"Exceptional Care Following Heart Attack"

At the beginning of Jan, I suffered a heart attack. Due to the pressure on the ambulance service my Wife drove me to Forth Valley Hospital A&E. It was busy, I had a short wait, but once they carried out an ECG and realised the danger I was in, the full strength of the NHS kicked in. I was administered drugs and pain relief, and ambulance was made ready and I was red flagged to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

On arrival I was whisked into theatre and made ready for a stent to be fitted. The medication administered at FVH had dissolved the blood clot. Within an hour and a half roughly, from entering FVH A&E I had a stent fitted and was stabilised.

I was taken to Edinburgh Royal CCU where I was well looked after, the standard of care being excellent. Professional, caring, friendly, can’t praise the Consultants, Doctors and Nurses enough.

The following day I was taken to Ward 103 to continue my recovery. In a shared ward I saw the real caring side of the NHS, the ward being occupied by men much older, more infirm and requiring much more care than myself. The demands on the nursing staff were frankly enormous, provided in full, with care, with no sign of frustration despite some unsavory tasks being carried out. These people are professional Angels.

Yesterday I was seen by the Consultant who installed the stent, fortunately the damage to my heart has been judged to be mild/moderate. My progress had been excellent, I felt well, and was encouraged to get on my feet, the aim being to let me home later in the day, all things being well.

I cannot speak highly enough of all the staff at both hospitals who undoubtedly saved my life, or indeed the institution which is the NHS.

I am home now, having time to reflect on my experience. The learning is that my heart attack could happen to anyone. I am not really overweight, maybe a stone maximum, we don’t eat much fat or processed food, don’t smoke, drink moderately, and I golf regularly (poorly), but I still had a heart attack. I can honestly say  that while the experience was seriously scary, the professionalism and care provided eased my mind  greatly. The food was very good too, though I was sure to choose the healthy options!

Not wanting to be political, but we should cherish and celebrate the NHS and people who work therein. An organisation which can provide this level of service, at scale, under the current pressure of workload is unique. All I can say is Thank You.