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Care and empathy

Posted By listenwk97

"Care and empathy"

About: University Hospital Wishaw / Emergency Department

(as a relative),

Following a recent admission in to the emergency department at Wishaw General, I would like to highlight the behaviour of certain staff involved with my wife's care.

We have previously and recently had a bad experience within the NHS and this now makes us very nervous when having to attend. We both felt uncomfortable and realise we may also have acted ungrateful and awkward with staff. We realise this was challenging for both the doctor and the initial nurse who dealt with us. Hats off to both of them for keeping us up to date, answering all our questions (we had a lot), escalating our concerns to eventually and empathetically make us feel at ease. We are very grateful and felt once again reassured when requiring help. 

However, i would like to raise concern in regards to one staff member who almost ruined this reassurance by seemingly not knowing their patients or taking the time to obtain actual facts before bluntly telling us that my wife would be staying in the hospital because she had a blockage in her heart! Not once did i see this staff member consulting either our notes or with doctors taking care of us, so I was very surprised when they presented us with such shocking news. After further discussions with other staff members i can only put this and their lack of care and empathy down to them having a bad day.

Thank you to both the doctor and the nurse for their time and understanding.

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Responses

Response from Julie Coyle, Senior Nurse - Emergency Care, University Hospital Wishaw, NHS Lanarkshire yesterday
Julie Coyle
Senior Nurse - Emergency Care, University Hospital Wishaw,
NHS Lanarkshire

Submitted on 29/07/2025 at 09:45
Published on Care Opinion at 09:45

Dear listenwk97,

Thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience following your wife's attendance to the Emergency Department at University Hospital Wishaw. We truly appreciate your feedback and the opportunity to reflect on both the positive and concerning aspects of your visit.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge your kind words regarding the doctor and nurse who cared for your wife. It’s heartening to hear that their professionalism, communication, and empathy helped ease your concerns during what must have been a stressful time. I will ensure your gratitude is passed on to them—they will be very encouraged to know their efforts made a difference.

I am, however, very sorry to hear about the distress caused by the interaction with another member of staff. Please accept our sincere apologies for the way information was communicated to you. We understand how alarming and upsetting it must have been to receive such significant news in a manner that felt abrupt and unverified. This is not the standard of care or communication we strive to provide.

Your concerns will be shared with the relevant team to ensure this is reviewed and addressed appropriately. We are committed to learning from feedback like yours to improve the experience for all patients and their families.

Thank you once again for bringing this to our attention and for recognising the dedication of our staff. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact our patient affairs department at patientaffairs@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk who will arrange for the Senior Charge Nurse to call you to discuss your concerns further.

Best wishes,

Julie.

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