"When did we all become a number?"

My father who is 83 was admitted to A&E at 4.10pm on Wednesday 27th.

It took 2 hrs for anyone, and I mean anyone to see him and even then it was a nurse who took his blood pressure.

My father had knocked his head when falling and his leg was broken in two places, the consultant finally saw him at 6.30pm.

I have to say the Consultant was brilliant, and very caring but it was still after 11.30 before he was finally admitted to a ward.

When he had been on the ward for two days my sister enquired at the nurses station about an outpatient appointment he had the following day.

The nurse was unable to identify him by his name, although there is a board on the wall in front of the nurses station, and was insistent upon identifying him by his bay number - since when have patients become nameless bay numbers.

This wasnt an isolated example, and not representative off all the staff but its a shame that the element of personal care seems to be fast disappearing from the ethos of the medical profession.

The same nurse never contacted cardiology, I did - but neither the ward or the outpatients department managed to talk to each other to allow the appointment to take place.