"Why listening really matters"

My husband has just been to have a very routine procedure done at a ward based clinic on the urology ward at BRI.  Routine for the ward but not routine for him as it causes him a lot of pain and therefore a lot of anxiety, and because on a previous occasion it was not done well and so there is even more anxiety about that happening again.  But today was a ‘gold star’ experience. 

The HCA, Anna, who was doing the procedure was just fantastic. She took the time to really listen to him with both empathy and understanding. She then translated that into how she went about her task, taking time, showing real kindness, and doing all she could in practical terms to help him cope and reduce the pain as much as possible. 

We both had tears in our eyes at the end but they were tears of relief and gratitude. Anna is a great HCA and going by what we experienced today I hope she might become a nurse - she’s exactly the kind of person you want to be looking after you!