"Treated with respect and dignity"

As a family we wanted to give feedback to Dalhousie Ward - an amazing ward that we have been part of for 15 years. Our daughter spent long periods in and out of the hospital and it was this ward (formerly ward one at old hospital) that we spent our time on.  

Sometimes our stays were over 6 weeks, or longer. 

The care, dedication, respect you received as a parent , and also the patient was amazing.

The ward could not of been anymore caring for the situations and how ill our daughter was on occasions. 

It was a very busy ward dealing with children with complex needs , respiratory issues and numerous other illnesses .

The staff always ensured your child received the best of care , whilst working a very busy and changing and challenging ward.

Due to our daughters illness we were in a cubicle /room so for us we had the peace and quiet from a very busy ward .

The play specialist ensured we had whatever we needed for our daughter , lights , books etc and she would come and sit with our daughter to let me out for a coffee, or it was just nice to have a chat with her and someone to speak to about our daughter. 

As a family we built up a great relationship with this ward, and the staff are like an extended family.  As our daughters health deteriorated the staff were there for us and again so supportive and ensured we were alright. In January this year our daughters health took a massive turn for the worst , and my father in law passed away at the same time; life was hard. Dealing with a lot of emotions , what it showed us was the staff are just human like everyone else , yes they have a job to do but they are human as well, 

I remember one day the ward was quieter which was very unusual, and the staff bathed our daughter.  The music and laughter from that room was something we hold as great memories, the staff were getting time to be with their patients and enjoy the fun times 

The staff came in to express their condolences, and ensure we were alright.  They managed to get us into Ronald McDonald so we could be together as a couple and take a minute from the ward, to get to our daughter something -  we were ever so grateful.

Our last admission was in July and the staff were aware that our daughters health was on a very thin line , it was upsetting as we knew we probably wouldn’t be back at the hospital again which was hard to accept .

Our daughter passed away in August at home , and it was an honour to have a lot of the staff at her funeral , people that mean so much to us.

We have also been back to visit the ward as we will never forget 15 years of our life we’ve spent there .

The ward is run very well, patients needs are at the forefront, the staff are dedicated and work very hard.  The charge nurses are there on hand to support and help when things get tough -  a great way of working .

These people are not recognised enough for the hard work , dedication they provide on a daily basis.  We certainly take our hat of to them and can’t thank them enough 

Also would like to thank A&E  who ensured that we got the best of service on admission. As we were mostly 999 in to hospital they ensured we were treated as soon as possible.  And to Castle Mey wards where  we have spent time, again treated with respect and dignity, and again they work so hard 

Thank you to the Sick Childrens Hospital in Edinburgh, new friends for life. We will never forget what you done for us as a family.