"A and E visit in the middle of the night"

I came in last night as an asthma patient - I expected and would have understood if I had been treated as very low priority, and expected to be in for the long haul. I was surprised to be streamed into majors (and thankful!). 

Everybody in the team I met last night went above and beyond. The streaming nurse was smiling and kind, as were the receptionists, who didn't mind answering a question and sharing a joke. 

The 2 nurses I met for my heart rate, air flow and nebs were again friendly, kind, professional and listened to my symptoms attentively. 

I then was seen by two doctors, the second of whom was Nicholas. He was so kind, empathetic, compassionate and caring towards me. It was the most personal experience I've had at an A and E and I left with what I felt was appropriate advice, medication, and a slight improvement in my symptoms. 

The other staff there including other nurses in the waiting area had to deal with some challenging patients and the wait times were long (due to no fault of theirs). They remained so calm and kind, even at 4.30am when I left. I was moved by the way one of the nurses took time to connect with and communicate directly with an older woman with Down's syndrome before she took her heart rate, gaining her consent and her trust so that it wouldn't be distressing. This is the treatment we can only hope my own disabled family member would receive at 3am in A and E. 

The building itself was clean, calm and informative regarding wait times and procedure. Allowing people to charge phones and watch a TV is not a luxury a lot of A and E waiting rooms have. 

I am so grateful to the wonderful NHS staff and I appreciate the pressure you are all under with ongoing cuts. You are the frontline for the community, a 24 hour safe haven, and you'd have every right to be ten times grumpier, less patient, less personal given the challenges faced in A+E. I feel certain that your team-wide approach means that vulnerable people who may not usually trust they will be looked after, can know that they will be seen and treated with the upmost care, respect and belief when visiting this hospital. 

And I say this al because this isn't my first asthma induced rodeo - I've had to get nebs in a fair few A and E's and none have been close to this!! 

Thank you thank you thank you.