history was taken by a medical student in her last year. She also listened to my daughters concerns with genuine empathy. The consultant who followed this through provided reassurance and answered our questions reassuringly. We were put at ease by all clinical staff within the department.

What could be improved

Unfortunately the receptionist in the cardiac investigations unit was rude to my daughter asking why she was in possession of her echocardiogram result. We were bliisfully unaware that this had been mistakenly handed to us. She repeated the same question in the same manner to me when I approached the desk.

It is a pity as in an environment where people are unsure and nervous about what is going to happen to them that one person can cause further anxiety.

We were put at ease following this episode by a very professional nurse/ technician who carried out the ECG.