"The quality of service and care that we received..."

What I liked

Our son attended the A&E department in the early hours of Sunday 8 May with stomach pains and suspected appendicitis. Having been seen quickly in the children's section of the A&E department, he was then admitted to the teenager's ward and the decision was taken to remove his appendix immediately. This happened around 3-4 o'clock on Sunday 8 May and after a rapid recovery, he went home on Monday 9 May.

The overall level of care that our son received was excellent. The lady who conducted his operation made a rapid diagnosis and then took decisive action. We wanted to thank her and any other surgeons who operated on him for their excellent work. We met with nothing but kindness from your theatre team and we are very grateful.

We particularly wanted to thank the nurse who was on duty when our son was admitted to the teenagers' ward in the early hours of Sunday 8 May. She was a wonderful ambassador for Frimley Park hospital, immediately establishing a rapport with our son (not necessarily easy with a 14-year old boy!) and reassuring all of us at a worrying time. This outstanding level of service carried right through to the time when he was taken down to theatre where her sense of humour was perfectly pitched for dealing with what would otherwise have been quite a traumatic time. She was equally thoughtful with us while we waited for our son to return and her handover to the incoming nurses at shift change ensured that we knew who to seek out if we needed further help.

The remainder of Tom's short stay in the hospital was equally satisfactory and the overall experience was remarkably positive, given the circumstances.

Thanks again for the quality of the care that we all received.

What could be improved

The food. Our son asked for a jacket potato and received a lump of mash instead! Not the end of the world for a short stay and I'd like to think that things would have improved if he had stayed longer.