"Excellent care, but staff are overworked"

I was admitted to ward 101 in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary due to suspected meningitis. The care I received as soon as entered ARI was second to none and the nursing staff, students and medical staff were fantastic. After my first night I had a lumbar puncture to find out what was going on and the nurse (Pauline) that performed the procedure was absolutely fantastic, I can not praise her highly enough. I felt no pain with the exception of the local anaesthetic and Pauline ensured I was comfortable and as relaxed as possible the whole time- so much so that when I was told a few days later that I may need another, I requested that Pauline do it if I did need one! ! Unfortunately it was confirmed that I did in fact have viral meningitis and I was moved to ward 103. Again, all staff were fantastic and I felt that I was in capable hands. A few days later I was moved to ward 111 and though the care I received was amazing, the nursing staff and student nurses were great but it was sad to see how stressed they were due to staff shortages. At times when I had to use my buzzer, it took quite some time for it to be answered purely due to the fact that there was not enough nurses on shift. This was absolutely no fault of their own and when I did interact with them, they were lovely. The staff of ward 111 deserve a medal for coping so well with so many patients and so little staff. I would like to say a big thank you to all the nursing and medical staff- students included! For the care I received during my stay: )