"Care of my child"

My son had an accident at the start of the summer holidays where he fell of his bike and broke his arm.

He was in terrible pain and at 6 years old, this was his first (and hopefully last) fracture.

I wanted to acknowledge the fantastic care we received from start to finish.  From the Nurse who cared for him first at Minor Injuries at QMH (I think her name was possibly "Yvonne"), to the ward staff who cared for him overnight.  Everyone was fantastic!

Yvonne (I hope I am right with her name) -  she was just lovely!  

So caring and kind to him and very understanding.  She was also really good at dealing with me and his Dad as the anxious parents.  She did everything she could to listen to us all and listen to what my wee boy said and she went out her way to accommodate us and help speed the process up as much as she could by requesting the ambulance arrived sooner.

The Paramedics who came (I believe one gets called "Harky"), they were amazing!  They really did help make an upsetting situation much better and had my wee boy laughing through his tears.  He still talks about them.

They had him smiling and giggling and as a Mum, I felt really comfortable and happy that he was in their care and that hopefully all was going to be okay - amazing at their job!

They acted professionally the entire time and made the journey as quick and pain-free for him as they could, whilst making him giggle and reassuring me and my son.

The staff on the Paediatric ward were absolutely fantastic!  They were constantly checking in on him and updating us on the plan for theatre.  They helped reassure him and  provided DVD's as a distraction. They couldn't do enough for him and were really kind, caring and compassionate.

They kept on top of his pain relief as much as possible and really were fantastic - both day and night staff both days.  I wish I had all their names but from all the Auxiliaries, Nurses, Charge Nurses and Play Ladies, everyone was brilliant. 

They ensured we as his parents were kept up to date and took the time to explain everything to us - thank you all!

Finally, I can't thank the Surgeons and the Anaesthetist involved enough - Mr Dunston and I can't remember for sure the name of the other Consultant that night - I think possibly Mr Akhtar? 

I can't remember the Anaesthetist's name but she was really good at taking the time to speak to me separately about some concerns I had around my son, the GA he required and his asthma. 

They were all so very professional and approachable at all times and I really felt my wee one was in very good hands!

It was a particularly anxious night waiting on him going to, and being in Theatre, but they explained everything so well and really spent the time making sure we knew what was happening and reassuring him as best as possible.  

Mr Akhtar spent time showing me the X-ray and clearly and concisely telling us what would happen during surgery with K-Wires being inserted, etc.

To this day I am so grateful for their skills and their ability at helping to fix the elbow back to a more 'normal' position and making such a fantastic job at his surgery - truly amazing!

My wee boys arm has healed up really well and we're almost at the 12 week post op mark, he is using it almost normally again and has recovered amazingly.  Not back on his bike quite yet though!

Thank you so much to ALL staff involved on that afternoon for taking such good care of him and helping to make the outcome a positive one - thank you!