"I attended for an ultrasound scan in the..."

What I liked

I attended for an ultrasound scan in the basement gynaecology department. From the moment I arrived in the department I was treated with the utmost kindness and courtesy by all staff and this continued throughout my entire appointment.

I needed to have the internal ultrasound. The sonographer who did the scan was wonderful. They spent time with me beforehand taking a history and preparing me for the scan. They explained exactly what the scan entailed and how long it would take. This put me at ease as I then knew what to expect. It also wasn’t only the procedure that was discussed, they were so friendly and took time to talk to me and ask me questions about myself.

Internal examinations can make one nervous but I didn't feel nervous at all thanks to the wonderful staff. I was always told what was going to happen and when. When it came to having the scan they explained again what they were going to do. I found it was no big deal at all. I didn’t find it at all invasive or embarrassing. During the scan the sonographer talked to me and explained what they were doing. They turned the screen around so that I too could see the images and they explained to me what we were looking at.

They did actually find something wrong in the scan. It was nothing life threatening and very treatable. The sonographer discussed it with me after I was dressed and reassured me that their department deals with it all the time and that I was in very good hands in their hospital. The sonographer could not have done better or been any kinder and as such I am not worried about the problem at all or any upcoming treatment. I trust them implicitly to deal with it.

What could be improved

Nothing at all. This hospital and its staff represents the very best the NHS has to offer. Thank you all very much.

It is wonderfully clean and it was a very dignified and patient centred experience.

Anything else?

I never normally do reviews such as this but when I saw some of the negative comments that had been made, I felt obliged to. I’m very taken aback by them. If you go there with fixed ideas of what you want and aren’t open minded then you will have a difficult experience. But that is not the fault of the staff. It’s far better to let the staff take care of you and do the job they are very well trained to do.