Care Opinion

Doctors and nurses of Borders General Hospital

Posted By Hosstage

"Doctors and nurses of Borders General Hospital"

About: Borders General Hospital / Acute Assessment Unit Borders General Hospital / General Medicine Borders General Hospital / Intensive & Critical Care

(as the patient),

Two weeks ago I had meningitis. On the Sunday previously I had the best round of golf I'd ever had in my life. I walked at least 5 miles a day every day with my dog Toady. I had been bothered with my stuffed nose and horrible taste in my mouth for about a year and could not get to the bottom of it.

On Monday I felt fine but had a bit of earache and had to get up during the night to take painkillers. On Tuesday my eardrum burst and I had a watery discharge from my ear. Later that day I felt not right and went to bed early. I felt shivery overnight. In the morning I went to the toilet but my wife says I tried to go in the wrong door. The last thing I remember was one of my GP's standing over me asking how I was. 

On Thursday I woke up in ITU in BGH wondering what had happened and where I was. I kept looking at the ceiling and then shutting my eyes again, thinking if I did, things would change and I would know when I next opened them where I was. I remember my wife and daughter visiting and that gave me another clue that I must be in hospital.

I feel so lucky to have made a full recovery thanks to the expertise of the nurses and doctors in ITU and Ward 4. My wife says that I need also to thank the doctors and nurses in the Acute Assessment Unit who I remember nothing about but were crucial in recognising how sick I was. 

Every nurse and doctor I met was pleasant and made me feel safe and at ease. I actually began to enjoy my stay in Ward 4 for two weeks of antibiotics. The food was good, my fellow patients a good bunch  and every nurse had a smile on their face, apart from having to run around like a dervish all the time. The only thing I didn't like were the beeping IV machines, which always took an eternity for them to attend to because they were so busy. That was a small thing in view of the sterling work that they did and I will be eternally grateful that NHS Borders staff saved my life.

 

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Responses

Response from Lynne Boyle, Senior Charge Nurse, Medical admissions ward, Borders General Hospital 5 years ago
Lynne Boyle
Senior Charge Nurse, Medical admissions ward,
Borders General Hospital

Submitted on 29/01/2019 at 19:22
Published on Care Opinion on 30/01/2019 at 10:04

Dear Hosstage

Thank you for taking the time to write and share your story on Care Opinion. Your experience must have been extremely frightening for you and your family so I'm pleased that our AAU team were able to undertake a rapid clinical assessment and get the appropriate care and treatment for you without delay. The aim of the unit is to assess and instigate treatment for patients and to have a clinical plan within a short time frame - thankfully not all patients who attend the unit are quite as sick as you obviously were, but it's great to know that the assessment and care was initiated for you in a smooth and professional manner.

its also good to hear that you actually 'enjoyed' your stay in hospital, feeling safe and well cared for. This is what we all aspire to achieve for our patients. We do recognise that the infusion pumps are noisy primarily due to their sensitivity for safety reasons, but we must all be mindful of how disturbing these are for patients to ensure that they are attended to and issues addressed as rapidly as is possible.

Thanks again for sharing your experience and I hope that you are now getting back to full health. I will share your feedback with the team in AAU, which they will be delighted to receive.

Best wishes

Lynne

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Response from Lynn McCallum, Medical Director, NHS Borders 5 years ago
Lynn McCallum
Medical Director,
NHS Borders

Along with the Director of Nursing, we are collectively responsible for the clinical care delivered within NHS Borders.

Submitted on 30/01/2019 at 10:13
Published on Care Opinion at 13:15

picture of Lynn McCallum

Dear Hosstage,

Thank you so much for telling us of your experience in the Borders General Hospital. It certainly sounds as though you were very seriously unwell and I am so glad that our team at the front door recognised this early and instigated appropriate treatment to help to make you better! The staff community within the BGH is a small one (compared to many hospitals) and this is of great benefit when working together as we know each other well and can rely upon each other in situations requiring urgent input. I'm glad that in the face of a really very scary illness you felt reassured and well cared for and most importantly, that you are now recovering well!

Hearing stories such as your are a great boost to staff especially at this time of year when the hospitals are exceptionally busy and staff are stretched. Knowing that we make a difference is really important and Lynne and I will ensure that your story is shared with all staff within AAU.

Thanks again for taking the time to tell us your story and I wish you a quick ongoing recovery!

Best wishes,

Lynn

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Response from Borders General Hospital 5 years ago
Borders General Hospital

Submitted on 30/01/2019 at 12:55
Published on Care Opinion at 13:15

Dear Hosstage, Many thanks for taking the time to give us some feedback. The team on ward 4 are delighted to hear that your stay in our care was enjoyable and that you were well cared for throughout your stay in various areas.We do recognise some of the infusion pumps we use can be noisy and will continue to bear this in mind when trying to attend to these in a timely manner.

The team here on ward 4 wish you well and hope you are recovering well.

Best Wishes

Audrey SCN ward 4

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Response from Dr David Love, Consultant Anaesthetist, NHS Borders 5 years ago
Dr David Love
Consultant Anaesthetist,
NHS Borders

Submitted on 30/01/2019 at 14:05
Published on Care Opinion at 16:23

Dear Hosstage,

Firstly I'd like to say how good it is to hear that you are feeling better and "on the mend" having obviously been so unwell. We are always grateful when our patients take the time to feed back stories of their experiences with us as these provide us with such a rich source of information about our service.

There is no doubt that you were indeed very ill when you came to hospital and a rapid and effective response was necessary. It is good that we were able to ensure this happened and your care was quickly escalated to ITU. Of course it must be strange and even frightening to wake up in a very different environment to that which you last remembered. It's helpful for us to be reminded that this is an unusual experience for many patients so that we can do our best to make their environment as calm as possible at that time.

I will see that your feedback and kind appreciation is shared with the ITU staff. In the meantime I hope you soon get back to golf and those healthy walks with Toady.

Best wishes,

David

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