"Two Visits - Different Occasions - Different..."

Having just returned from the Accident & Emergency department where I have had to leave my husband, due to a chest infection, I feel I have to write to say a huge thank you.

I fully appreciate that my husband is currently receiving chemo and therefore is likely to react badly to any infection, however I cannot thank the staff enough for how they dealt with him/us from arrival until I left him in your care, awaiting a bed in the oncology department.

The receptionist ensured he waited separately from others, we were seen by the triage nurse very quickly, and speedily moved to a bed in A&E.

A very pleasant nurse quickly arranged for him to have bloods taken, gown & blanket supplied ... and my husband was soon checked by a warm, polite young doctor.

After some relevant medications supplied, chest xray given, another kind and respectful doctor arrived and explained that my husband would be moved to the oncology department and would stay there for treatment for the chest infection he had picked up.

Within three hours, I was leaving him in the care of the A&E department, and was asked by the nurse to ring them when I arrived home in order they could let my husband know I was ok.

That I have done, and I hope that info has been passed on to him.

I cannot thank all of the staff enough for the kindness and care they have shown this evening.

I have however visited A&E with a friend three months ago, when she was taken into hospital by ambulance due to severe pains in her stomach.

Unfortunately this time it was 12 noon on a weekday, and she was on a bed in a corridor in the A&E from 12 noon until a bed was found for her at 5.30 pm that afternoon.

Admittedly she was just one of 15 beds that were in the corridors that afternoon, while I stood alongside her.

She was taken to a room to be examined ... taken to have an xray ... however bloods and monitoring were dealt with in the corridor.

That night she had to have an emergency appendectomy.

On this occasion the staff did not have time ... to communicate, smile or even listen properly to what was being said, and it was a different feeling I came away with regarding A&E on that occasion, to the one I have tonight.