"Admitted to EAU from A&E"

I was taken to A&E by ambulance. A 3 hour wait in the corridor to be admired to Majors - the staff did thier very best - but if there is no room at the inn, there is no room. The care in A&E was outstanding. I was transferred to EAU - an experience I can only describe as living hell. The ward was frankly unsafe. I was mobile but those around me were not. They were not fed. There were no staff to wash them - although I was able to shower myself my bedding was not changed. My fellow patients were left hours before being taken to the toilet and during the night were told to "go in the pad" (ie wet themselves) so the nurse did not have to assist them to the toilet. In 40 hours I did not sleep. There were incessant alarms and staff laughing and chatting at the desk failed to appreciate the sick people in the beds behind them needed to rest. Sleep and exposure to constant loud noises is a recognised torture technique - it has no place in a hospital. Clinical / medical attention was generally good. However basic care in respect of toilets / food / water / sleep / washing was appalling. Patients were treated like pieces of meat being processed through pathways rather than vulnerable sick people who are entitled to basic levels of care.