"A&E, AMU and Ward 23 (CCU)"

I had been admitted through A&E to AMU and then the CCU (Ward 23) a few weeks ago and had some stents fitted as a result. A few days ago I had a recurrence of the chest pains and had to call an ambulance again. The ambulance service was fantastic in both the speed of response and the attention they gave and I have written separately to WMASS to express my thanks.

A&E at Good Hope were equally brilliant. I was seen quickly and the attention from the nursing staff was beyond excellent. I was given pain relief because of the extent of the pain and was blown away by the care, compassion and focus of the staff.

I was subsequently admitted to AMU and spent a night and a day there. The AMU facility is very good and in spite of the rapid movement of people in and out of the department the service and attention from the nursing staff was first rate. I then ended up back on Ward 23 and it was there that I cannot speak highly enough about the attention and quality of care that I received. The nurses and all of the staff (porters, catering and cleaners) were absolutely first rate and they all added to an overall experience which, whilst I would not like to go through the pain again, made things easier to bare.

Before I was discharged I had to have a CT scan and despite my heart having been given the all clear they identified another problem with an incarcerated hiatal hernia which put me into contact with the doctors on the ward. The junior doctors and their consultant (who were all cardiologists) were both diligent and communicative about the problem and they engaged with the surgeons at Heartlands Hospital to explore the best route forward. The holistic support that I received was again amazing.

I was discharged yesterday and am waiting for a date for surgery to resolve the problem but, yet again, I have to set on record that the quality and completeness of care offered by all of the staff at Good Hope was amazing. It is clear that resourcing (people and money) is tight and that the NHS is being forced to do more with less but from a patient perspective I have nothing but praise for those who are doing the best they can every day. Could you pass my thanks to the team on A&E who saw me when I was admitted on Sunday night (29th May), to the team on AMU who looked after me overnight and on Monday 30th May and especially to the doctors and to the ward staff on CCU (Ward 23) who clearly do what they do because they enjoy it and they care (and it shows) and who also were a shining example as to ‘what good looks like’ even under the austere financial conditions we are all living under at the moment.