I am writing in regards to a visit my wife and I had at your emergency ward. As everyone else that was there that day (October 27th in our case) we did not want to be there. We came in to the emergency because my wife was showing signs of what could have been a stroke – and she is only 46.
I am sure that you hear your fill of complaints about healthcare in general and the wait times in particular. However, with this letter, I want to take the time to say thank you to your team of outstanding professionals in the ER.
The triage was quick and efficient. And from that point on, your staff worked in such a way that we felt as though we were the only ones at the hospital.
From the first nurse/doctor who took charge to the next that was called down to re-assess or confirm the diagnostic to the group of nurses that moved at an impressive speed to prep my wife for a possible move to the Civic – each and everyone of them demonstrated great professionalism – taking the time to explain what was happening and why, all the while being warm and compassionate to my wife and I.
And to add to it all, while my wife was being prepped for the possible move, an ambulance delivered a 73 year old in cardiac arrest to the next bed. It was amazing to see the Montfort staff at work. Your staff went from compassionate nurses and doctors to the most well-oiled machine I have seen. No panic, no stress, just a high speed efficient ballet of life-savers. They spent the next 30 minutes reviving this apparently homeless senior. Having to restart several times as he would go into cardiac arrest more than once after being revived.
I wondered how people could do this on a daily base; how could these doctors and nurses be so cold and void of any feelings or emotions. Well, quite the opposite; the dedication to their job was a reflection of great compassion – one that they are apparently able to lock up when they need to focus and save a life – and then turn back on when they came to check on my wife after reviving the other patient. Amazing.
As most of your first-time patients, our only understanding of life in the ER is based on the chaos and drama of those TV shows. Maybe there are days when it is like that … but I don’t think Hollywood has the talent to re-enact the way your team worked.
In the end, the Neurologist (Dr McIlraith I think) was called by the ER staff and he managed to arrange a scan. Satisfied that the scan did not show a problem, he discharged my wife later that day and then followed up by arranging an MRI a few days later (taking charge to book the MRI instead of letting the responsibility fall on us in our personal panic).
While we are still unsure what happened and are still waiting for the MRI results, we can say without hesitation that we could not have been in better hands than at the Montfort.
Please pass on our deepest gratitude to the team that worked the ER that Friday morning. Outstanding professionals each and everyone of them.
