"Patient and understanding staff"

I was terrified of coming in to have my failing SPC taken out due to traumatic past experiences.

However when I arrived at the urology day Centre in Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy I was met by a very calm, polite, positive, warm and welcoming healthcare support worker called Jordan.

Jordan showed me to the waiting room and kept me updated and apologised as I was referred from one hospital to another and although the doctors knew about me coming, the clinic staff were unaware.

I can’t remember the staff nurses’ name who was going to change my SPC, however I do remember that she was quite tall and had reddish hair plus also spoke so gently to me.

Both my nurse and Jordan helped me overcome my fear of the SPC change procedure. 

The staff nurse kept informing  me what she was doing and when she was going to do it.

Jordan get reminding me to breathe calmly, focus on on my breathing and to squeeze their  hand ( I couldn’t squeeze stronger because I was terrified of breaking their hand).

But Jordan reassured me I wouldn’t.

I have always had very positive and pleasant interactions and experiences within the urology clinic in Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy.  

However, this time, I was initially terrified when entering the clinic because in the past I’ve had non urology nurses doing completely incorrect things to my catheter site and giving inconsistent instructions to me to maintain the site and giving me inconsistent catheter site care which was at times, much too rough and extremely painful. Plus the inconsistency was the reason I desperately needed to go to the clinic, due to bypassing, then incontinence and eventually retention.

Before I left the clinic, Jordan and the staff nurse managed to make a plan for going forward for regular SPC changes in the clinic, they made sure that I had an up to date catheter passport and clear “dos and donts” for other nurses to follow and they also referred me on to the Tissue Viability team because my site was showing no indication of ever beginning to heal and again, non-urology nurses had carried out inconsistent wound care and provided me with conflicting instructions of care.

I truly believe that Jordan would make an amazing nurse because even though I tried to hide that I was terrified and extremely nervous about the upcoming procedure, they were able to sense my fear and nervousness and helped keep me calm, and that I had a nurse that knew exactly what she was doing.

I felt as though I was in very safe hands.