Putting the Sunny Into Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Last year I wrote about Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre when my father was taken there after a car accident. Fortunately, my fathers visit only involved a short stay in the emergency room. In more recent times, my aunt fell and broke her hip and was transported to Sunnybrook by ambulance. Unfortunately, this was not a three or four hour visit but ended up involving surgery and a stay as an inpatient.

During this time, I saw firsthand how Sunnybrook’s outstanding service and commitment to health care extends far beyond the emergency room. Whether it be the Emergency Room nurses, the orthopaedic surgeon, the ward administrator, ward nurses, dietitians, and a host of other staff, Sunnybrook takes it upon themselves to ensure extra special attention and care is taken for elderly patients. The staff went above and beyond accommodating special requests such as finding my aunt food that would meet her needs, answering my numerous questions and taking the time to provide me with updates so that the family would feel as comfortable as possible.

Perhaps the most surprising sign, of how in tune Sunnybrook employees are with the needs of the people who come through their doors, can be exemplified by my interaction with the security guard working in the emergency room. While most security guards would have just sat there being seen and not heard, this gentleman said, “I hope your day gets better,” as I was leaving. His comment clearly showed compassion when dealing with people and it demonstrated that he understood if somebody was in the ER, they were probably not having a great day.

In a time when health care professionals consistently blame a lack of government funding for an inability to do their jobs, I never once heard such comments or got that feeling from any of the employees working at Sunnybrook.

The only thing that could have made my experience better would be better parking rates and longer business hours at the Tim Hortons in the hospital!

To the Sunnybrook Medical Team, thank you for all you do!

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
416-480-6100
www.sunnybrook.ca

 

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Sunnybrook Hospital Shows Its Sunny-Side of Customer Service

A few months ago, I wrote a blog for North York General Hospital, praising how wonderfully its employees treat patients. Today, I would like to offer the same praise to Sunnybrook Hospital.

A couple of months ago, my father got into a bad car accident. He is an older gentleman, and I was somewhat concerned about the interaction between the EMS workers and himself would be handled, as he was very upset and more worries about picking up his sister (who was waiting for him) than his own well being. Thankfully, his injuries were not serious, but given his age, he was quickly taken to the hospital for precautionary purposes.

Upon arrival he was quickly registered, to see a doctor despite it being a busy Friday evening. When it was my father’s turn to be checked out, the doctor was cool, calm, and organized. He took my father in for an examination, which was followed b some x-rays. While we waited for the x-rays, the doctor came into the waiting area to check up on us, and see how my father was handling the wait. A short time later, after by father complained about a noise in his ears, he was immediately reexamined. Again, the doctor who took a look at my father remained calm, pleasant, and perhaps most importantly…patient throughout the entire process, as he understood that my father was shook up by the car accident.

In addition to the EMS workers and doctors, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the outstanding team of nurses who work in Sunnybrook’s Emergency Department. While the Department was not as busy and chaotic as on a show such as ER, the staff are certainly busy and running around while always clearly being concerned and focussed on the well being of all patients. Whether it was a few words of encouragement for my dad, finding a chair for my aunt, putting a bandage on my dad’s arm, or assisting the needs of other patients, these nurses are quite pleasant, friendly, and clearly very caring.

Whether it’s the EMS teams who transport patients to the facility, the nurses who do a lot of the care work, or the doctors who must deal with older patients, Sunnybrook Hospital shows its sunny-side of customer service by treating each patient as an individual and treating each patient very well.

Sunnybrook Hospital
2075 Bayview Avenue
Toronto, ON M4N 3M5
416-480-6100

 

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