"Accident and Emergency dept 22/08/13"

Anything else?

My wife was admitted with what turned out to be a ruptured appendix at 6pm on the 22 / 8/ 13, she is still in hospital and is quite ill with an infection. The paramedics had been with my wife at our house and were in full receipt of all the facts, the symptoms she was displaying were screaming out appendicitis, even to a layman like me, (and the paramedic) . But on getting to hospital it was over two hours before we saw a doctor, this is a person with a ruptured appendix! On arrival it was about fifteen to twenty minutes before a member of staff could even be bothered to speak to her despite her being slumped in a chair supplied by the paramedics and drifting in and out of consciousness because of the pain and the morphine shed been given. Staff stood in a group looking over at her, talking between themselves, walking past her but no pleasantries or explanations of what was going to happen, or heaven forbid a simple "are you alright" - it costs nothing to speak or smile. The staff appeared to me to be rude, miserable, and full of their own problems, and there seemed to be a lot of people stood around or walking about but not doing much, and it wasn't especially busy that night. I think the first nurse we saw took her temperature and explained another nurse would be along soon, no manners, no pleasantries, no concern, then another nurse came and her first words were whats been happening then. I was disgusted, if she d have read the notes and done her job properly more thoroughly perhaps she would have know" what had been happening". Also importantly she wasn't assessed or examined which I thought contravened the flowcharts plastered all over the cubicles, she was told you will be having a blood test, that blood test took another 45 minutes, unacceptable. When we moved out of A&E and finally saw the doctor he was nice, pleasant, and chatty, but importantly couldn't seem to spot the fact my wife had a ruptured appendix as it was "too low down for it to be the appendix". Nothing I saw in that dept that night inspired one jot of confidence.There are far too many miserable people working in the NHS, and people who have just a bit too high an opinion of them selves. My opinion is if the job or the NHS are that unbearable get another job! Also carry on treating the symptoms but cheer up and start treating the patients too.