"The service my son and I received was over and above."

My son fell over recently and injured his hand.  It developed a lump, however, he didn't seem too distressed therefore my husband and I thought it was part of the healing process.  A few days later the wound seemed infected so we decided to have him seen at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow the following day.

We arrived at approx 9am and my son was seen by a triage nurse within 10 minutes of arriving and taken straight to a cubicle where a very bright and pleasant doctor (by the name of Christine) saw him, again within the space of 10 minutes.  She could tell he was a little anxious so spoke to him in a very gentle and friendly voice.  She gained his trust and he allowed her to see his sore hand. She promised not to touch it and she did not break her promise.  She then spoke to me, being mindful of what she said as my son was still in the room and managed to communicate to me without distressing him. 

She advised she was going to get Max some painkillers and would be back shortly.  Again within 10 minutes she returned within 10-15 minutes (during which time my son had been given the painkillers she ordered) with a colleague (her name was Erin) and she also took time to gain his trust and agreed with her colleague that an x-ray would be best to identify if there were any foreign bodies in the wound.  She explained if it were identified then we would be handed to the plastic surgical department as it was his hand.

We were then taken straight to x-ray, again not even 5 minutes passed and he was taken for his x-ray.  This he was anxious about however the radiographer (unfortunately I cannot remember her name however she did introduce herself and was very open and friendly) had to do a little more to get him to settle and position as she needed him, but she took the time, didn't rush (bribed him with stickers :) ) and managed to get the images she needed. (he was particularly impressed with the turtle faces which I later realised is to identify Left from Right with Leonardo and Raphael!)

Back round to A&E however Christine met us in the corridor and advised we were to be seen by the plastic surgical department and were taken straight there.  I hadn't even sat down at that department and my son was taken straight in and met by 2 doctors (one named Gillian and a man I didn't catch his name) who brought up his x-ray, which showed an object in his hand and talked through the process in order to have it removed.  The doctor called the Ward (1A) and confirmed there was availability and he could be taken for surgery the same day. At this point we had been at hospital approx 1 hour, yet have literally whizzed (but not rushed) around the departments.

We were taken to the ward and settled into a room. That's where the long wait began. However every nurse that came to see my son was kind, gentle and spoke to him with respect.  By now due to every doctor gaining his trust, he was now happy and willing to let anyone see his hand and take his blood pressure etc.  We did have a long wait in Ward 1A (got there around 11am) and was told he would be later in the afternoon as he had to fast and his case was not urgent which I fully appreciated.  The room was spacious, airy and bright and we kept ourselves amused.  

The anaesthetist (who introduced herself as Izzie) came to see my son at around 1.30 and talked us through that part of the process and what to expect and advised it could be another few hours. Throughout the day he was seen regularly by nurses who checked all his blood pressure etc and all were friendly and inviting.

My son was collected for surgery at approx 4.40 and we followed them to the theatre area.  We had a short wait and he was called to be taken in.  He was wheeled in and the staff were making fun of the experience telling him he was a king etc which he found hilarious!  We opted for the gas option to put him to sleep and Izzie was there, making him laugh and the process fun for him.  It was at this point my emotion took over and I became extremely upset yet the staff were great with me also.  We were told up to 1 hour. 

Myself and my husband went a walk, grabbed some fresh juice and water and got back to the ward at approx 5.08pm and my son was wheeled in minutes later.  

The hand doctor Gillian we had seen in Clinic 4 also came in and explained it was glass that was found in his hand and it had been removed and the operation went well.  My son was asleep for about another hour then came round and was ok in himself (but really really hungry!) the nurses paced his food intake to make sure he wasn't sick then confirmed as long as he was eating, drinking and passing urine we could go home.  We had another wait about whilst his antibiotic was mixed and eventually let the hospital at approx 9pm.

At every stage my son's name / DOB were checked by every doctor before they began discussing or talking about anything which I was very impressed by.

In the space of 12 hours my son had been seen and operated on and, although it was a shock to my system, I could not have asked for any better service.  People say service like that should be expected, especially in a childrens hospital however I disagree.  The service my son and I received was over and above.  The NHS workers are very very busy and work long, hard and tiring shifts however not one rushed us or gave a 'general' service.  All took their time, gained his trust and I cannot thank them enough.