"My mother A&E experience"

My frail 89 year old mother was taken by ambulance with chest pains to A and E. After being assessed and told she would need to stay in overnight she was kept on a trolley in A and E for 11 hours.

During the 6 hours I was with her she rang the bell for assistance on three occasions for help to get off the trolley as she needed the toilet. No-one came to help her. Each time after a wait of more than 10 mins I went out of the cubicle to find someone to assist.

There seemed to be plenty of staff - many with clipboards chatting to each other - her need for help was totally ignored. If I had not been there she would have tried to get off the trolley unassisted, which could have led to a fall, or soil herself. She was offered no refreshment for a period of over 5 hours and no-one came to check on her even when she rang for help. I was extremely concerned at the lack of care and attention given - leaving an elderly person in pain on a hard trolley for 11 hours, ignoring their calls for assistance and giving them no information about when they will be moved or have access to their usual medication is a thoughtless, uncaring act.

My mother has no faith in the staff in this department and is going to be very reluctant to enter that hospital again or call for an ambulance should she need one.