Island Echo always welcomes letters to the editor, which may of course not reflect the views of the publication and its staff.
Letter to the editor – Saturday 4th November 2023
“I was referred for a routine X-ray by my local doctor and walked into St Mary’s Hospital around 15:15. After the X-ray I was asked to have a CT Scan and then booked into A&E for an MRI scan. I was then admitted and came out 4 weeks later to the day. “We hear a lot of negatives about St Mary’s Hospital and I want to put the record straight. I have had 5 different Consultant teams working on ‘my case’. They have all worked individually, but also as a group to get to the bottom of my diagnosis, and yes it’s taken time but, in that time I have had scans and several MRIs from trained, friendly staff, and been looked after by Consultants, Doctors, Nurses and Healthcare Assistants, Patient Transport and Porters, always with a smile on their face and a cheery word to say, a holding of hands or even a hug to comfort if necessary. “Housekeeping ladies have provided the necessary beverages and served superb substantial meals cooked in the hospital kitchen every day! Even the domestic people cleaning the wards have been friendly and chatted. Regardless of how busy they all are and how rushed, they are there always with a smile and a quick cheery word. I got to know all their names and treated them with the respect they deserve! A thankless task at times with poor pay, but still they smiled! “I want to praise their courage and their dedication. “The staff often do extra shifts to cover for the lack of staff. In fact when I went to Southampton for radiotherapy, one of the nurses gave up her day off to volunteer to be with me. She spent 13.5 hours with me that day and yes she got paid for it but when you’ve been working as hard as they do, you need that day off. “I felt very honoured and she looked after me extremely well. Yes, I do believe what goes around comes around and it doesn’t hurt to say please and thank you does it? “We only hear the bad things these days. Wouldn’t it be great if we could hear some more positives too? After all, when you are ill don’t you want these people on your side?
Anonymous Isle of Wight
