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"Communication lacking in A&E dept."

About: Royal Berkshire Hospital

Advised by ENT clinic staff to attend A&E urgently following post tonsillectomy surgery bleed for a second time.Had been asked to come via A&E by ENT clinic staff so i could be seen by a doctor. Explained all this to the reception team. Advised i would need to be triaged before i could be seen. Arrived at 10.00, triaged at 10.55. Waited ages for triage nurse who was working in strict entry order. Finally seen i was sat down while the nurse called the ENT team. Blood tests, cannula and IV antibiotics were requested although nobody told me that. I only found out when some time later a nurse called me for obs, bloods etc. Nobody explained the plan. Shown back to a chair till ENT doctor arrived at 11.30. Once again shown to a different chair to wait. I arrived at 10.00 am, and by 13.00 no Antibiotics had been given and no explanation except i was being admitted, refreshments offered. Finally around 13.00 i was offered a sandwich after i had asked, Iv antibiotics were given at 14.00. Finally arrived on the ward at 14.28. some 4 and a half hours after arriving. Sent up to ward without name band or allergy band. Iv antibiotics had not been charted on drug chart. Ward also explained i had to be on clear fluids in case of bleed. That wasn't explained to me in A&E either. Department very busy that morning. Staff clearly rushed off their feet.

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Responses

Response from Royal Berkshire Hospital 8 years ago
Royal Berkshire Hospital
Submitted on 16/11/2015 at 09:36
Published on nhs.uk on 17/11/2015 at 01:31


Apologies for your experience in A&E when you visited recently. You arrived as an ENT expected patient so your plan was for the speciality team to see you upon on arrival, which was sadly delayed. The A&E team had performed the early investigations such as blood tests, to support your admission and we apologise if it was not as quick as it could have been but as you saw it was a very busy day with many emergency patients arriving. The plan would have been given to the A&E nurses after speaking with the ENT team, which is why the first nurse would not have known this, but the nurse who performed these tests relayed the information to you as an ENT request. We can only apologise for your experience and will feed back to the A&E team and the ENT team. who had they met you on arrival and dealt with your care, may have given an improved service.

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