"Thank you, A and E!"

My husband was taken suddenly ill on Bank Holiday Sunday with extreme dizziness and sickness which persisted despite treatment and medication from the emergency doctor, after which we were advised by NHS Direct to report to A and E in case he'd suffered a stroke.

As my husband couldn't walk at this stage and was vomiting every time he moved his head, we had to call an ambulance and the crew were brilliant, really reassuring and professional at a very stressful time.

A and E was heaving when we got there so my husband was on a trolley in a queue in the corridor but the staff were just wonderful. They were all working together really hard to look after the patients in their care and without exception remained calm, courteous, professional and cheerful - even when faced with some challenging behaviour from some of the patients and/or their families.

Every single member of staff we saw spoke to us with care and respect, explaining what they were doing and what would happen next and the doctor we saw was just wonderful, very thorough with all the diagnostic tests, explaining at all stages what she was doing and why - and her calm, competent manner really put my husband at ease and helped allay his fears about what might be wrong.

The jewel in the crown of any organisation is the people who work in it and we both came away from this experience at the QE A and E feeling incredibly grateful for our fantastic NHS and all the wonderful people who work in it. Thank you!