"Animals recieve better care!"

Anything else?

My partner was taken into South Tyneside District Hospital on saturday 7th of december at around 14.40pm. following an accident playing rugby against a local team, Jarrow. Firstly he was left on the ground of a freezing cold pitch for over an hour. A first response vehicle attended after 35 minutes providing little more than sympathy and a bit of pain relief. they then waited a further 35 minutes for an equipt emergency vehicle. He was borderline hypothermic when he arrived at the hospital with a temperature of 35 degrees. I arrived 5-10 minutes after the ambulance and booked him in to the A&E dept. Although the desk clerk finished her conversation with another college about the travel arrangements for the christmas party. the A&E nursing staff were second to none they really were fantastic he was warmed up, kept comfortable with pain relief, taken for X-rays, the bedside manner was brilliant. Then we were taken up to ward 9. This is where it all went down hill. He was told he would be going into theatre shortly to have his dislocated hip manipulated back into place. We waited and waited, hours passed. eventually myself and his parents were exhausted and had a long journey home. eventually he was taken to theatre at 11pm. In the doctors rounding in the morning (sunday) he was told that he needed to have a CT scan and it would be done that afternoon, still he was left to wait with no-one seeming to know anything he was put into traction and left. The CT scan wasn't actually carried out until monday afternoon. After the doctors did their rounds he was told his X-rays looked good and he would be discharged on tuesday morning folling a review from doctors in sunderland. Tuesday morning the doctors said that he would infact not be discharged but instead left in traction miles away from home with no explination for another week. I asked to speak to a staff nurse and was told they are very busy and some one will see him when they are free. This seems to be a theme in this hospital, 'someone will see you shortly' 'the nurses are very busy'. Some of the staff do not even attempt basic conversation. My partner is still stuck, waiting for answers and asking to see someone as I write this. No! I would not recommend this ward at all to anyone. I hope to have him transferred by tommorrow (wednesday). We will wait and see.