"Sincere thanks for care and attention"

I was admitted to Ward 109 (Orthopaedic Trauma) at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after suffering a severe diabetic hypoglycaemic incident at home and being taken to Accident and Emergency at the ERI.

Firstly, the care I received from the Scottish Ambulance Service as first attenders was unparalleled - they arrived quickly, immediately took action and had quick control of the situation while ensuring sensitive support to my wife and children as they saved my life. It is impossible to fully express the gratitude we feel for the care and attention that Robbie and the ambulance team provided to me and my family at home and as we travelled to hospital and for the comfort they offered particularly to my children who were understandably upset and really concerned. Thank you all.

We were very quickly being prioritized for help in A&E and again we are hugely appreciative of the skilful teamwork that was quickly in evidence across multiple disciplines including neurology, diabetes, orthopaedics and emergency care & resuscitation given that I had suffered very serious physical injuries as a result of the seizures I had suffered during my hypoglycaemic incident and was in a dangerous position for an extended period. Thank you to the teams who worked together to assess me quickly and professionally. 

The role that Mr Nicholson Orthopedic Consultant played after my immediate emergency was addressed is of such significance in my story that I want to give particular thanks and credit to him and his team as well as the anaesthetist team who treated me immediately before my two shoulder surgeries that took place the following month (sorry, I don’t remember names). The evident expertise and thorough professionalism of these teams working together so effectively is to the great credit of the ERI and I have been lucky to have benefited from them being there to support patients like me in the East of Scotland. My shoulder surgeries have been painful and recovery is slow and difficult but I am confident that the care I received from these teams has set me up for recovery in the months ahead.

Alongside this surgical support and care, the attention of the Diabetes and Endocrinology team under consultant Mr Gibb and senior diabetic nurse Janet has been invaluable in aiding my recovery - again, a sincere thank you for helping to save my life and supporting myself and my family at the worst time of our life.  

Lastly, I wanted to extend my thanks to all of the nursing staff working on Ward 109 (Orthopedic Trauma). In particular, Megan, Ruby and Emma showed great care and understanding particularly at times when I was upset, confused and struggling to cope with the situation I found myself in so unexpectedly. The patience of nursing staff and their readiness to support me will stay with me for a very long time - thank you. I was particularly conscious that as well as to myself, nursing staff were providing care to particularly elderly patients across the ward and in the room I was in for more than a week - patients who were in a number of cases suffering from significant confusion and mental distress and deterioration and had broken bones and were physically immobilized. The value of the job that nurses do in these circumstances is almost impossible to evaluate - they are under enormous pressure and the demands are constant, 24 hours every day. I have named three nursing colleagues whose care for me will remain long in the memory, but there were many others whose names I didn’t know and who helped me every day. 

My recovery story continues - I have a long road ahead, I will continue to rely on the support and guidance of ERI staff as physical rehabilitation progresses - but I can only express my sincere thanks for the care and attention I received during what we know was the worst time in my family’s life.