"My Granddaughter’s Story"

I would like to tell you of the story of my granddaughter and how she and her mother were treated by our NHS in Scotland - 

My daughter went for a routine pregnancy scan at her local hospital on the Isle of Bute where they quickly realised that her baby's heartbeat was irregular and dropping.

Taking no chances they decided it best they be seen in Paisley RAH -so they requested an air ambulance to transfer them to Paisley.

It was always my daughter's biggest fear having to get the helicopter air ambulance, but when she was in the air ambulance the crew made her feel so at ease and comfortable she was able to make this journey. The staff involved in this operation were amazing. 

On arrival at Paisley RAH the staff there agreed that this had been the correct decision by the staff at Rothesay hospital & my daughter needed an emergency caesarian section to save the baby's life .

Quickly she was taken into surgery where I accompanied to have her C/Section - she was terrified of surgery but the staff involved made her feel so comfortable ..as they were professionalism personified she was very much at ease & the wonderful staff ensured my granddaughter was born safely & healthy as possible & her mother also safe & healthy after her operation .

My granddaughter had been born nearly 9 weeks premature and was in desperate need of serious medical attention to keep her alive . She looked so fragile and helpless . The staff at the Paisley RAH quickly got her all the medical attention she needed and she was made stable .

Due to not being expected & no incubator being available she was to be transferred to Wishaw hospital this was done seamlessly by a specialised ambulance with an incubator - I accompanied as her mother was staying in Paisley RAH (she was being so well looked after by staff) . I was again blown away by how professional the ambulance staff involved with the transfer was .. the operation of moving from Paisley to Wishaw Baby high dependency unit was done so seamlessly. 

On arrival at Wishaw baby HDU the staff level of care moved me to tears , seeing my Grand Daughter laying in such a state of need and watching the medical staff in this ward keep her alive was a sight to behold and one that will never leave me .

She was in Wishaw for about a week - words can’t describe the level of care she got .. it was AMAZING . Slowly but surely tubes and probes were removed when it was deemed safe to do so and she became more and more self-sufficient & through the wonderful care it was deemed safe to transfer her back to Paisley - she was still so fragile and in need of a lot of care though.

She was again transferred in a specialised incubator ambulance again the staff were so professional.

On arrival at the Paisley she was placed in an incubator and so so well looked after by the medical staff in the HDU until such time she could be moved to the normal baby unit - all the time here my granddaughter and her mum were given great support by the staff . The staff at the maternity unit in Paisley were amazing to them.

After a great deal of care & world class medical attention by professional & caring staff the last tube was removed ( for feeding ) and after 2 days of self feeding and being self sufficient, my daughter and her new baby were permitted to go home.

Now over 5lbs in weight and both baby and mum doing fantastic! This has all been possible because of the staff of the Scottish NHS.

I would love to be able to thank all of these people who saved my granddaughter's life & did as best I could to do so at the time. But I couldn’t quantify this to them. I could find no words adequate.

I know the government cares deeply about the NHS - but this is a real-life story that proves how we must defend the NHS to the bitter end.

I know they are under a great deal of pressure through personal experience.

But even with this -just read our story & realise the NHS IS THE FRONTLINE STAFF ...and these people are doing an AMAZING job - if you can call it a job, it’s more than just a job. I simply can not describe how good the staff involved with us were - to put it bluntly, I believe she would be dead without them. I’m actually in tears writing this email as I recall the level & quality of care my granddaughter got.

This was not down to chance that they had such great care - everyone involved do this day in and day out 365 days a year - they are the ultimate professionals who show such compassion & care at all times .

So this is why I wanted to tell you this story, perhaps easy to report the occasional negative stories -but trust me on this -the staff you have in your NHS are AMAZING. I’m sure you do appreciate them already - but I beg of you -please please always remember how wonderful the NHS staff are & defend them with your last breath because they need it.

I hope all appreciate how wonderful our NHS is.

I thank you for taking the time to read my granddaughter's story - it was an amazing story & her life is just beginning thanks to the NHS in Scotland