Scenes seen during a weekend short break with @sheffieldhospitals.
Photographs ‘speak’ but i would rather have been able to record the voices.
Around midnight ‘Craig’ very loudly and very aggressively demands to be let out or signed out so he can have a ‘fucken ciggy’. I catch a glimpse of him through a crack in the curtain. Arms tensed. Veins bulging. A nurse assures him that she will attend to him as soon as she gets the chance. The volume rises. Security are called. In the five or so minutes before security arrive the nurse finishes attending to her other patient and turns to Craig. About fifteen seconds later he has agreed to keep the noise down in exchange for a ciggy outside and a natter about his day with the nurse and the ‘nice man from security’. The pre-agreed conditions are 1) no swearing and 2) he doesn’t do a runner. I see ‘Craig’ smiling as he heads outside.
A few minutes later i hear the same nurse come back in and head in to the bay next to mine. She’s not taming dragons now, she’s making ‘Phil’ chuckle as they decide who is going to fit his catheter. ‘Phil’ was born during the Second World War. He tells the nurse that he ‘lost his ego years ago’ so he’s not bothered about letting her fit it. Seconds later he remarks ‘oh you’ve done it alteady’.
Dragons and octogenarians without missing a step.
Thanks to all of the staff in A&E and CDU at the Northern General (and nurses and doctors everywhere) for looking after me and all the other patients lucky enough to be able to call on their care, kindness and professionalism. 🙏