"I was taken to A&E by ambulance ..."

What I liked

I was taken to A&E by ambulance during the evening of 14th July with a fracture to the left elbow following a cycling accident on my way home. The medical staff in A&E informed me that I would need an emergency operation and was admitted that night and had the operation the next day, around lunchtime. I was kept fully informed of what was happeing to me and why at every stage and must have met some 20+ individuals during the 2 days I spent in hosptial.

The overall quality of care was fantastic but what really blew me away was the level of craftmanship displayed by the surgical team, who were able to insert a titanium plate near my elbow without causing any subsequent damage to movement or control, which as a keen amateur guitar player was very important to me. I saw the X-ray afterwards and it really is a work or art.

7 weeks later I have almost full mobility and no pain and even vertured out on my bicycle at the weekend. I am a very happy customer of the NHS.

What could be improved

It's tempting to say the waiting time in A&E could be better as I was in some distress but to be honest, no one really knew the extent of the damage until I had been X-rayed. Once it was apparent that I had a serious injury, I started to receive the appropriate level of care.

Anything else?

The NHS is an amazing system of care that really kicks in when you need it. I feel very fortunate to have been able to take advantage of it when I needed it most.