"The staff were amazing"

I recently had to attend A&E. It being the weekend, I was dreading the waiting times as well as the horrible staff that I had heard so much about, but how I was shocked.

When I arrived I was taken back at the computerised self check-in, but took a wee seat and waited about 25 minutes to be taken through to be triaged.

I was met by a lovely nurse called Sam who was reassuring, kind and very compassionate as to my issues. No judgement just a listening ear as I listed my issues. He explained what would happen such as OBS, ECG and bloods which were done by a lovely lady called Nicole. She was chatty and very kind which I really needed in my state of anxiety.

Sam came back in to let me know that I would be placed back in the waiting area until my bloods came back but should I need any assistance I was just to ask.

I sat in the waiting area where yes it was busy but no drama or moaning about the waiting times. I was there for about 3 hours until I was taken through to see a doctor but again there was a wait.

Obviously the staff were dealing with more urgent issues but would check in and make sure I was okay, ran my OBS again and give me a little more reassurance. The doctor came in to see me with my results and again as like the other staff was very kind and spoke me through everything. She was thorough with her examination and gave me ample time to ask any questions. I was given loads of reassurance and guidance on how to manage my issues and was allowed home.

As much as Monklands is a worn hospital, the staff in the A&E dept were amazing.