"A&E and Glenary Ward"

Recently I was taken by ambulance to the Mid Argyll Community Hospital suffering from a heart attack. I stayed on Glenary Ward for 5 days before being transferred to the Golden Jubilee Hospital for further treatment.   I then re-presented to A&E 5 weeks later and again had another stay in Glenary Ward. 

I want to note that the ambulance staff were more than fantastic and I could not fault their care or compassion in any way.  The staff at the Golden Jubilee were also knowledgeable and efficient throughout although miscommunication regarding whether or not I had had an ECHO sound meant that my daughter (who had driven 3+ hours to pick me up) had to wait in the car park for more than 3 hours whilst the nursing staff chased medical staff for the discharge letter.

I want to highlight some areas of care at the Mid Argyll that I do feel could be improved, on both of my stays.  Most of the staff I met through A&E and in Glenary ward were kind and caring, however others fell short in those areas, sadly. 

Observations:

On arrival to the ward on the day of my heart attack, I passed through A&E from the ambulance and arrived on the ward at about 6.30pm however did not have any observations taken until midnight.

Staff Attitude:

On multiple occasions during my time on Glenary ward I was made to feel like I was a nuisance and that I shouldn't have been there.  

One nurse commented that I had come to the wrong hospital and made me feel terribly upset and guilty on top of already feeling unwell and anxious about being in hospital. The nurse made an assumption based on my GP address that I had come to a hospital through personal preference, not of urgency and location, but failed to understand the driving time and effort is exactly the same from where my home address is to either hospital.

I felt that some staff were impatient with me and fed up of me being there. The staff may very well have been very busy and stressed with lots of work, however it was so obvious and on multiple occasions staff were snippy towards me. 

Bloods:

From my recent hospital stays I have become very aware that I am not an easy person to take bloods from, however I have returned covered in pricks and bruises from continued failed attempts. It seems totally ridiculous that if one technique is not working to continue trying the same thing over and over?! Im sure this added discomfort and stress could have been avoided had another technique been adopted and wonder if this could be an area of additional training?! This was not an issue at the Golden Jubilee.