"The respect and support given to me was all that could be hoped for"

Following previous accounts of my experiences of the Cardiology Department at the Borders General Hospital I now feel it is only reasonable to set the record straight. While I stand by all my previous negative comments, I have now been admitted as an emergency to the hospital, spent the greater part of one week there and then been transferred to the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh. The level of care provided by the Cardiologists and their staff was very impressive. They are clearly working in difficult conditions with staff and bed shortages.

However, the respect and support given to me was all that could be hoped for. It was unfortunate that the current bed shortages meant that I was placed in a ward with older people, all of whom appeared to be at an advanced stage of dementia. I have never been so lonely in my life and, had the experience continued, I would have undoubtedly become deeply depressed. As it happened though when I was transferred, events moved swiftly and efficiently to a more positive conclusion. To those staff who treated me with respect and understanding I can only express my grateful thanks. It must be so difficult to maintain staff morale under such challenging circumstances and I appreciate all that was done for me and I particularly wish to thank Dr Waszyrowski and Dr Neary, Consultants.