Our daughter's surgery had been canceled in January. Having been sent home on the day the surgery was planned was very disappointing for all of us. We returned 3 weeks later and were told again there was no HDU or ITU bed. After a lot of negotiation between the consultants, it was agreed to trial our daughter on a different unit to 'be specialised' for 24hours with the ITU team on standby if needed. Rachel was the nurse who looked after our daughter with empathy and care whilst always professional, keeping a constant level of high care and management of our daughter's progress. At no point were we concerned that our daughter was not on HDU/ITU whilst Rachel cared for her. Rachel demonstrated good knowledge and good time management of tasks that were consistent. Rachel showed all the qualities of an excellent nurse whom all parents would want to care for their child after major surgery.
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Rachel connected with our daughter, as a teenager who can be self-conscious, she was happy for Rachel to help her with personal care when she was having a bad night with pain. The only time our daughter smiled was when seeing Rachel come back on shift. As her mother, I am so thankful for the help in caring for her.
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Being in hospital wasn't the nicest experience but Rachel made it far more bearable. She made me feel safe and happy. She was kind and caring which is exactly what you need after surgery. I am very grateful for Rachel and the care she gave.