"Emergency Unit"

Anything else?

My father was transported by ambulance to Queen's following chest pain and a fall. The rapid response car arrived after 3-5 minutes and the ambulance after 5 minutes. Once at Queen's the paramedics stayed with my father until the nursing staff took over via a person to person debrief. He received a good standard of care during diagnosis, with several tests being run to isolate the cause of his problem. The tests were well explained and he was treated with care and dignity at each stage. Although due to lack of beds he was retained in the assessment area overnight, he was given food, water and frequent cups of tea. I rate the nursing staff as 1st class (this was during the night of 7th February/morning of 8th, and I would like you to pass on my appreciation). In terms of diagnosis, after ruling out the obvious via a well explained set of tests, the medical staff looked more broadly and found a potential issue that will be followed up via out-patients. We were given the option of staying in to have the further tests done the next day.

The only matter that detracted from the excellent care was the time taken overall. There are clearly some pinch points in the system which create long wait times. Perhaps these could be managed by having one nurse assigned to troubleshooting and scheduling.

With thanks for your professionalism and care