"3 year old trip to A&E"

Woke up a few times in the night with my 3 year old son in pain but settled him back down not sure exactly if it was just a bad dream, by morning something wasn’t right (half 6) he was crying out in pain and reluctant to move. Managed to lift him down stairs when he told us it was his neck and he was crying that it was so sore. Established it was one sided and given his alarming cries I decided to phone NHS24 for advice as this was 7am no Gp surgery open. Thankfully they were prompt to answer my call and triaged him very quickly and advised he needs checked over and could I make my way up to RACH. So we did and the lady on reception was welcoming and friendly checked him in no problem.

We were then called through to see a nurse and their student and immediately I was told this isn’t really and emergency almost like saying why are you here? To which I replied we were sent up by NHS24. This nurse was extremely impatient with my son, getting flustered and stressed out at this 3 year old who was clearly anxious and not comfortable and I felt this reflected on the student nurse who had a much better manner. My son was scared of the obs machine and the student tried their best to get his readings but he was just not for it so the nurse came back in and told him quite firmly to sit still and get this done. To which then I felt I was getting stressed and angry at my son to sit still all the while in my head I’m thinking, he’s 3 he’s never been in a hospital and is probably scared!

I was made to feel like a burden! I did what NHS GRAMPIAN advice you to do in a non life threatening situation call NHS 24 for advice and that what I did at 7am in the morning. A children’s hospital shouldn’t be a place where children are treated as if they aren’t entitled to to be checked over that we were inconveniencing said nurse and wasting their time! I know the NHS are under abnormal pressures and have been from the minute Covid began but I felt my child needed Checking over and I followed the guidance that is made very clear on various social media platforms and TV so feel quite angry being made to feel like a time waster. I always thought paediatric nurses understood children are unpredictable not always compliant.