"This time was a bit below par"

I arrived at Stoke Mandeville Hospital A&E department at 8:15 pm. It was busy, and after waiting 4 hours, I asked the receptionist when I’d be seen. They told me to go ask a nurse, and I walked around where they pointed, but I couldn’t see a nurse, so I went back to the queue. The receptionist spent 10 minutes on the computer, then they served the 2 people in the queue behind me.

They were obviously annoyed at me asking if I was still in the queue, so I explained that the previous time, I waited in A&E for 6 hours, then when I asked the receptionist, I was told that I had been taken off the queue, because they thought I left. My phone was connected to the hospital wi-fi the whole time, and they didn’t phone me. I didn’t want that happening again, which was why I was asking the receptionist if I was still in the queue. It took them 20 seconds to see that yes, I was still in the queue.

At 1:15 am (after a 5 hour wait), a doctor took me through and took my blood tests. They were really excellent, and listened and I showed them my repeat prescription form, when they asked what medications I was taking. They told me that they saw I was in a lot of pain, and asked what I was taking for that. I told them, and they told me to go out to wait, and a nurse would give me some pain relief.

About 15 minutes later, a nurse came round and gave me some paracetamol, then 10 minutes later the nurse asked if I had been given any pain relief, and I told them that you gave me paracetamol 10 minutes ago, and the doctor wrote me up for oxycodone, but I haven’t been given that yet. I spoke with another nurse or doctor after that, who told me that the consultant stopped my oxycodone prescription, and wrote me up for codeine.

This was a problem, as codeine is on my list of drug allergies, which is on my file at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, and the consultant didn’t speak to me, or examine me, or read my medical notes, before they made changes to my prescriptions. They also arranged for me to get a CT scan, which I didn’t have, because I have polycystic kidney disease, and the radiologist at my previous CT scan, said I have too many kidney cysts, so they couldn’t tell what was happening, so I’d need an MRI instead.

I wish that Stoke Mandeville Hospital would move to a Patient Focused Care model, where they speak to you to explain why they want the tests or medication, and ask you if you want it, before they spend time arranging for test, or preparing any doses. It helps people not worry so much, if patients are told what’s going to happen, instead of not being told until someone comes to take you to another department for a test, that you weren’t told why the doctor wanted you to have that.

Receptionists are allowed to have bad days. But some people are hard of hearing, and other people smoke, so there needs to be a TV or whiteboard, that shows the number of who’s been called. It should have a section for: You have been called, please see the receptionist as soon as you see this, and another section that says: People may move up the queue faster than you, if their condition is more urgent. They also need to change policy, so that they don’t take people off the queue, until they’ve phoned, to ask why they didn’t answer when their name was called.

Because I know what drugs are on my drug allergy list, and I always ask the nurse what pills I’m given, I wasn’t harmed. But I’m not going to let this knock my faith in Stoke Mandeville Hospital, they have some amazing, really caring, and super knowledgeable and experienced people working there.

This time was a bit below par, but if they put up a visual display of the A&E queue, and let the consultants know they have to check drug allergy lists, and speak to patients before making prescription changes, then I’m sure that in future people will get good to excellent care at this hospital, which has my favourite anaesthesia team, everyone working there is amazing.