"Unacceptable behaviour"

I went with my friend to the Macmillan Centre, Ulster hospital Dundonald, as my friend has recently been diagnosed with bowel cancer. She was there to discuss her upcoming treatment.

During our visit, we were met by a nurse whose conduct was both unprofessional and discourteous. Initially, my friend was instructed in a rude manner to pick up that cotton wool ball and put it in the bin.

Furthermore, when my friend introduced herself and inquired about the nurse's name, she was met with silence. Despite asking two additional times, the nurse simply responded that they were just one of the nurses and notably did not have a name badge on, which is a standard part of the uniform. After my friend had her blood taken, she expressed her frustration to me about the nurse's rudeness and the lack of a name badge. To our astonishment, the nurse then reappeared and shouted - yeah that’s right, no name badge.

The most shocking incident occurred when the nurse walked past us, pretending to scratch their head, but instead they displayed a disrespectful gesture by giving us the two fingers. My friend was already vulnerable and anxious about her upcoming treatment and to be met with such rudeness is mind blowing. Such behaviour is unacceptable, especially in a healthcare setting where compassion and professionalism should be paramount.

We did report this terrible experience to the Sister in charge who apologised and said they would deal with it. 

I am writing this to hopefully prevent further incidents and to ensure that future patients will not be treated in this manner.