"Really helpful"

I was seen in the Urgent Care Centre after self harming. The receptionist was very aware of her surroundings and made sure that information was gathered in a way that maintained privacy as much as possible. She wasn't judgemental and gave clear information about waiting times and where to wait.

The triage nurse was fantastic. She was able to gauge the situation appropriately and act appropriately. I understand that it can be a fine balance between ensuring that people feel supported and coming across in the wrong way - I think she found it perfectly and I felt very well understood. The triage nurse felt that it was necessary to be seen in minors and explained thoroughly and efficiently what she was going to do and how long this should take. She then went to pass this information on to minors.

While I was waiting someone came to ask me for feedback about the department... If anything I found that I wasn't able to get myself across to them. Because they filled in the form rather than giving it to me I wasnt able to write what I felt was important about how positive it had been. I think the option to fill in the questionnaire myself might have improved the response because if I answered "very good" she ticked good...but I didn't know that there was only either good or excellent and she didn't check before deciding to put good on my behalf.

The nurse came back promptly and explained the conversations that she had had with staff in minors and most importantly explained why the plan was now to go to majors instead. She was also able to look at the situation from my point of view and give the reasons behind the changes and reduce any potential anxiety from this. She was extremely helpful and professional which made the situation easier for me to manage. But mostly I really appreciated her common sense. She didn't remove the dressing fully as there was no need to but made sure that it was secured properly after she had assessed it. This meant that I was comfortable and the wound was protected without unnecessary discomfort. She was also able to discuss with me effectively the options available for support from the crisis team. When I declined to speak to them she was respectful of my choice as well as assessing if that was appropriate.

Staff in majors were also very good. My only criticism of the entire time was that a member of staff followed me, but didn't say they were doing so. I understand that there is good reasons for people to act in this way, but it was very hard to work out if they were genuinely following me or if I was just thinking that they were. I would have been totally fine with this - if someone had just highlighted that they were doing that.

Again the staff explained fully what the next steps would be and who would assess the wound. They were clear about what they were doing which avoided the same situation as being followed - it is far easier to understand what is happening if someone tells you that they need to record what you are wearing, so when they are trying to do this I could help and knew that was why they were looking at things strangely. Again I was pleased to see that common sense prevailed when they were deciding what they needed to assess. I really appreciated the down to earth honest approach taken. This meant that I could see the appropriate people in minors where I felt less anxious and they kept space available for people who clearly needed it.

I was a little alarmed when the orthopaedic registrar reacted to seeing the wound by saying "Lord have mercy". I appreciate that people react and sometimes it can't be helped but it did feel like an overreaction. I was impressed that the various people who were going to look at the wound decided not to all pile in together especially as a member of staff audibly stopped on the other side of the curtain and raised the point. I felt a lot more comfortable that they didn't all look at the same time but discussed their view together afterwards. It was nice that they took into account how I would feel rather than just seeing me as a wound to make a decision about. The nurse who sutured the wound was also very good and respectful of my decision not to see the crisis team. I was given a questionnaire I could complete myself in minors which meant that I was more able to reflect how positive the experience had been.

The overall manner of the staff that I saw made a potentially difficult situation a lot better.