Patient Stories

Delivering the best possible care and treatment to our patients is what we aim to do every day.

Hearing about your experience of care is really helpful to us, not only so that we can share your feedback with our teams, but so that we can learn and improve too.

Care Opinion is an online platform where you can share your experience about the care you or your loved ones have received.

Since we started using Care Opinion, we have received 1,002 stories - and we are extremely grateful to everyone who has taken the time to share their experience.

In a recent story, one patient spoke about how the NHS “saved their life”.  The person made an emergency appointment with their GP after experiencing symptoms that were “too hard to ignore”. They said that the GP “immediately put into motion a series of decisions that saved my life”, adding, “I didn’t know it at the time, but I had a double pulmonary embolism”. The patient was taken to Borders General Hospital, where they were given an x-ray “within minutes”, before being taken to the operating theatre. On this, the patient said, “the speed at which the teams worked together was amazing” and that the nurses who comforted them through the process have their “everlasting gratitude”. The person added that they have previously been “treated by some of the world’s leading hospitals”, but that the treatment they received at the BGH was “without a doubt the best medical treatment I have ever had”. They concluded by saying their GP is “hero number one” in their “near-death experience” and that their surgeon is “hero number two”. They concluded by saying “most importantly my third hero is all the folk at the NHS - nurses, porters, support, admin, everyone!”

In another story, a parent spoke about the positive experience they had with staff while visiting the Emergency Department with their daughter. They said they were greeted by a “lovely lady” at reception who “spoke away to my little girl and made her feel settled about being in A&E”. They said that the nurse and doctor they met were “absolutely amazing” and “showed so much care and compassion” towards them. They went on to say that all the staff in the Emergency Department were “very helpful and accommodating” and that they are “an absolute credit to the NHS”, as they “always seemed chirpy” and “never let it show to patients that they were rushing about”.

Our Wellbeing Service also received feedback, with one person discussing the positive experience they had with one of our wellbeing advisors, Karen. They said: “I hadn’t experienced anxiety that didn’t go away before, so I sought some help.” They added that the referral was “quick” and that they were offered support through “weekly/fortnightly appointments with the same wellbeing advisor each time”. The person found this helpful because it got them “thinking about their views” and the “different things that could be contributing to the anxiety I had”. They added “over time my anxiety has improved” and that they are “able to deal with it much better” and “not be afraid of it”. They went on to say that they have “come away with lots of tools in their toolkit” and “feel confident” in dealing with their anxiety thanks to Karen’s help.

Sarah Horan, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals at NHS Borders, said: “Receiving such heartfelt and positive feedback from our patients has a constructive and beneficial effect on staff morale. It is important that we learn from our patient experiences, both good and bad. Having an open and honest conversation with patients enables us to take direct action so please, if you can, take the time to give us your feedback at www.careopinion.org.uk.”