"We left feeling disgruntled"

My father aged 85 was taken to kings mill hospital yesterday 17th October by ambulance for an acute asthma attack. The ambulance crew were very good and supportive as were the nurses in the a/e dept. on admission he was seen quickly by nurses and sent for X-rays had blood tests and routine observations completed. However when it came to the doctor who saw him it was a very different experience.

The doctor came into the cubicle without so much as an introduction as to who they were. Asked my father what was wrong with him and stood waiting for him to answer even though he was so out breathe he could not speak. The doctor clearly had not read his records as did not know he had had an X-ray or blood tests already completed. The doctor did not appear to have any knowledge of routine asthma medication. Apart from listening to my fathers chest, the doctor did little else.

During a period of four hours I had to ask five times what was happening to my father and on each occasion when I went to the desk the doctor was there chatting to other staff and completely ignored me and left other doctors to speak to me.

On one occasion the doctor told me all his results were normal and he could go home but needed a nebuliser before he went. I had to ask twice within the next hour when he was getting it only to discover the doctor had not asked the nurses to do it.

Then the doctor said my father could go home so I asked for his cannula to be removed to which the doctor said they would do this. Again an hour later after asking three times when this would be done a nurse came to do it apologising profusely as the doctor had not asked anyone to do it or said my father could go home. The nurse then said my father has slightly low oxygen levels but this was normal for someone with copd. I said my father did not have a diagnosis of copd to which the nurse went to check with the doctor and returned to say my father did have copd. Previously when I had asked the doctor questions on my fathers behalf all I was told was to speak to my fathers GP. As a nurse I know what Copd is but the doctor never returned to explain any of this to my father and we left after four hours feeling very disgruntled over the care from this doctor.