Celebrate kindness – kindness in a medical setting
On Saturday I had to take my daughter to an appointment at an out of hours clinic at our local hospital.
As we sat in the waiting room, I was struck by the kindness on display:
- There was a mum with a 2-year-old who had got the fidgets! She wasn’t being naughty, she was just being a toddler and didn’t want to sit still. Every time the mum got up to follow her little one around and bring her back to the chair, she picked up her bulky changing bag and juggled that and the wriggly toddler. Another patient who was waiting offered to keep an eye on her bag for her, so she just needed to concentrate on the little girl.
- Some of the patients were being told to wait in the car park, I think because they had temperatures. Sometimes when their names were called the medical staff hadn’t realised they were the ones outside. Each time that happened, one of the other patients made sure the staff knew where to look. No-one tried to jump the queue.
- Occasionally people would ask the receptionists how much longer they would need to wait. They always asked politely and the receptionists always answered calmly.
- When it was my daughter’s turn to be seen, the healthcare assistant and the doctor both spoke kindly and directly to her. This might seem obvious, but as a 14-year-old it makes a difference when people talk to you, not about you. She did need some input from me, but it happened on her terms.
And, of course, the overall kindness of the medical care that everyone received is absolutely what our wonderful NHS is built on.
Thankfully my daughter is OK now and on the mend. Thank you, NHS!
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash