Big Shout Out to the NHS!!

This is a quick blog to give a big shout of appreciation to the NHS.

You know what they say about the NHS - disorganised, slow, confusing, irritating, infective and occasionally unclean?  The place where the food can be shocking and the car parks expensive?  I've certainly had some frustrating and disappointing experiences with the NHS.  However, there is nowhere I would rather be in a crisis.

Yesterday we experienced Zach's first baked egg challenge.  We called it a 'cake challenge' because what toddler wouldn't want to do one of those?!  Add to that, the fact that 'clearly' the hospital belongs to daddy (he works there!) and that we will get to see ambulances and all in all we had one excited little boy looking forward to his trip to hospital.

Once there, we went through the usual 'cannula insertion/he's got no veins trauma' and then we were set to go.  The toys were great and staff lovely.  Having built it up I felt a bit for Zach as he was presented with a literal crumb of cake.  Anyway, I happily distracted him and carried on.  As the trial progressed and Zach and I played and watched TV, I started to think 'what if.....' and 'how amazing would it be if…'.  My parents and I even started  to text about how 'egg-cited' we were (well it was my dad's bad joke really!).  For a while all was good.

Unfortunately it then went wrong.  Zach became very poorly, very quickly.  The trial was stopped and he was treated.

The point of this blog however is not to talk allergy but to talk about the many undervalued, amazing people that work in the NHS.  During Zachs' deterioration I cannot express how safe I felt.  The sheer panic of the utter unknown and blindness of allergy and being in the middle of an allergic reaction was dealt with for me.  The nurses were there with us, the doctor was there in seconds.  His reaction was treated and all I had to do was cuddle him. 

So really, for me this blog is quite cathartic.  It helps me to think through what happened and what I would have done had I been on my own with Zach and I think it's important that I do that. 

Basically my conclusion is that I want to say thank you.  Thank you for the space we were given, to the doctors and nurses for treating and monitoring for hours and hours, to the cleaner for cleaning the ward of sick with a smile on her face, for the staff nurse who got the hospital gowns for Zach and I so we didn't have to be covered in vomit, for the lady who played with Zach and helped to calm him down, for the bravery stickers that Zach was given, for the smiles and reassurance and even for not being allowed home.  For all of that I want to say thank you. 

Having worked in the NHS since I left university I know how great the people are, wherever you work and whichever department you work in.  Now I've been on the other side, I really know how important the work that some people do is and how much that means to the patient. 

The staff were truly concerned for my son and when you can see that concern in someones eyes, you know that everything will be alright.

Stay healthy

Love Charlotte

For the staff of the Children's Ambulatory Care Unit, QMC.