"Care for my father during his last days"

Anything else?

I am very grateful for the very caring and thoughtful way that staff looked after my father during the last days of his life in July 2013. My family and I were very impressed by every aspect of the care provided. Staff were sensitive to my father’s needs and treated him with dignity at all times, keeping him comfortable and speaking to him considerately, even though he was not able to respond most of the time. Staff were also so kind to us as family members, enabling us to make sure he was never alone, and that we were able to spend quiet time being with him. They ensured we had privacy, but made sure we did not feel alone. They shared their significant experience with us when we required advice or support. Their sensitivity was absolutely what we needed. We are so pleased that Dartmouth has a hospital that is able to serve this local community. It enabled my father to be in the town where he had lived for the last 40 years of his life, with the sounds and people that he knew around him, supported by superb staff, many of whom he had met before. It enabled us to walk down to visit him rather than have a long journey including expensive ferry ride to Torbay Hospital. Watching your father die is a very sad experience, but Dartmouth Hospital made this as peaceful as it could be for him and us. This was not the first time my father and the rest of the family have benefited from the hospital in Dartmouth. My father and I have both made use of the Minor Injuries Unit over the years and this has been an absolutely essential facility providing cost effective care. A number of times in recent years my father has received care within the locality rather than having to travel much further away, which is not only inconvenient but became increasingly difficult as he got older. I was so impressed that absolutely all the staff we met, at every level, were part of the team that made this such a caring environment. I am sure that staff have a lot of experience to share with other teams, not only in the National Health Service but in other organisations as well.