Thursday 26/05/11 to the RAH Ophthalmic Dept. to have a procedure carried out on my left eye, having only ever spent a 2 day stay in hospital + the usual stitches and fractures in my 62 years I was a wee bit apprehensive. Reading in the daily paper about a woman who was awarded £6 Million compensation for a simple eye procedure which went wrong with tragic circumstances did not help my frame of mind.
In I went accompanied by my wife who was my scheduled driver for the day as I would not be able to drive after said procedure not that I needed her support for any other reason you understand. We were directed to a long corridor with doors and seats along each side, not that you got to sit for very long though. Voices calling out people's names sounded every couple of minutes and patients were constantly on the move, doors opened and closed constantly as patients; doctors and nurses weaved their way in and out of rooms like a Whitehall farce. Unlike a Whitehall farce though this was a model of efficiency and precision and all done with a smile on the staff members faces, dozens of people were dealt with in the space of a couple of hours, I watched as they gave reassurance and extra help to those who needed it, the 'Esprit de Corps' was very evident among this very impressive bunch of team players. .
I know you will all be anxious to hear the result which was positive and I am fine. A couple of injections in the upper and lower eye lids and some minor work and that was it although I now have a swollen keeker, a smell of burning and a wee bit of pain. It was reassuring to see the NHS at its best albeit at a relatively low level clinic, I went in at 2 pm and was out before 3 pm and it left me reflecting on what we have with the NHS and needless to say strengthened my resolve to protect it from the Tory vultures who are once again circling over it, my thanks go to all of the staff involved and my plea goes to all of you to defend this great institution.
2 comments:
My experience of the NHS, England, is of cancelled appointments, nurses who have to be asked to cover the nakedness of helpless patients, eat takeaways on nightshift and discuss their social/love lives in loud voices in the early hours.
NHS Scotland is clearly staffed by angels...well done Mr Salmond
By Anonymous on A REASON TO BE PROUD – THE R.A.H. at 14:58
It’s strange you should say that because despite my happy experience last week I have been told by many in the NHS that the service in Scotland has deteriorated since Salmond (the spiv) and the SNP came to power.
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