"Over 7 hours in A&E on Sunday night into Monday..."

Anything else?

I sustained a head injury and was taken by ambulance to A&E late on Sunday night/into Monday morning. The care and communication from the paramedics was excellent. I am an ex registered nurse and sadly I felt the communication from the nursing staff was poor (some seemed to avoid eye contact with me as I was trying to find out how my care was progressing). I noticed in an unused room opposite there was a plastic suction tube with blood in it (the tubing and receptical had not been cleaned or changed). I was in A&E for some 7 hours and not once asked if I would like something to eat or drink (I was not told I could not eat or drink). I noticed on my paper notes that details of my general practitioner were incorrect (wrong name of GP and wrong GP surgery address (totally different area in Essex) so I brought this to the attention of the staff nurse and he said he would check it with reception. The doctors were good with the duties they had to perform on me. But information was very slow and sporadic. Nurses did not introduce themselves to me but they were wearing their name/identity badges. Even when departments or wards are busy, I feel it pays to be professional and remember that anxious patients need to be kept informed of what is going on.