"My daughter's admission to hospital"

I brought my daughter to Accident and Emergency following advice from NHS24. We were triaged within an hour despite the department being busy. However the triaging nurse didn't introduce themself or explain the purpose or their assessment and what they were doing or what would happen next. They  didn't relay observations, blood sugar measurement or discuss next steps or the outcome of their assessment. This was disappointing as we were quite apprehensive following an episode at home when my daughter was difficult to rouse and appeared floppy with eyes rolling etc. There was a lack of empathy, containment, reassurance or advice provided and the assessment was mechanical and felt very task oriented.

However, that all said, our experience from assessment in ED to admission to the Paediatric ward was excellent. Staff were child-centred and friendly, kind, attentive and respectful of the time of night etc. Obs and communication was excellent and staff were pleasant , responsive and competent. The Paediatric review in the am from Dr Finlay was comprehensive but proportionate and time was taken to listen to the full history and background of events. Well done ED and Paediatric staff, you all do a fantastic job, whilst remaining professional and most importantly kind and competent despite the service pressures currently being experienced across all areas. We are very grateful to be discharged home with information on how to return to the ward via the open access process. Thank you 🙏🏻