"My son's recent trip to A&E"

My son woke up with a sore, swollen infected finger. As it was a Saturday I rang NHS Direct and they said I needed to take him to A&E as his fingernail would need to be drained.

When we arrived at A&E the receptionist was very friendly and very welcoming. We were directed to the Children's A&E next door once we had logged his details.

We had only been sat down for a few minutes when a cheerful nurse came to greet us. We were taken through and another nurse took over. She was really good with my son. My son is 12 and on the autistic spectrum. He was very nervous and in a lot of pain with his finger. The nurse made a few jokey comments and really put him at ease. The whole procedure was over with in minutes.

I expected to be sat about in A&E for a long time as it was Saturday afternoon. I was amazed how quickly we were seen. The staff were great.

Thank you to everyone at A&E.