"What an amazing team"

I had reason to be referred to the Breast Clinic at Ninewells for assessment recently. 

It’s a daunting clinic visit for any woman; the understanding of what the lump could be and what it could bring with it means almost every face in the waiting room is a nervous one. 

The team do a fantastic job of putting patients at ease from minute 1. The care and kindness isn’t forced or contrived - they genuinely care, it’s palpable. 

They were so open it felt like I could ask any question I had over and over if I needed to and they wouldn’t mind. 

The radiographers were especially kind and respectful, explaining everything as they went along and being as gentle as possible within the constraints of the procedure. 

The fact that all the scans etc are done on the day means it’s a long wait but that expectation is there from the get go. As a result  patients seemed on the whole just to be happy that they knew they were going to get an answer, no matter how long it took. 

The only thing I would like to see changed is a bigger, air conditioned waiting room: because women are there for up to 4 hours, it can get very full, and that’s compounded when it’s a hot summer’s day. 

That’s an estates issue though - the hospital can only work with what they have and of course that’s recognised, but perhaps when it’s time to overhaul that area, it’s something NHS Tayside will bare in mind. 

Overall though I was so thankful to have such a  wonderful team make what had the potential to be a traumatic day just that wee bit easier.