It’s turned into a bit of a dramatic week in our house.

And we owe the NHS one great BIG thank you.

NHS

The thing about the NHS is you tend to need it when you least expect it – in our case when what appeared to be nothing but a mild cold suddenly had Littlest B struggling to breathe.

It was early evening and with our GP surgery closed we took her straight to A&E, chest heaving and little heart racing.

It’s fair to say the NHS gets some pretty bad press and while it’s true not everything works as it should (as a type 1 diabetic Misery Guts is often victim of budget cuts, miscommunication and the one-size-fits all system, and some of my miscarriage care was less than ideal) but there’s a lot that actually does work.

A great big thank you to the NHS

Thank you to the nurse who took one look at us at the doors of the children’s emergency department and whisked us straight through to a team of doctors.

Thank you to the team of doctors who diagnosed a chest infection within minutes and were treating my baby before I even had time to draw breath.

NHS

Thank you for the medicine which did it’s stuff and helped her turn a corner as quickly as it had taken her to go downhill – and the pull down bed next to her cot, so we could sleep side by side and I could put my hands through the rungs to soothe her.

Thank you to the nurse who could see there was no way she was going to wear her oxygen mask, and thought to fix it to her hippo soother next to her sleeping face instead.

NHS

Thank you for thoughtful touches like windows to the outside world and glass in doors at little people height instead of big people height.

NHS

Thank you to the League of Friends for providing more toys than you’d find in a toy shop.

NHS

And a big thank you to the lady from Theodora Children’s Charity who had goggly eyes in her bun and squeaks in her shoes and made Littlest B laugh for the first time since we arrived.

Oh, and a shout out to the nurse who gave me a wifi code she shouldn’t have given me so I could write this post.

Far from an NHS in crisis we found an NHS doing exactly what it was set up to do: there at the point of need providing free healthcare to those who need it.

As I write Littlest B isn’t well enough to come home yet, but she is responding to treatment with CBeebies streamed to her cot via her own private TV, all thanks to our NHS.

NHS

*UPDATE* We were discharged from hospital early the following morning (full of admiration for the NHS).

Have you experienced NHS care recently? Did your carers turn out to be unsung heroes like ours? I’d love to hear about your experience!

If you liked this you may also enjoy reading:

Leaving hospital after having a baby: how soon is too soon?

How to make a hospital stay fun for kids

Type 1 diabetes and us

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