"Immediate care and support"

My husband was showing symptoms of a heart attack, and our first contact with the team that were to deliver such excellent treatment was the ambulance service.   As a health care professional who works in a cardiac centre I immediately realised the urgency and risk associated with my husbands symptoms yet throughout this initial episode of care delivered by the Scottish ambulance team I felt he was receiving expert treatment.  The initial contact with the call handler was supportive, reassuring and organised.  The team who arrived were professional, matter of fact and cheerful, then when it became clear what the situation was they flipped into a different level of working, initiating the treatment approach and necessary communications without fuss or unnecessary alarm for my husband.  We were soon joined by the paramedic who would be starting the relevant treatments and monitoring during our journey through to the Golden jubilee National Hospital.  The team were aware of my additional appreciation of the situation and treated me with understanding and included me in their discussions , as relevant, which I so much appreciated.  I felt full confidence in their decisions. 

I want to thank these four members of the Ambulance team who attended us, theirs was such an essential part of the treatment that we benefited from.  

I would also like to thank all the drivers who moved out of the way of the ambulance as it made its way along the M 80, the M 8 and the A 814, the lorry drivers who slowed the traffic in a way that enabled the ambulance to make haste and those drivers who even diverted off their original route around roundabouts just so we could get to the hospital sooner. Thinking about all these people makes me very emotional.