"The wonderful treatment after breaking a bone in my wrist"

Skipped whilst gardening and fell badly on my wrist. I was absolutely terrified and in a great deal of pain. 

I was in Ninewells Hospital, Dundee on the day surgical ward on level 6. All staff working on the ward, without exception, were kind, caring and very patient. I was very nervous and scared and they took to listen to my fears and explain what would be involved in my procedure.

The ward was very clean, tidy and organised, including the toilets. Upon arrival at 8am, my day bed and table were laid out with forms and water and my name clearly written above the bed. All staff worked well together as a team and there was a definite air of mutual respect between all levels of staff.

After my operation I was served strong hot tea and toast which was beautifully presented!

I was given plenty of time to recover from my operation and staff checked in on me frequently. The ward was very busy yet I was made to feel very special due to the care and attention that I received.

The only fly in the ointment was some staff member at the main reception: I didn’t know where to go when I arrived at 8am so asked for directions, this staff's tone and manner were very brusque and did not smile nor leave their post to clearly point out where to go. Coincidently when my husband came to fetch me at 6pm, he was met with the exactly the same treatment when asking directions.

The main reception is people’s first port of call and people are seemingly often in a distressed state therefore it should be a prerequisite that all staff in this position should at least smile. This is the only thing that bothered me otherwise I’d be giving a 10/10 for my experience.

Prior to my visit to Ninewells, I was in Perth Royal Infirmary A&E department 6 days earlier. I would give the same feedback for the staff there, the only difference being that the reception staff were fantastic in Perth giving them a solid 10/10!