Excellent care from two dedicated nurses helped ease my anxiety

Sarah Broom explains how excellent care from two nurses in different hospitals eased her fears

I have had excellent care from two nurses at two different hospitals in Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust in the West Midlands.
 
Staff nurse Katie O’Neill has looked after me on numerous occasions, and even though Ward 10 at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield is so busy, she always makes you feel as if you’re her only patient.

I have watched her with other patients and she always takes the time to make you feel as if you are the most important thing.
 
She makes me feel less anxious and more at ease, which is especially important on a respiratory ward. She always does this with a smile on her face, and you usually end up with one on your face after she's been looking after you.
 
Senior sister Judith Paintain, who works in the day surgery unit at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, also showed herself to be professional and dedicated to her patients.

Building up rapport

She looked after me before and after a procedure. I was very anxious and scared due to bad experiences previously.

Jude spent a lot of time talking to me about the procedure beforehand to ease my fears and arranged for me to look round the unit before I was due to go in, so it was more familiar and less daunting.

Although she was extremely busy – her door was knocked on five times during our meeting – she never made me feel rushed or less important than the other things she had to do.

On the day of the procedure she made sure she was around, came to talk to me and reassure me beforehand, and even accompanied me when I went for the procedure. I am so grateful that she took the trouble to help me through this difficult time when I am sure she had hundreds of other jobs to do.

As the senior sister, she could have let one of the other staff look after me, but she knew I was anxious – we had built up a rapport. She realised how important it was to me that I had someone there who would make me feel at ease and comfortable – and she did just that.