"An example of great clinical care"

On 3rd April my partner Ivor was taken into A&E with a suspected stroke. He had recently been very poorly with a serious chest infection and was far from well stamina wise. His treatment was excellent. His assessment started quite promptly and the Stroke Team called. They were respectful accommodating his hearing needs, they explained their conclusions carefully including me in their discussions, (I'm a retired RN) My partner had Bells Palsy. A real relief, not a stroke. In view of his heart condition and his Warfarin levels which were all over the place because of his recent illness, a scan was ordered which demonstrated clearly that Ivor had not had a stroke. Whew!

Having put all their efforts into ruling out a stroke as a priority, we then met the consultant (I appreciate that you will edit her name out.) She was so thorough, gentle, and understanding, outstanding. She is a credit to her profession. In view of his history of recent illness she went about what we now call an MOT. Because of her thorough examinations, including a chest Xray, we now know that Ivor has had pneumonia with some residual lung damage requiring follow up.

As he is 90 years old, finding these things out and sorting them is incredibly important to his general well being and also helps reduce his anxiety levels concerning his lack of energy.

The consultant hadn't finished her MOT though, she insisted that he have some IV fluids as he'd become dehydrated as he couldn't have liquids before the Stroke Team had cleared his ability to swallow safely. After this and yet another blood check Ivor was discharged into my care . I was carefully given instructions about ongoing checks and investigations. Although the length of time this all took was very demanding on Ivor's depleted energy, we both considered that it was an incredibly encouraging outcome and well worthwhile.

He and I could not let such exemplary care go without acknowledgement. All the staff, the nursing team, the medical team, the porters and the ambulance crew were so helpful and considerate of our situation. Out heartfelt thanks to all of you. It meant more than we can explain that this sudden and alarming situation which we found ourselves in was managed in such a way that our anxiety was ameliorated and we can speak of our experience in glowing terms. Yours most sincerely.