"Excellent person centred care"

I had to attend A&E at Forth Valley Royal Hospital last week with chest pain and was referred onto the Medical team in CAU. 

I was called into Triage quickly and asked some questions about why I had attended. I was surprised not to be asked any questions about my medical history/ diagnosed diseases especially in relation to the chest pain. The Student Nurse who did the ECG put the stickers on without feeling for landmarks, and I wonder how they knew where the best placement was? Afterwards I was asked to sit back in the main waiting room. 

I saw a Dr who was excellent, took a thorough history and liased with their senior recognising that my medical history wasn’t straightforward even though initial tests were negative. Thank you to the nurses for their excellent care. Thanks to both the porters and radiographer who were kind and efficient. 

In CAU I saw an excellent medical Dr who again was thorough and understanding. I then saw the Consultant,  we had a long chat which recognised that I was an expert in me and came up with a plan agreeable to us both. 

All the Dr’s that I saw were patient centred, recognised that I had knowledge, treated me as an equal and understood what mattered to me. I left feeling reassured, listened to and grateful for the honest conversations about the lack of evidence base for treatment and that there were no easy answers or solutions for microvascular heart disease. I have read a lot recently about the theory of Realistic medicine and shared decision making, the consultant and colleagues very much put it into practice. I would be grateful if my thanks and appreciation could be fed back to everyone involved in my care.