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The system could be better but the care was excellent

Posted By patients dad

"The system could be better but the care was excellent"

About: NHS 24 / NHS 24 (111 service) Western General Hospital / GP out of hours service (LUCS)

(as a service user),

Unfortunately, due to living with a long-term health condition, I needed the assistance of primary out of hours care services one Sunday afternoon at the beginning of July 2023. When I arrived later that evening, the department looked busy and I soon realised that appointments were running behind schedule. However, when I was seen, my care (conducted by ANP Ceirwen) was first class. Initially Ceirwen apologised for the late running clinic but I was just delighted to be seen at all!

Ceirwen took a very thorough history (even tolerating the bits that were possibly less relevant). She went on to examine me and all the while I felt reassured that she was being incredibly diligent. Her personal approach was first class too in being friendly, approachable and non-judgmental.
She compared what I was telling her to my previous similar experiences and seemed to use this to guide her decisions and to reassure me. 
Before leaving with my antibiotics, Ceirwen also made it abundantly clear how I should follow-up my treatment by confirming results with my GP and what to do if my symptoms got any worse.
If there was one thing that could be better, I'd support this department needing more staff. They were running behind schedule and my call at 17:00 to NHS 111 got me an appointment for 20:40 and I wasn't seen until closer to 22:00. That might be a reasonable standard from a political point of view but it's not great when you're unwell. Any system that is deigned to be "efficient" that doesn't have flexibility built in is unlikely to work well. 

In summary, the system could be better but the care was excellent. It's unfortunate that I needed to be there at all but I was delighted with the friendly yet professional care I received. Thank you Ceirwen and the out of hours team at SJH.

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Responses

Response from Shona Lawrence, Clinical Governance Lead, Nursing and Care, NHS 24 10 months ago
Shona Lawrence
Clinical Governance Lead, Nursing and Care,
NHS 24

Submitted on 06/07/2023 at 11:07
Published on Care Opinion at 11:07

picture of Shona Lawrence

Dear patients dad

I'm sorry to learn you required to attend NHS Lothian's Out of Hours Service and I hope you are doing much better. Great feedback for Ceirwen, who sounds as though she did a fantastic job in listening, reassuring and putting you at ease.

Thanks for your comments in relation to what you consider could be better. From what you have shared, it looks as though NHS 24 referred you for onward care within a four hour timeframe. A review of your contact with NHS 24 would let us understand if this was reasonable, given the symptoms you were displaying at that time. I would be pleased to arrange this. Once referred, the location of any onward care and appointment times are determined by NHS Lothian. I'm sure NHS Lothian will welcome your feedback on this. Waiting when feeling unwell can be difficult, however I'm pleased to see you feel your care was excellent.

Should you feel a review of your call to NHS 24 would assist in any way, then you can contact me on 07814 299944 or email Patient.Experience@nhs24.scot.nhs.uk

Thanks again and I hope you are back to full fitness soon.

Best wishes

Shona

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Response from Louise Davies, Patient Experience Officer, Patient Experience Team, NHS Lothian 10 months ago
Louise Davies
Patient Experience Officer, Patient Experience Team,
NHS Lothian

Submitted on 10/07/2023 at 10:51
Published on Care Opinion at 10:51

picture of Louise Davies

Dear patients dad

I’m sorry to hear that you had reason to attend the out of hours care clinic, and would like to sincerely apologise for the delay in being seen once there. This must have been frustrating for you while feeling so unwell. I will pass on your feedback regarding staff shortages and waiting times to the Clinical Management Team. I am sure they are aware of the delays and are working to reduce these, but it is still helpful to hear from patients.

I am really pleased that when you were eventually seen by the ANP, she was so friendly and provided you with such excellent care and treatment. It is great that she paid such attention to your medical history and helped you feel listened to. I will ensure your kind words are shared with her.

Thank you for taking the time to your story with us.

Take care

Louise

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