Stop putting them down! (NHS Services For Children)

Member Name: Claribella

Product:	NHS Services For Children
Date:	11/03/09 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very thorough.

Disadvantages: Understaffed.

Time and time again I hear people say how rubbish the services are but I have to say that I have been extremely impressed with the help, standards and staff that I have encountered along the way. If it wasn't for the free NHS care that my son's have received in the last six months then they wouldn't be fit and healthy and my pocket would be a little less lighter.

The 'Elijah' story.
I gave birth to Elijah at home. The whole experience was amazing and the midwives that attended were absolutely brilliant. When Elijah was around 8-9 days old he developed a bit of nappy rash. My eldest son had this when he was born and I assumed it was his ski getting used to the nappies. I put cream on it and aired his bum as much as I could but it got worse and worse very quickly. I also noticed that he had a really small cut on his finger that seem to be getting worse too. Elijah was fine in himself but I took him to the doctors to get him checked. The doctor sent me straight up to the hospital as she suspected it was an infection called Streptococcal Aureaus. When I got to the hospital Elijah was seen straight away and admitted. They were excellent in explaining what the condition was and what they were going to do to treat it. Basically they said that there is a bacteria that lives on everyone's skin and no matter how much you wash, you can't get rid of it. Baby's immune systems aren't as strong as ours and it looked as though the bacteria got under his skin by the cut in his finger. They said that the infection spreads extremely quickly so they had to put him on a drip so he could have antibiotics through it.

Naturally I felt so guilty and got pretty upset that he was admitted but the staff were amazing at trying to make me feel better. I was really worried that I'd have to stop breastfeeding him or get into the routine of expressing for him but they assured me that I could stay with him at all times. I had a bed in his room and was by his side every minute of the day and because I was breastfeeding him I was entitled to all of the hospital meals and free TV!

The care that Elijah and I received was second to none and they even put us in a room that was directly opposite a huge play room so that when Noah came to visit each day we didn't have far to go.

The 'Noah' story.
Noah fell off the sofa a week ago and I immediately knew that it was bad when I heard him cry. My husband had him in his arms when I ran into the living room and after looking at his arm I could see very clearly that it was broken; there was a bend in the middle of his forearm. After giving him some chocolate and putting on his favorite film we phoned a taxi and made our way up to the hospital.

We all know how busy A&E gets and today was no exception. The woman on the desk took my details and no sooner had I put my bum on a chair, a nurse was calling Noah's name. She examined his arm and gave him some pain relief and we were sent to get an X-ray. This took around ten minutes and the woman doing it was so good with Noah. When we got back up to the waiting area we sat for around five minutes before being seen again. Noah had broken his arm but they informed us that he would need to have an operation because the bones were wonky. We got to A&E at around 7pm and were home again by 9pm. I was kept waiting for around ten to fifteen minutes of that time and it plainly obvious that they were very busy as there were no consultation rooms at one point.

The next morning my husband took Noah into hospital bright and early for his. They said he'd be the first one in but he didn't get down to theatre until the afternoon and that's my only complaint. The nurses and doctors were brilliant with him and explained everything very clearly. My hubby was able to accompany Noah down to theatre and they called him as soon as he came out so he could be there when Noah woke up. We have had a follow up appointment today and the doctor we saw was the same one that performed his operation and the one I saw on the night he broke his arm.

Verdict.
I have been extremely impressed with the dealings that I have had with the NHS, not only in the last six months but throughout my life. I have had broken bones and other problems and I have also been pregnant and had two babies.

My children are the most important things in the world to me (and my hubby!) so whenever they are ill it means everything to me that they treated well. I say 'So far, so good'.

Summary: My experience with oth of my boys was brillient.