"Out of hours"

Attended OOH with mother and LD brother. There was no system in place, no staff except 1 Dr and receptionist. the wait was over 3 hours to see a GP. No one had a time everyone just waited around. There were very ill people too ill in my experience to be in the waiting room to see a GP. These people should have been referred to A &E.

As there was no staff there was a table full of sick bowls and urine specimen bottles. these were for patients to use. I saw 2 children being sick. One mother cleaned the vomit off the floor with tissues from the toilet and disposed of them in the bin. If there was staff around then the correct infection control procedures would have been carried out. another concern was the lack of facilities for patients and relatives waiting. There was no water available.

After 3 hours I eventually asked for some water for my mother. The receptionist went into a locked day room and gave me water. My mother expressed concern for her safety as the receptionist never asked who you were when the buzzer was pressed. Anyone could come in and out the department.

On a Friday night at midnight isn't a safe place not to have any security or staff, I asked where we were in the queue and kept saying there were 7 in front of us. A member of the public demanded that her grandchild was seen as she was a baby. this baby was sleeping, she was taken immediately. the patient had just walked through the door and hadn't even sat down, Now on a Friday night with a system in place informing the department who is coming. one would assume that there was appropriate staffing available for the number of patients that were arriving. This wasn't A&E when no one knows who is coming. Other health boards have a time to attend for an appointment at OOH. my mother and LD brother could have stayed at home rather than rushing up in a taxi to wait for 3hours 45 minutes

. it is not appropriate that there are no limits in the amount of time spent in waiting in OOH. This appeared to be to be an area that is not funded as it is not on the 4hour waiting time for a A&E. Everyone in this department required to see a GP. however when patients are told to go straight up they do expect to be seen in a reasonable time frame. We all are aware that we have to wait for 4 hours in A & E not for a GP appt.

it is totally unfair on the GP to have the pressure of a waiting room full of very ill people and no other support.