"The ambulance staff who arrived ..."

What I liked

The ambulance staff who arrived at the scene of the attack were brilliant. They were very communicative, kind and caring. Then as soon as they left the nightmare began.

What could be improved

I arrived with my partner in a&E on a thursday night at 11.30pm. He had been physically assulted by two thugs who randomly decided to kick his head in for no reason and have since been charged and sentenced. He was put in a wheel chair as he was so dizzy he couldnt walk and was in dreadful pain and shock. There was very obvious trauma to his head and mouth and he had lost a front tooth. Blood was pouring from his mouth onto his clothing and the floor. After about two hours we got to see a very uncommunicative nurse who barked questions at my partner. She then proceeded to write up what he told her but clearly wasnt listening and i had to correct her several times to make sure what she was recording was accurate; i.e. she wrote he was unconsious 5 seconds rather than five minutes. She showed zero compassion and I got the distinct impression she was making incorrect judgements about how my partner had recieved his injuries. She then told us he would have to wait 5 hours to be seen by a doctor. I was very concerned by this as he had a head injury and thought he might have needed a scan to check for internal bleeding, etc. she didnt offer us any dressing, or even tissue for his mouth and i had to go back and ask her for pain killers. We were then put back into the waiting area until 5am and had no contact with staff until we were transferred to another waiting area where there were beds and he was given a bed with no sheets on to lie on. Not having any medical knowledge I was terrified that he shouldnt sleep and sat up with him, turning his head to drain the blood now and then so he didnt choke on it. At one point he needed the toilet and i asked the nurse for a bed pan and some water and dressing. He didnt bring me anything for 45minutes so i went and requested the stuff again with no joy. Eventually i found a cupboard and took what i needed, then the nurse brought me water. At 9.00am a doctor arrived and was clearly in a rush to be rid of us. (see below)

Anything else?

He booked my partner in for xrays and a scan and once this had been done he just told us 'we are happy you can go.' I politely pressed for more answers but he was defensive and just kept repeating that we should go. I had my partners tooth in milk and tried to ask him what to do about his teeth. We were clearly getting nowhere and i had heard that swiftness is important in dental work so i booked an appointment with a private clinic. This was a mistake and i have since been told he should have been referred to the orthodontics department then and there. My partner has had to spend a fortune on his teeth unnecessarily. This visit was a like a nightmare. You go to a hospital thinking you will receive the appropriate care and treatment but this was not the case. The treatment at this hospital was a disgrace from start to finish and greatly added to the trauma of what happened.