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Care Opinion

I was uncertain what was going to happen

Posted By cepheusgb79

"I was uncertain what was going to happen"

About: University Hospital Ayr / Combined Assessment Unit (CAU)

(as a service user),

I saw my GP and was sent to the combined assessment unit at Ayr Hospital for further assessment. I arrived at 5:20 and registered at reception. After that I waited 90 minutes in the waiting room without anyone coming to speak to me. I was uncertain what was going to happen and felt ignored - this added to my stress.

When I was taken through at 6:50 pm I met a nurse who took my blood pressure and heart rate but did not ask me how I was or explain anything to me. I was moved to the rapid assessment unit and sat in a cubicle but no-one spoke to me for a further 20 minutes until the on-call Doctor came in. 

During that time I could hear the doctors and nurses discussing my case and other patients.

I would have liked to have been told what was going to happen in the unit when I arrived, who was going to see me, how long it would take etc., and kept informed at each stage which would have been put my mind at ease and helped me to relax.

In contrast, the specialty Doctor was very helpful, they gave me lots of time to ask questions and  lots of information about my problem after completing their investigations. I left there after 3 hours. I was satisfied with the outcome of the investigation but I was not satisfied with the way I was treated in the Unit when I arrived (and I am still having trouble arranging a prescription with my GP).

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Responses

Response from Eunice Goodwin, Patient Feedback Manager for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Quality Improvement and Governance Team, NHS Ayrshire and Arran 6 years ago
Eunice Goodwin
Patient Feedback Manager for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Quality Improvement and Governance Team,
NHS Ayrshire and Arran

I respond initially to most of the posts and ensure they are passed to the appropriate team whether they are compliments, observations or grumbles. It is important to make sure all issues are addressed and I try to encourage that to happen for all the posts as required.

Submitted on 30/01/2018 at 18:25
Published on Care Opinion on 31/01/2018 at 14:58

picture of Eunice Goodwin

Dear cepheusgb79,

This is not what we want for our patients and I am so sorry this was your experience. You raise some very valid points and we are really keen to learn from your unfortunate experience. You are absolutely right, the unknown is a scary place to be and added to that - you were in hospital!! It helps us to cope when we understand what is happening.

I am sorry, I know we can't change your experience, but we can look into it and learn from it. I will pass this to the management team for their reflection but I also wonder if you would be so good as to contact me to enable us to look into the specifics of your case. I can be contacted on 01563 826222 and by email on eunice.goodwin@aapct.scot.nhs.uk

On another note, I am glad you found the specialty doctor helpful and this will be shared with the team so your praise will not be over-shadowed.

I am not sure if I can help with the prescription, but if it is still an issue, I can try.

Thank you for taking time to give us this feedback,

Best wishes,

Eunice

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Response from Eunice Goodwin, Patient Feedback Manager for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Quality Improvement and Governance Team, NHS Ayrshire and Arran 6 years ago
Eunice Goodwin
Patient Feedback Manager for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Quality Improvement and Governance Team,
NHS Ayrshire and Arran

I respond initially to most of the posts and ensure they are passed to the appropriate team whether they are compliments, observations or grumbles. It is important to make sure all issues are addressed and I try to encourage that to happen for all the posts as required.

Submitted on 01/02/2018 at 17:04
Published on Care Opinion on 02/02/2018 at 09:13

picture of Eunice Goodwin

Dear cepheusgb79,

I have been asked to post this on behalf of the Clinical Lead in CAU

"We apologise for your wait of 90 minutes unfortunately unscheduled emergency referrals to our department arrive throughout the day and we can't guarantee how long people will be required to wait.

I'm sorry that nobody explained prior to your arrival there may be a delay and we can ask GPs when referring patients to remind patients that we don’t have a scheduled appointment system, and people may be required to wait before being assessed.

I'm disappointed that none of the nursing staff advised you they were checking your observations and then transferring you to our Rapid Assessment Area for review by our Consultant. I will ensure feedback is given to all staff about how you felt, in addition if you wish to discuss this with us further, please feel free to contact Eunice with your details and I, Leona Walker – Clinical Lead in CAU, will be happy to meet or contact you directly.

I'm glad you were able to be discharged after 3 hours and that you were happy with the communication from the doctor, again we will share this with staff.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention,

Kind regards,

Leona

Clinical Lead in CAU"

Best wishes,

Eunice

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Update posted by cepheusgb79 (a service user)

Thank you for your responses.

I would appreciate if you would pass my experience on to staff so that other patients might feel better informed about what is going to happen when they arrive in the unit and less stressed while waiting.

Response from Eunice Goodwin, Patient Feedback Manager for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Quality Improvement and Governance Team, NHS Ayrshire and Arran 6 years ago
We have made a change
Eunice Goodwin
Patient Feedback Manager for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Quality Improvement and Governance Team,
NHS Ayrshire and Arran

I respond initially to most of the posts and ensure they are passed to the appropriate team whether they are compliments, observations or grumbles. It is important to make sure all issues are addressed and I try to encourage that to happen for all the posts as required.

Submitted on 12/02/2018 at 14:29
Published on Care Opinion at 15:07

picture of Eunice Goodwin

Dear cepheusgb79,

Here is a wee update from charge nurse in CAU-

"Your experience was shared with staff at our staff forum on Wed 7th February with a very positive response on how to avoid this situation to improve our patients’ experience at such an anxious time.

Following discussion within the clinical team there has been a few changes identified that may help in this situation, which we will implement immediately.

We aim to update GPs at the initial referral call and if there are delays, patients will aware before they arrive.

Our clerical staff at the front door will also be involved in updating patients on arrival if waiting times have lengthened.

Following this being highlighted previously, we designed posters for the waiting area to advise patients of long waits, what to expect and what will happen, I will review how these are placed, information on them, size etc. to assess any changes needed to ensure they are as helpful as possible".

Charge nurse is keen to reassure you that your experience has been listened to, widely shared and changes planned.

Best wishes,

Eunice

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