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A first rate Doctor

Posted By Crackerjill

"A first rate Doctor"

About: Craigavon Area Hospital / Emergency Department Enhanced Care / GP out of hours

(as the patient),

I recently became extremely ill with rigors and fever and was referred on to A&E by my GP. Six hours later was told a computer hitch would mean another 6 hour wait at least for results of blood tests. I was frightened and very ill but left A&E.

By the time I got home I knew I needed urgent help and phoned Out of Hours in great distress. To their credit I was quickly contacted by a GP in Craigavon who got me an appointment in Newry.

Dr Novak was my Dr. He was thorough efficient and professional and managed to make me feel safe and taken care of. He gave me an antibiotic for UTI and told me to go to own GP in the morning for result of blood tests

I returned home and at 12:15 am. I received a phone call from Dr Novak explaining he had accessed my blood results. He explained the detail to my daughter - who is a nurse -  and impressed upon me the need to return to A&E as there was reason to be concerned

Despite a long night waiting in A&E, I was eventually admitted and treated.

I want to express my gratitude to Dr Novak for agreeing to see me  and prescribing antibiotics, but also  for going the extra mile and phoning me with the blood results. Thanks to him I realised the need to stay in A&E.

In my opinion a first rate Doctor.

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Responses

Response from Stacey Hardy, Lead Nurse CAH Emergency Department, DHH Emergency Department and STH Minors Injuries Unit, Medicine and Unscheduled Care Directorate, Southern Health and Social Services Trust last week
Stacey Hardy
Lead Nurse CAH Emergency Department, DHH Emergency Department and STH Minors Injuries Unit, Medicine and Unscheduled Care Directorate,
Southern Health and Social Services Trust

Submitted on 06/05/2025 at 18:52
Published on Care Opinion at 18:52

Thank you taking the time to leave your feedback about the Emergency Department. I wish to apologize that you had a long wait and a further long wait due to a computer hitch. The southern trust are currently changing to an electronic computer system for all patient records and this may have contributed to this computer hitch. I am glad to hear you were sorted by urgent care and referred back to the ED. I hope you are recovering well from your recent illness.

Stacey

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Response from Patricia McGrath, Nurse Team Lead Urgent Care , Adult Community Services Directorate, Southern Health and Social Care Trust last week
Patricia McGrath
Nurse Team Lead Urgent Care , Adult Community Services Directorate,
Southern Health and Social Care Trust

Submitted on 06/05/2025 at 19:53
Published on Care Opinion at 19:53

Good Evening Crackerjill,

Thank you very much for taking the time to to share your experience of the care you received through the Urgent Out of Hours Service.

We are very pleased to hear that Dr Novak was thorough, efficient and professional. It is lovely to hear that during a time when you felt frightened and very ill, that he managed to make you feel safe and taken care of. It's great to hear that Dr Novak took the time to follow up on your bloods, ensuring you were safely directed to the most appropriate care setting. We are so privileged to have a job where we can care for people and make a difference.

Your feedback serves as a valuable reminder of the importance of going the extra mile for our patients. I will ensure Dr Novak and the rest of the team are all aware of your kind words - we really appreciate them.

We wish you a full and speedy recovery!

Thank you again and Best Wishes, Patricia.

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