This is Care Opinion [siteRegion]. Did you want Care Opinion [usersRegionBasedOnIP]?
Care Opinion

Wonderful care and attention.

Posted By Concerned Daughter Edinburgh

"Wonderful care and attention."

About: Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France / Medicine for the Elderly Scottish Ambulance Service / Emergency Ambulance

(as a relative),

My Dad who is in his 80s cut his head when he fell outside his home. The blood was pouring and a neighbour had called the ambulance service while my mum was screaming at the site of all the blood loss.

I spoke with the ambulance call handler who was excellent. Gave really good advice on what to do immediately and what to do and to call back immediately if the blood flow increased or my Dad became unconscious. She was very calm and had a caring attitude.

However it would have been helpful to know an ETA of the ambulance took around 45mins. The crew Jamie and Colin were amazing. Totally professional and communicated what would happen. They totally put my Dad at ease and even laughed at his bad jokes! Thank you to them both for their wonderful care and attention.

They advised that his wound needed sutured and they would need to take him to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. My Mum and I waited for an hour before a nurse called us in and said my Dad was good to go home but needed a doctor to suture his laceration. They advised us that we would wait 2 hours for this! I had to go home and left my very anxious mum to wait with him. It was around 3. 5 hours later before he had his laceration closed. I understand that there were busy in resuscitation but I would have thought a nurse practitioner would be able to this and clear the patients who are having minor procedures done.

More about:
Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from Pat O'Meara, General Manager, Events, Scottish Ambulance Service 6 years ago
Pat O'Meara
General Manager, Events,
Scottish Ambulance Service

Head of Events

Submitted on 21/06/2017 at 14:48
Published on Care Opinion at 15:19

Dear Concerned Daughter Edinburgh,

Thank you for this great feedback. I was really pleased to hear how helpful the 999 call handler was and that the crew were so good to your dad.

The ambulance service does prioritise calls and this may have been why it took 45 minutes to get an ambulance to your dad, or it may have been for another reason - if you wish to, please contact me on 0141 810 6101 so that I can let you know. I will also be able to let the 999 call taker and the ambulance crew know what a great job they did.

I hope that your dad is recovering well.

Pat

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by Concerned Daughter Edinburgh (a relative)

Dear Pat,

Thank you for your prompt reply.

I am delighted to inform you that my Dad is recovering well and was also praising the excellent care of the ambulance crew.

I do understand that calls have to be prioritised.

I will call you to give you a few more details that will hopefully enable you to identify the staff involved and pass on our heartfelt thanks.

Response from Sara Robinson, Consultant, Emergency Medicine, NHS Lothian 6 years ago
Sara Robinson
Consultant, Emergency Medicine,
NHS Lothian

Submitted on 21/06/2017 at 19:40
Published on Care Opinion on 22/06/2017 at 09:02

Dear Concerned Daughter Edinburgh,

Thank you for your feedback on the Emergency Department. I'm sorry that your mum and dad had a wait before being treated. All our patients are triaged according to the severity of their illness or injury. Unfortunately that can lead to long waits if we have a lot of patients requiring resuscitation.

Our Nurse Practitioner team treat many of the patients with minor injuries. They are highly skilled and, you are correct, can close the majority of head lacerations. They work alongside the doctors in the area where your dad was treated. If a Nurse Practitioner was available before a doctor your dad would have been assessed by them.

I hope your dad is feeling better. We really appreciate you taking the time to feedback about our service. If you have any further feedback we can be contacted directly at emergencydepartment.feedback@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk or via Care Opinion.

Best wishes,

Sara

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k