"Care when on holiday"

I was visiting my family in Northern Ireland for two weeks when I developed an infection that progressively got worse. I was in a lot of pain and ended up needing to see the surgical team for an abscess to be drained twice. Despite not having a GP to go to I was taken care of efficiently and thoroughly.

Initially my visit to A&E was quick, efficient and all of the doctors and nurses treated me with such kindness and sensitivity. It was clear what was happening at all times, who I needed to speak to and why the surgical team were getting involved. The abscess was unfortunately located in an intimate area but all of the medical staff were very discrete and professional, never adding to my embarrassment and treating me with care and kindness.

I was then seen by the surgical team who came down to A&E within an hour which was brilliant. Their bedside manner (Hannah in particular, I cannot express how much her kindness helped) was excellent and I was put at ease when experiencing a lot of pain and discomfort. I was given lots of clear information on how to handle after care and all of my potentially silly questions were answered thoroughly.

I returned to Surgical 1 CSAU a few days later and was very quickly seen to. Hannah had remembered me from the previous visit and showed me where to go. Again I was so impressed by all of the staff who treated me. I was given excellent advice and plenty of supplies to help the infection heal fully and quickly. Bedside manner and measures taken to make me feel comfortable and respected were amazing. One nurse even brought me an extra sheet to help me feel less exposed even though there was no one else in the room, that was really thoughtful. I’m sorry I can’t remember her name but she was getting her full licence soon so I wish her good luck!

Thank you again to everyone who helped me avoid complete disaster on my holiday and for the excellent care I received.