Patient Stories

We strive to provide the best quality care and treatment possible for every patient across the Scottish Borders.

Hearing about your experiences of our services and our staff helps us learn and improve by sharing the feedback with our teams.

Care Opinion is an online platform where you can share your experience of the care you or your loved ones have received. You can let us know what went well and what we could do to make our services even better, based on your own experience.

This month, we received feedback on an experience at the Borders Macmillan Centre at the BGH. In the story, the person said that the “support and kindness” shown to them by everyone during their chemo treatment “made such a difference to a difficult time” and that all the staff were “reassuring, friendly and professional”. They added that it was “reassuring and helpful” to know that they could always phone up with a query and have someone to talk to. They also spoke positively about the follow-up treatment they had after chemo, which was ‘amazing’. They added: “Further appointments with Vicky, who referred me to the physio and Lavender Touch, really helped to round off my treatment and close that chapter in a gentle, gradual way, which I'm sure has contributed to my overall recovery.” The feedback was concluded with the person thanking our staff and calling them “an invaluable asset” to NHS Borders.

Other feedback this month included a mum speaking positively about one of our community midwives, Laura. She said that Laura made her feel “at ease” and that from the first visit she knew Laura was “great” as she didn’t get nervous going to see her, which she said was “a big deal” for her. She also said that every time she visited Laura she got “fully detailed responses” to her questions and even got answers to questions she “hadn’t thought to ask”. The mum added that the care she received during her pregnancy and afterwards was “nothing short of outstanding” and that Laura is “an absolute credit to the midwifery team”. She concluded by saying “I don’t think my pregnancy would have been anywhere near as easy if we didn’t have her by our side throughout our journey”.

In another story, a positive experience while attending our Emergency Department was discussed. The patient said that their care was “exceptional from start to finish” and that the staff in our Emergency Department, Ward 6 and Cardiology departments were all “an absolute credit to the NHS”. They also wanted to thank the staff in the Catering Department, saying: “I have coeliac disease and it was never too much hassle to call up to the kitchen to ask them if they could make specific meals for me.” The person concluded their feedback by saying that they are “so grateful” for the NHS and for the “amazing, caring and attentive” staff in the BGH.

Sarah Horan, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals at NHS Borders, said: “We always look forward to receiving feedback from our patients, as having these open and honest conversations about your care lets us know what we are doing well and what we can improve on too. Positive feedback has a hugely beneficial impact on staff morale, while constructive feedback gives us an opportunity to learn from your experiences and make our future patients’ experiences even better. If you or one of your family members has recently used one of our services, please take the time to tell us your story at www.careopinion.org.uk.”

Since we started using Care Opinion to gather your feedback, we have received 1,204 stories. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to tell us about your experience.