"Wexham Park Hospital care"

In order to appreciate the real meanings of words like compassion, dignity, care and kindness then go through what I’ve just gone through.

As a newly-diagnosed cancer sufferer, I’ve just been discharged from Wexham Park Hospital in Slough. Not for long, perhaps, but enough time in which to reflect on all the good people from cleaners to specialists, from doctors to nurses and caterers who all all showed showed total commitment to the job in hand. Though obviously under pressure they all seemed to make time and treated me without a trace of patronage.

It all began on Tuesday afternoon when a (spectacularly bad) set of my blood test results went into circulation.

Within the next few hours, I had a secretary to the oncologists, a nurse in Midu, a doctor from my local surgery and a lovely lady call Ash who all rang me out of hours to urge me to go directly to A&E.

Sadly, domestic commitments made that impractical if not impossible. However, by Wednesday mid-day I had delivered myself to A&E. I was seen within 15 minutes and slotted into the system within another 20 minutes. The next few hours hours are a bit of a blur but they included X-rays, blood tests and the like.

As I moved through the various treatment areas I saw patients who were clearly disorientated, some who were obviously in a great deal of pain and others who seemed to be in the early stages of dementia. All were being treated with extreme patience, care and (yes) love.

I ended up with four (maybe five) bags of blood; all of which were delivered painlessly and with a running commentary; and what a comfort that was. After each season, a specialist appeared accompanied by anything up to three junior doctors who (lest we forget) were due to go on strike within three days.

Indeed, one of them prepared my discharge notes.

In short, no talking to me as if my dog had just died, no head-patting or calling me “love”. Just respect.

‘Nuff said. So, if anyone tries to criticize either the NHS or Wexham Hospital within my hearing it won’t go unremarked.