I recently took very ill suddenly. I called an ambulance as I was in such pain and unable to move and unfortunately there was no ambulance available.
An hour later I was still in excruciating agony and there was still no ambulance available, it was imperative I got to hospital so somehow my husband and friends managed to get me to A&E in Causeway Hospital. I was triaged very quickly in A&E and quickly put on morphine. However unfortunately I lay there for many hours -approximately 14 -before been scanned- and it was discovered I had acute pancreatitis.
I was originally admitted to Surgical Ward 1 for a few hours, however, I was moved to Intensive Care Unit, where I remained for 13 days, and I cannot say enough good things about the medical and nursing care which I received in Causeway Hospital‘s Intensive Care Unit, it was nothing short of excellent. All the nursing staff were superb and treated me with respect and professional care. Those bed baths were so appreciated . There was also a consultant anaesthetist who was kindness personified, and who was a great communicator as well as an excellent practitioner.
I was then moved to Surgical Ward 2, where I remained for 12 days. I was initially very ill on being admitted to the ward, but once again I experienced nothing but excellent care from all of the nursing staff, healthcare assistants, domestic and medical practitioners attached to Surgical Ward 2 -absolutely superb care. I experienced nurses and healthcare assistants going well beyond the call of duty and I really don’t know how I would’ve come through it without their compassionate care.
Of course there are things that you notice that are not great: the lack of confidentiality; the desperate need for fresh, cold water and mix ups every day over the menu in that the food that was brought to you was not always what you ordered and what you got. However, the small things were indeed very minor and overall I cannot commend the care of Surgical Ward 2 enough.
I had two brilliant young nurses. The nurses who treated me knew their craft inside out and back to front. The young trainee doctors were superb and I benefited from the excellent care of the consultants - thank you to them all. When I was taken to theatre for a PICC line, the doctor and nurses were excellent.
Of course, it helped that the other patients in the ward were very supportive and we became quite a team. Well done to the staff of the Intensive Care Unit. Very well done to the staff of Surgical Ward 2.
I noticed that there was quite a lot of agency staff employed, and some of the staff were excellent. However, I found some of the agency staff that commit at night time had a very poor attitude and were very abrupt. This was very different from the care which we received from the vast majority of staff normally employed in Causeway Hospital.
I have nothing but praise for the staff, however I feel that the A&E department is vastly under resourced and seemed rather disorganised. When you’re lying on the bed writhing in pain and calling to be knocked out because of the pain and your sickness is so severe, and yet staff continually walk past you, it feels demoralising and dehumanising.
This is really not good enough, in my view. This needs to be looked at with a better system of organisation and accountability for each patient in A&E. I dread having to go back through the A&E system again, however I know that if I have to, I will get through it to a better standard of care in the wards. Please note that I am not individually criticising the staff in the A&E unit. I am noticing that they are overworked, under-resourced and perhaps rather disorganised and unconnected at times.
However, the overall tone of my message is that my experience in Causeway Hospital was very positive. But my goodness all of us patients yearned for fresh, clean cold water and clean drinking glasses as these small things make a difference.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am so very glad of such excellent local care that was available to me in Causeway Hospital.
"Contrasting experience of A&E and the wards"
About: Causeway Hospital / Accident & Emergency Causeway Hospital Accident & Emergency BT52 1HS Causeway Hospital / Intensive Care Unit Causeway Hospital Intensive Care Unit BT52 1HS Causeway Hospital / Surgical 1 Causeway Hospital Surgical 1 BT52 1HS Causeway Hospital / Surgical 2 Causeway Hospital Surgical 2 BT52 1HS Northern Ireland Ambulance Service / Emergency ambulance response Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Emergency ambulance response Belfast BT8 8SG
Posted by Nauna (as ),
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Update posted by Nauna (a service user) about a year and a half ago
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