I was thirteen years of age when the National Health Service was born, it was just in time for the wood splinter to be taken from my backside – don’t ask how I got that and also my bicycle accident when I dislocated my left arm.
Today it is still doing the same thing – helping people over their medical problems. NHS celebrated its 70th Birthday on Thursday 5th July 2018.
When I was just 24 years of age, I owe a great debt to the NHS as they housed me for the best part of two years trying to sort out my illness which had debilitated me from the waist down and after many tests and operations I left the hospital, probably not fully cured but ongoing examination were in process. After the initial beginning I had no idea I would be able to walk again and do all the normal things that other persons could do had it not been for one Doctor and one Nurse. That is all I needed to begin to live my life again.
When all these problems started the NHS was only in its infancy and although Doctors and Nurses were efficient in their profession I had a disease that was also very hard to research and I had an early onset of Multiple Sclerosis, which thankfully turned out to be a very mild strain.
There have been problems with the NHS – but there is no doubt in my mind they are an efficient team of dedicated men and women who strive to serve the community.
On Wednesday 17th October 2018 my wife woke up with very swollen foot and to place it on the ground was agonising, so a visit to A & E was the next step. Having arrived at Eastbourne District General Hospital and reported the incident we sat down and viewed the monitor and a 3 hour wait was indicated – those three hours went quite quickly with many examinations, including blood tests and xray and talks with the Doctors and Nurses. The proficiency, kindness and care were prominent. This was in the capable hands of the staff who worked in the Primary Care Streaming. On their advice my wife made an appointment to see her Doctor that afternoon and all the testing and examination data from that morning at the hospital was on the Surgery Doctor’s computer for him to see – now that’s what I call efficiency with a capital E.
The Eastbourne District General Hospital despite many changes that not everybody agreed to like splitting the services between Eastbourne and Hastings Hospitals and maybe the reason for this might not be all to do with monetary issues, but makes the hospital more efficient and its expertise in dealing with a certain section of medical care.
Not forgetting the Knights of the road known as the Paramedics who do battle with the many road hazards including congestion to bring critically ill patients to the hospitals and in many cases have to treat patients while on the move.
All of these Doctors and Nurses are ably supported by the Administration staff whose tasks are many and making sure that the essential paperwork and patient arrive at the same destination. There are so many persons who are involved in the running of a successful organisation such as a hospital and when you think of the number of patients that enter through the doors for treatment – there must be thousands during the course of a single day.
To my mind the Eastbourne District General Hospital has taken pole position and the National Health Service, like the proverbial frog, has leapt into the 21st Century with the same care and attention to its patients.
These people are the real heroes!