"We would be in a much worse place without you"

My 11-month-old son had a prolonged seizure. Yorkshire ambulance service attended and took him to Sheffield Children's Hospital. I was amazed at the way the paramedics were able to carry out their job effectively but also keep updating us about the situation and what they were doing.

When we arrived at A&E the communication was just as good, every time a member of staff had a few seconds to spare they would come over to me and my partner to tell us what was happening. It really helped in a scary situation. 

We spent a night and day on ICU and you could tell it was extremely busy, the level of attention was not the same, but staff were clearly trying their best. 

We were transferred to Ward 5, where the staff were very attentive. My son celebrated his first birthday in hospital with meningitis, which was obviously upsetting for us in addition to everything else. The staff on the ward went above and beyond, surprising us with a birthday cake. We were so grateful for this little detail and all the care they gave to our son. 

On days when he was feeling a little better, my son wanted to crawl around and didn't like sitting still much. However, it was hard to find a space for him to do this. The floor was hard and he ended up slipping and hitting his mouth on the floor. The staff did provide some soft mats but a larger soft space (eg. carpet in the play room) would be my only suggested improvement. 

Since coming home we've had to attend A&E several times or call 111 and although it's been exceptionally busy the staff have always made time to provide thorough care and even on occasions where it was only reassurance that was needed. 

Thank you so much to all the amazing staff at Sheffield Children's Hospital and Yorkshire Ambulance Service. We would be in a much worse place without you.