Looking up

 

Looking up

. . .  is what I had to do as the stinging eye drops went in to dilate the pupils.

I was dreading the appointment as it was back in the opthalmology department of the large hospital – well, not that large, just 725 beds. The John Radcliffe has 1,133 and Manchester Royal Infirmary, has more than 1,700 beds. There, I, and many others, had spent hopeless hours, several years ago, watching the information cards and the delay times on them increasing - waiting time 35 minutes, 50 minutes and so on. I don't much object to waiting if I'm travelling under my own steam, but I don't like keeping my chauffeur waiting.

View from the waiting room At least the sky was pretty!

It had been such a relief to go to the smaller hospitals – parking was easy, waiting times were negligible, fewer people. However, I was pleasantly surprised today. The waiting rooms were crowded with people . . . . waiting, but everyone had a seat and things were proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Several empty ambulances were parked. The one on the left is a St John  ambulance.

Two emergency ambulances stood ready. As we were on our way home an emergency ambulance with blue lights flashing passed by on the opposite side of the road. It was a 'there but for the grace of God go I' moment.

It was all conducted very efficiently. My main complaint would be the assumption that I needed to be treated like a small child, with questions being asked rather too loudly and a hand guiding my head rather too insistently towards whichever machine was the next to be monitoring my eyes.

I was touched to see a couple of benches outside with dedications, two of them to hospital porters. They are important members of staff and easily overlooked or taken for granted.

It's a pity the benches have to be chained to prevent theft!

There and back in under two hours! Well done, FPH.