"Our teenage daughter had her appendix out"

We came to stay in The north of the Lake District for part of our Summer holiday. Our older teenage children were camping in Keswick with their youth group. Unfortunately our 13 year old daughter was taken ill and after two days was in agony with stomach pains. At that point we were in Grasmere but were directed initially to Keswick Hospital. The staff there were fantastic and confirmed what we had suspected which was that our daughter needed to have her appendix out. We have had traumatic times on holiday in the past, so I found the experience initially difficult to take. The staff at Keswick were great and looked after us all very well. They gave us clear written instructions of how to reach the hospital in Carlisle. When we arrived, there were wheelchairs ready at hand so that I could wheel my daughter up to the ward. We were expected and there was a bed waiting for our girl. Every staff member that we met was polite, calm and knowledgable. They clearly explained everything to us. We were treated promptly. My daughter stayed in an area of the ward designated for older girls. I was grateful that she didn't have to stay in a room with boys or babies. As we had been admitted in an emergency situation we did not have any toiletries or towels. We were provided with basics, for which we were again grateful. I was also able to enjoy the facilities of the parents' room. The following morning my daughter was taken to theatre. Again, all staff, including the surgeon explained everything calmly and thoroughly. Our daughter was not released from hospital until she was ready and we were kept very informed when this might be. She made a good recovery, healed quickly and we are pleased that the scarring is minimal. Sadly, as a parent I have had to spend time in several hospitals with one of my other children, so I have a good idea of the standard of many hospitals. I was very impressed with all aspects of the hospital in Carlisle. It was very clean, and all staff were polite, knowledgable and did everything they could to facilitate our stay and minimise our daughter's trauma and discomfort.