A few words would lower stress levels

LIKE many others, Macclesfield General Hospital is failing to meet its A&E waiting target by a considerable margin.

I’m not qualified to judge the pressures or assess staffing levels and as a huge supporter of the NHS I have no wish to exacerbate an already difficult situation.

Being a supporter does not however prevent me from making an observation, which I have made many times before without any noticeable reaction.

When patients are ushered into an A&E cubicle they are often frightened, anxious and stressed.

Most reasonable patients know that doctors and nurses are not simply hanging around waiting for them. They understand there may be a wait.

What they don’t need is to be left in limbo for hours without any feedback whatsoever.

A brief update on the state of play would go a long way to lowering stress levels.

Touching base with waiting patients is an obvious way to keep everyone calm.

My experience has been that while treatment once received may be good, the lack of information in the interim is excruciating.

I’m no doctor but I’m betting a few words would lower everyone’s pulse.