"Admission for Radio Frequency Ablation - 13th-15th..."

Anything else?

My mother who is 78 years old was admitted to Ward 9 West for Radio Frequency Ablation on a liver tumour. I want to start with the only downside for us being the late admission of 8pm. If a patient was confused or did not have an advocate, this could be very unsettling for them. However, there were many plus sides for us. On admission, we were warmly greeted and taken straight to my mothers bed. Shortly after, the night bank nurse in charge came to clerk her in. Each nurse and support members of staff introduced themselves and explained exactly what they were going to do. The doctors who came later in the night to take bloods were also very respectful and reassuring. The next day, the male staff nurse in charge came to introduce himself and both he and the night bank staff nurse (female) were excellent. The ward was calm and efficiently run and even quiet at night, which was very reassuring to my mother and I. Both the nurses, doctors and support staff always made time to answer questions and nothing was too much trouble. Even the pharmacist who reviewed my mothers medication prior to discharge spent time with us answering questions. When mum went down to the Interventional Medicine Unit, the care, support and reassurance continued. The male staff nurse who greeted mum, the consultant radiologist who carried out the procedure and the anaesthetist were amazing and again spent time allying our fears. I work in the NHS as a Consultant Systemic Psychotherapist and I can categorically say that I observed nurses, doctors and support staff at their very best. This is such a good example of how NHS services should be run. It is more than just an efficient service, it is also that the patient feels a genuine warmth, respect and value from the people caring from them. Ward 9 West and the Interventional Medicine Unit had this in abundance and many other wards and hospitals can learn from this. Thank you.