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"Emergency care of a child with croup"

About: Accident & Emergency / Children's A&E

(as a parent/guardian),

I took my daughter to A&E  with worsening croup. She had awoken distressed and struggling to breathe. When we arrived she had calmed down considerably, nonetheless we were triaged quickly, moved to a quieter area of the department, and treatment with steroids commenced immediately. She settled quickly and after medical assessment and examination we were allowed home with careful safety-netting advice.

Our case probably didn't register much for the staff who were enduring another busy night shift (there were two standby calls while we were in the department). However, I am hugely grateful for their professionalism, compassion and medical expertise. Having a sick child is a parent's worst nightmare, and the smallest of actions can make a huge difference. The doctor who saw us (sorry I don't recall his name) was very kind and patient with my daughter, leading to a relaxed and 'no tears' examination - even her throat! Both he and the triage nurse apologised for the wait - we were in and out within 1.5hrs (hardly any waiting)- I felt sorry that the staff felt the constant need to apologise for something out of their control when it was plainly clear they were all working incredibly hard. So, although you won't remember us, we will not forget the care you gave and wanted to say a big thank you. My daughter has made a miraculous recovery thanks to the treatment you started and is almost back to her usual self!

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Responses

Response from Claire Gilroy, Specialty Doctor, Emergency Department, University Hospital Crosshouse, NHS Ayrshire and Arran 6 years ago
Claire Gilroy
Specialty Doctor, Emergency Department, University Hospital Crosshouse,
NHS Ayrshire and Arran

Emergency

Submitted on 20/10/2017 at 13:11
Published on Care Opinion at 14:55


picture of Claire Gilroy

Dear Isa245,


This was lovely feedback to receive. I am pleased to hear that your daughter has recovered and I hope that you have managed to catch up on your sleep! Having a sick child is possibly one of the most stressful situations you can be in as a parent. Croup can be particularly frightening as it affects breathing and often as a parent you are left feeling helpless.

I am pleased to hear that you were triaged quickly and given treatment promptly. We are lucky to have such skilled triage nurses in our department who are able to recognise when immediate treatment is necessary.

We are committed as a team to ensure professionalism, compassion and kindness are shown towards all of our service users. This feedback will help us with this goal as we learn from excellence. I would love to be able to share this directly with the nursing staff and doctor who took care of your daughter. If you would like me to do this please email me your daughters name and date of birth Claire.gilroy@nhs.net. I have a feeling they will remember you!

I will print this off and share with our team at this afternoon's huddle. I know that this will help boost staff morale heading into another busy weekend. Thank you for sharing.

Claire

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