"No one asked at any point if I was okay"

I attended for my breast screening.. The unit is situated not far from an Asda.  The 2 staff were very efficient completing my screening in under 15 minutes including my undressing then slightly redressing, my screening and then my redressing before leaving. Well done you say - time being everything?

As I left I reflected that the slabs of meat going into Asda next door were probably treated with more deference and respect. It seems to me in the interests of speed and efficiency something has been lost - person centred care was never in evidence. No one asked at any point if I was okay, if I had any questions, there was no polite conversation or building of rapport despite the fact this is a highly personal and sensitive screening where people need to expose themselves. There was no attempt to put me at ease or establish if I was nervous or worried. Just the facts and instructions by rote obviously given many times over so the words mean nothing now.

Is all this because the staff were rushed off their feet as many are? No, not here. I was the only 'patient' in the van when I arrived and no one else arrived before I left - just 2 staff and me. I have rarely felt so ignored as a human being. As a nurse of many years experience I felt sad and ashamed of the face of the NHS that I met today.