"My care was excellent"

I was taken to Forth Valley A&E by ambulance twice recently, after experiencing rapid heart rate for no reason, palpitations and chest pains. The first time was in the middle of the night, after calling 999, and the second was on a weekend morning, after calling 111. The ambulance arrived very promptly on both occasions, and paramedic staff were thorough and reassuring. Both times, it was deemed necessary to take me to the hospital.

 The handovers at A&E went smoothly, and, despite being extremely busy, my care within the A&E department was excellent. It is not ideal for any patient to have to be in hospital without anyone with them for moral support, but staff did their best to ensure I, and other patients, didn’t feel forgotten by carrying out regular checks. There was a very long wait to be assessed by a doctor, but that is not the fault of the staff, who are working under exceptionally high pressure due to the pandemic. Each time, the doctors were thorough, compassionate and helpful.

Perhaps if GP surgeries were more able to see patients face-to-face, the pressure on staff would lessen somewhat. I have nothing but praise for all the NHS staff involved in my care on these instances, and am very grateful for the NHS. I must admit to being concerned as to how workloads and waiting times will be further affected by the impending winter, and the current outbreak of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.