High praise for staff at every stage of patient’s journey

It takes a village, as they say, to raise a child. In the world of health care, it can take a village to provide the best care throughout a patient’s journey.

We can take pride in the fact that Accreditation Canada’s surveyors are praising our strategic direction as “One Vancouver” to better link acute and community services. In their debrief, surveyors commented on our strong commitment to patient flow and achieving transitions across the continuum of care. Better yet, our patients are benefitting — and telling us just how.

At VGH, we recently received the following letter from a patient who offers high praise to our colleagues and highlights the difference our “village” makes at every stage of patient care. To whom it may concern:

It’s been six weeks since my radical prostatectomy surgery at VGH. My recovery seems to be going well and is on track with our expectations. My wife and I were treated very well during our stay at the hospital and believe we received first class treatment and care. Everyone we encountered was professional, courteous and helpful.

I would like to offer my appreciation and gratitude to the following individuals:

Dr L. Goldenberg who met with me before the procedure and afterward to answer any questions, put me at ease, made sure I was comfortable and gave me necessary information and instructions. I am pleased with his work and the outcome so far. I believe that the Da Vinci Assisted Laparoscopic procedure was my best choice and contributed significantly to my recovery.

Shannon Griffin with whom we consulted at the Diamond Care Centre. She was very respectful and gentle in discussing what to me is a particularly sensitive issue. I expect to book another appointment with her in the near future.

Linda Jay who was my pre-op nurse. She was low-key and easy going and did her best to make me feel comfortable and relaxed when I could have felt quite anxious.

Georgina Vanderryst the nurse who took care of me after surgery and helped prepare me to be discharged. She was particularly helpful with details and information, in a way that was knowledgeable and also very personable. She showed a lot of caring and encouragement.

There were many others of course that I encountered who were just doing their job and contributed to the success of my procedure. They all deserve appreciation and thanks for what they do and how they conduct themselves. Please feel free to pass this on as you wish.

Thank you and please keep up the good work at VGH.