Excellent NHS Service

[MWHCVT]

Just thought it would make a change to have a positive NHS thread, I suffer from Sleep Apnea and while I'm from the midlands I'm treated by St Thomas' in Westminster as frankly their respiratory unit is one of the best and I ended up being transferred to their from my local hospital when seriously ill a few years back

Anyhow no need for a life story, my respirator that I need to use when sleeping developed a fault on Sunday and wouldn't turn on so I spent the night with some awful sleep and feeling utter crap, first thing I phoned the respiratory unit to report the issue, but the tech support was working in the ward so called me back ten minutes later....I described the issue, and no debate on sorting the issue, he arrange a motorcycle courier to collect a replacement machine from the hospital, and deliver it to me here in Warwickshire and return the faulty respirator to the unit...so by 3pm this afternoon I had a new respirator and could go to sleep for a little bit...

So a big thumbs up to St. Thomas, and specifically the Lane-Fox Unit, once again you've proved just how fantastic you are

 

[viv1969]

Tricky beggars those CPAP machines.

 

[MWHCVT]

Tricky beggars those CPAP machines.

They're fantastic, had the best nights sleep in weeks slept a full 10 hours, rare for me and feel great for it, I think it's been failing/not operating correctly for a few weeks

 

[Ian D J]

That's got a from me. Although, it is a shame that you have developed the condition in the first place.

 

[MatBin]

Good to hear you got it sorted. In my view emergency NHS service is brilliant, my 2 kids and my Dad owe their lives to the NHS at little or no cost * to me or them.
* Other than my NI and tax "contributions" of course.

 

[MWHCVT]

That's got a from me. Although, it is a shame that you have developed the condition in the first place.

Indeed it's a shame but such is life

Good to hear you got it sorted. In my view emergency NHS service is brilliant, my 2 kids and my Dad owe their lives to the NHS at little or no cost * to me or them.
* Other than my NI and tax "contributions" of course.

Indeed it's a fantastic and often maligned service

 

[dean messenger]

as much as sometimes the NHS get slated and when an error does occur at the cost of a life theres uproar in the media , in the main when you consider the sheer manpower involved , the level of skill and training, the hours worked and the service provided the success rate far exceeds above and beyond anywhere else in the world.
I woe my life to the NHS, having gone to A&E on march 27th with stomach pains ( thinking at the time nothing more than trapped wind). it was clear to the staff it was far more serious and i was seen within 10 minutes of arrival, then sent for xray within 30 minutes, put on morphine for the pain and wheeled up to a ward for the night, the whole time treated like i was some kind of VIP with consultants, a surgeon and specialists around me.
The following morning i was taken for CT scan and within 10 minutes of them getting the result prepped and being ushered for surgery with everyone ready to go and all with serious faces on and rush rush rush.
6 hours later i woke up minus about 18 inches of bowel, a colostomy bag, pipes, tubes and plumbing in me but alive.
Turns out i have/ Had Diverticulitis ( id never even heard of it ). had not one but several perforations in my bowel which had burst simultaneously causing peritonitis to set it.. another hour i would have been dead.
the aftercare from ALL the staff, from Nurses and Doctors, the surgeons, the aneathetist, the tea and coffee ladies, the Clinical health services team, the stoma nurses and everyone else was second to none.

each and every one of them played there part no matter how big or small towards my recovery.
I have to go back for further surgery at some point but i can go knowing im going to be in safe hands.

 

[Nikon_Nick]

Good to see a positive story about the NHS. I owe my Daughters life to the NHS.

 

[LASTOLITE]

Indeed its good to see a great result for the OP and I too can give good testimony about our fabulous NHS staff and especially at Hope Hospital Manchester! who I owe a debt of gratitude too

 

[Cobra]

A nice story with a happy ending Matt

 

[MWHCVT]

A nice story with a happy ending Matt

Yes indeed, though chatting with the courier it was pretty much the first time he had had to go outside the M25 and certainly never this far north with a delivery I honestly cannot praise the unit I'm under enough, they've always been nothing but amazing to me

 

[wack61]

Indeed its good to see a great result for the OP and I too can give good testimony about our fabulous NHS staff and especially at Hope Hospital Manchester! who I owe a debt of gratitude too

About 10 years ago I was at bowlers exhibition centre when I had an attack of extreme dizziness , ambulance was there in minutes, got taken to Hope Hospital who were fantastic, did all kinds of tests and eventually diagnosed an attack of vertigo, thankfully my last so far

I spent a week crawling to the bathroom but recovered with no ill effects

It has it's flaws but when you need them they're excellent

 

[Tigger.ufo]

I also have nothing but praise for the Lane Fox unit. The staff and technicians are superb.

 

[MWHCVT]

I also have nothing but praise for the Lane Fox unit. The staff and technicians are superb.

They are utterly fantastic...when I first was transferred there when very ill a few years back on arriving my bed space wasn't quite ready so they took my bed out to the back of the ward so I could basically watch the world go past on the Thames while the bed space was prepared, and actually the specifically put me in the bed right next to the nurses station as because they knew I was from well out of the area I wouldn't get that many visitors so it would mean that little extra human contact

Awful photo but this was me on my first walk outside of the LF unit after re learning how to walk after 10 weeks in bed...

View attachment 14712

My physio snapped it on my phone

 

[s162216]

To be honest its sad how good care and news by the NHS like this never seems to get mentioned in the media. I've never had a problem with the NHS, and I am affected unfortunately by several medical conditions which they have been always been able to treat and manage right. I have to have 3 weekly intravenous immunoglobulin G infusions for instance which cost ~£1,050 a go, but they stop me from getting infections which I would otherwise get from having Common Variable Immunodeficiency, and restore my naturally genetically compromised immune system to almost normal. In the US I know some patients there who have to pay upward of $4000 an infusion (that's with insurance!).

In January I had appendicitis and shortly after had it removed at Bedford Hospital. If you were to never actually have been there (I've always had had my type 1 diabetes managed from there since I was one), from the local media you would seriously think that once you went in there you had a better chance of not coming out alive. The pre and post op care was excellent though, and when I experienced post op problems (complete urinary retention and also symptoms which indicated a possible infection related to my rare primary immunodeficiency condition), the surgeon and her team did absolutely everything in their power to try to find a possible cause, and were in no hurry to discharge me as they said they didn't want me to just end back in as an emergency case.

The medical and nursing staff all acted exactly like they should have, and were caring and compassionate - they were forced to catheterise me to relieve the urinary retention [which would have eventually damaged my kidney's] and thanks to the reassurances and relaxing talk from the junior doctor and a nurse during the procedure I felt a lot more comfortable than when they said what they were going to have to do. When I was finally discharged after a week all the staff wished me good luck. There were a few minor bumps along the way, but no system is perfect and you have to expect some hitches once in a while

Its just sad to be honest that similar such stories don't get reported as much as they should do.

Sam.

 

[MWHCVT]

To be honest its sad how good care and news by the NHS like this never seems to get mentioned in the media. I've never had a problem with the NHS, and I am affected unfortunately by several medical conditions which they have been always been able to treat and manage right. I have to have 3 weekly intravenous immunoglobulin G infusions for instance which cost ~£1,050 a go, but they stop me from getting infections which I would otherwise get from having Common Variable Immunodeficiency, and restore my naturally genetically compromised immune system to almost normal. In the US I know some patients there who have to pay upward of $4000 an infusion (that's with insurance!).

In January I had appendicitis and shortly after had it removed at Bedford Hospital. If you were to never actually have been there (I've always had had my type 1 diabetes managed from there since I was one), from the local media you would seriously think that once you went in there you had a better chance of not coming out alive. The pre and post op care was excellent though, and when I experienced post op problems (complete urinary retention and also symptoms which indicated a possible infection related to my rare primary immunodeficiency condition), the surgeon and her team did absolutely everything in their power to try to find a possible cause, and were in no hurry to discharge me as they said they didn't want me to just end back in as an emergency case.

The medical and nursing staff all acted exactly like they should have, and were caring and compassionate - they were forced to catheterise me to relieve the urinary retention [which would have eventually damaged my kidney's] and thanks to the reassurances and relaxing talk from the junior doctor and a nurse during the procedure I felt a lot more comfortable than when they said what they were going to have to do. When I was finally discharged after a week all the staff wished me good luck. There were a few minor bumps along the way, but no system is perfect and you have to expect some hitches once in a while

Its just sad to be honest that similar such stories don't get reported as much as they should do.

Sam.

Indeed it is sad, but as far as news outlets are concerned doom an gloom sells

 

[stevewestern]

I have mixed feelings about the NHS - I got amazing treatment when I had a big motorbike smash many years ago, but the downside is that while in hospital I met the nurse who became and still is my wife.
Every cloud doesn't always have a silver lining.......

Seriously, I have had 13 ops since then as a result of the accident and all have been successful, with some wonderful people looking after me.
My daughter is now 10 but wouldn't have reached 1 if not for the NHS and I still have 2 legs that work fairly well so a big thank you from me too.

 

[Nikon Ken]

as much as sometimes the NHS get slated and when an error does occur at the cost of a life theres uproar in the media , in the main when you consider the sheer manpower involved , the level of skill and training, the hours worked and the service provided the success rate far exceeds above and beyond anywhere else in the world.
I woe my life to the NHS, having gone to A&E on march 27th with stomach pains ( thinking at the time nothing more than trapped wind). it was clear to the staff it was far more serious and i was seen within 10 minutes of arrival, then sent for xray within 30 minutes, put on morphine for the pain and wheeled up to a ward for the night, the whole time treated like i was some kind of VIP with consultants, a surgeon and specialists around me.
The following morning i was taken for CT scan and within 10 minutes of them getting the result prepped and being ushered for surgery with everyone ready to go and all with serious faces on and rush rush rush.
6 hours later i woke up minus about 18 inches of bowel, a colostomy bag, pipes, tubes and plumbing in me but alive.
Turns out i have/ Had Diverticulitis ( id never even heard of it ). had not one but several perforations in my bowel which had burst simultaneously causing peritonitis to set it.. another hour i would have been dead.
the aftercare from ALL the staff, from Nurses and Doctors, the surgeons, the aneathetist, the tea and coffee ladies, the Clinical health services team, the stoma nurses and everyone else was second to none.

each and every one of them played there part no matter how big or small towards my recovery.
I have to go back for further surgery at some point but i can go knowing im going to be in safe hands.

A very similar story to my friend's experience. He has since had reversal surgery and is fine.

My own experience followed pains in my chest whilst at home late one night. My Wife was away so I called the ambulance. They arrived in 8 minutes and five minutes later I arrested. I know nothing until the next morning. The nurses in the ICU unit at Harrogate were fantastic but they told me that the skill of the paramedic pulled me through. The paramedic had stabilised me for 45 minutes before transferring me to the hospital where the A&E staff said the paramedics had done everything necessary and there was nothing left for them to do. They merely admitted me to ICU. The care I received was brilliant. Both paramedics visiting me a number of times to check I was doing well and after I was discharged a photo session was arranged and a piece went in the Ambulance Times and the local press.

The paramedics are a much underpaid but brilliant section of the NHS. They often work in difficult circumstances but rarely get the praise they deserve.

Ken