"In-patient experience"

I have recently had the good fortune to be an in-patient at the Queens Medical

Centre in Nottingham.

I took myself to the accident and emergency department after noticing a sudden onset of a mild coordination problem which in the event turned out to be a brain tumour requiring emergency attention.

I am writing this letter is because as a former employee within the NHS, I realise how little acknowledgement the staff and the organisation get when things have been done well. The public are quick to criticise when things are not as expected.

I cannot speak highly enough of the attention I was given from the beginning to the end of my 3 admissions over almost a 3 week period.

I was a -patient on NSPU twice and received excellent care all the nursing staff.

They were keen to tell me how supportive the sister is on the wad too.

Nothing was too much trouble. The sister had even kept mu telephone charger safe for me from my previous visit and remembered to hand it back to me when I was re admitted.

The thing that impressed me most about the one night that I was there to recover post operatively, was that there was an extremely difficult to manage patient also on the ward who was undoubtable in some discomfort and confusion.

I could hear him shouting out all night and at times he was clearly gripping the nurses too hard, to the point of hurting them.

Never did they lose patience with him.

At all times they maintained respectful of him and comforting and reassuring to him.

I believe at one point they had to summon help, but that never detracted from the care and attention they gave to myself and to the other patients on the ward, who all managed to get their share of nursing.

I take my hat off to each of them for their outstanding care.

I also spent time on wards D8, D10 and D11.

Each and every nurse contributed to my well- being in a positive way.

I met so many nurses that I can’t name them all individually which is a shame.

Overall, the care and attention I received throughout my stay, not to mention the speed in which I received 2 brain scans, 3 MRI’s, a biopsy and a resection has exceeded my expectations.

Who knows my prognosis? That isn’t set in stone.

What I do know is that without the excellent care and attention received and the speed of the treatment, my chances would have been a lot less.

In all of this I need to mention my surgeon and his team who had enough belief in me to go ahead with an operation and subsequent planned treatment. I feel it is important for the staff to hear when they are appreciated, especially when the services are stretched to their limit.

The important things are not ‘notice boards ‘and ‘reaching targets’, but the high standards of nursing care that these people strive for, and in my case at least, achieved.

I would like to thank each and every member of staff who worked on the above wards in December 2018 because the chances are that they will have contributed to my care,