"Despite their busy-ness they were really helpful"

I was recently admitted due to severe tonsillitis that stop me from swallowing. I ended up in A+E after seeing the out of hours GP and then as admitted to the ward for IV treatment until I could swallow again.

All the staff were lovely. Despite their busy-ness they were really helpful, I had medication on time, they checked on me regularly and made sure to get me IV medications for my existing medical conditions, because I couldn't swallow my normal pills, so I wasn't in pain.

One downside was the long wait for a bed. I have ME, a severe infection and hadn't slept in well over 24hrs so this was really difficult. But, to the credit of the staff, when I honestly couldn't sit in the triage room anymore because I was almost passing out, they found me a temporary space so I could at least lie down and rest.

One small area for improvement is that, for most of the afternoon, I didn't know what was happening, whether I was staying in and when I would see a doctor. It would have been nice to know what I was waiting for and if there was a plan. But I appreciate the staff were incredibly busy and, if I am honest, I was too poorly and tired to worry too much and was quite happy to sleep and wait!

Furthermore I have a number of food allergies and when I could finally eat, the staff want above and beyond to understand my allergies and find something I could eat at short notice. I wasn't made to feel like an inconvenience for this at all, even thought I know it was difficult for them.

When I was discharged everything moved quickly and I left and got home at a really reasonable time. The staff were lovely, making sure I was definitely ok to leave and had all the medicines I needed before I left, even making sure I had a supply of my normal medication in case I was short so I didn't have to go to the local pharmacy until I was better.

Huge thanks to the A+E stuff, including the medic that looked after me when I almost collapsed after my cannula and the ENT doctor I saw in A+E. Also thanks to the lovely staff on the Lavenham Surgical Assessment Unit, who did their best to look after me despite the lack of beds, and treated me with such respect and listened when it came to the best way to manage my pre existing conditions. Everyone from the health care assistants to the nurses and the doctors were just lovely! There was also a lovely male student nurse (I can't remember his name, sorry! ) who took time to talk to me and make sure I was ok. He was lovely and will make a fantastic nurse!