A man rushed to hospital after waking up in extreme pain has written a letter in defence of the NHS - and praising the staff that provided him with ‘wonderful’ care
Bill North, 68, was woken early in the morning on Tuesday, August 15 by an ‘excruciating’ abdominal pain and was taken to Macclesfield Hospital with his wife, Julie.
He had been admitted to a ward within three hours and undergone multiple tests and scans. He was diagnosed with Gallstones by his surgeon, Mr Khan, and was booked in for surgery the following morning.
Bill, who lives on Kennedy Avenue, eventually underwent surgery to remove his Gall Bladder and was able to go home to recover by Friday lunch time - in an experience which he described as a ‘whirlwind’.
In a letter to the Express that Bill says he had to write, the former head of leisure services for Macclesfield Council had high praise for the NHS, especially those who work in it.
He said: “My reaction to my recent hospital visit is not an over reaction but a sincere account of my experience. We British enjoy to moan about things from time to time but we fail to recognise just how lucky we are.
“I was admitted, operated on and home by Friday Lunch time having received wonderful care and sympathetic attention from all the staff from A & E, the nursing staff led by Peggie at Ward 1 and the Surgical staff led by Mr Khan.”
As his illness came on rapidly, Bill describes how scared he was, and speaks highly of the people who cared for him.
He said: “All people I had never met before but who care for us all when we are frightened and vulnerable.”
Bill told the Express of his frustration at the NHS being used for ‘political points-scoring’, instead he focuses on praising the hard work of NHS staff.
He said: “These people don’t do their work because its a job, they do it because they care, they are all dedicated people and we should recognise that instead of knocking a system that, quite frankly, is the envy of the world.
“The NHS is something we should always be proud of, let’s get real and thank God we have this wonderful medical treatment when we most need it.”
Bill says he normally enjoys good health and, despite feeling a bit sore for the surgery, he is now absolutely fine.
