"Immediately on my arrival at A&E ..."

What I liked

Immediately on my arrival at A&E everything happened very quickly and all members of staff were very pleasant and efficient. I was admitted to the new AAU and that again was quick and efficient. The new buildings at the hospital are superb: very clean (and someone was checking just how clean while I was there!) bright and modern, and a vast improvement on what was there before.

My nurse in the AAU was superb and really friendly.

What could be improved

I was due to be seen by a consultant, and I was told this would happen "soon," but 6 hours later, I was still not seen and no member of staff was able to say when it would happen.

I decided to discharge myself for several reasons, and a doctor who was checking up on patients' status (and not a member of the team who was supposed to be seeing me) said, at the nurses' station about me "He can discharge himself, I don't give a ****." I heard this clearly and the nurse didn't try to deny it. Well I guess doctors can think what they like, but to say such things within patients' hearing is not only hugely unprofessional, it's also very, very disrespectful of me. He could just have come over and spent a couple of minutes asking me exactly why I was discharging myself. I will be taking this matter up with the hospital directly.

Anything else?

Please could you let patients who are waiting to be seen by doctors (or anyone) some clear idea of how long they are going to have to wait? And you can be sure that this is not the end of the "I don't give a ****" matter.