"They worked together like a well oiled machine"

Ended up here after suffering from acute pancreatitis 3 weeks beforehand and had been a patient in ward 20, who were great under very difficult circumstances. 2 weeks later my pain came back and I ended up leaving A&E with an appointment for the SAU 2 days later.

From the minute I stepped in the door I was welcomed by friendly, professional staff.  It's a very busy unit and I spent a full morning there.  Whilst there I had all of my observations taken and bloods done. I was called to see the doctor about 45 mins later and my blood results were back and the doctor could check everything was normal.

They then managed to get me a CT scan there and then, popped a needle into my arm and escorted me to the scanner where I was taken in, scanned and back in the unit within an hour. I was able to go home with a box of pain killers after my needle was removed from my arm with the doctor calling me that afternoon with the results of my scan. 

To have all of this done in half a day is nothing short of incredible.  What a service they provide! Everyone was professional, friendly and helpful. I really thought that i was going to end up back in hospital requiring more investigations which would have taken up a bed and meant a few days off work for me away from my home and family. Instead, i was seen, scanned, and provided with pain relief in a couple of hours. I was home for lunch time with a promise of a follow up call that afternoon to inform me of the results of the scan and the next steps for me.

This feels the way the NHS should be - a slick, multi-disciplinary team providing a holistic one stop service which prevents unnecessary admission to hospital. A fabulous experience from start to finish!

I'd like to thank all of the team, from the charge nurse to the staff nurse, the ANP, the Drs, the staff at the CT suite and the ancillary staff cleaning the rooms. They worked together like a well oiled machine, providing a top notch service with the patient at the heart of it.  Thank you.