"Outstanding care, a great experience"

I attended the diabetic clinic at Arbroath Infirmary and upon entry I was greeted with a warm woman at the reception desk who jokingly advised me I was in the right place (after my panic that I wasn’t!) and asked me to take a seat and I’d be called through shortly. 

After a very brief wait I was asked to come through by a lovely, infectiously smiley woman who welcomed me to the clinic - we joked about her using my full name and asked her to use my preferred name as I strongly dislike my full name. She made a note on my chart to make sure everyone in the clinic knew this going forward. 

I was guided to the waiting area and advised what would happen next and I was quickly taken through to have my blood pressure, height and weight taken by another lovely woman. 

I was guided back to the waiting area where I was quickly take through to see the doctor who asked me thorough questions about my history, general heath, lifestyle and what I wanted to get out of the appointment. We discussed a review of my medication, getting some additional bloods done and seeing a nurse about some training in injecting myself. 

Once again to the waiting room and again I was taken through for bloods very quickly. The nurse I saw here was very careful to make sure I was comfortable and knew what was happening, keeping me informed of all actions before she took them and was an absolute delight!

Finally, after about a 10 minute wait (which was completely acceptable, but followed with produced apologies about the wait) I saw my final nurse who talked me through injecting myself. She was so clear and friendly and really took the time to ensure I understood the instructions. 

I’m not a particularly medically anxious person, thought I have experienced it, but watching the staff work and interact with one another really helped me see how at ease they could make someone feel who would feel anxious in such an environment. They were smiley and welcoming and it’s honestly the first time I’ve left a hospital clinic and really felt it was a joyful experience. 

What an amazing team!