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Treated appallingly by paramedics and some other staff

Posted By butterfly88

"Treated appallingly by paramedics and some other staff"

About: Scottish Ambulance Service / Emergency Ambulance University Hospital Ayr / Accident & Emergency

(as the patient),

I swallowed some pills (self harm) not to kill myself, because I was angry and upset I am very mentally ill with anxiety and severe depression. Earlier that night I had been drinking with friends but has a great night out apart from having a lot on my mind etc. I swallowed some pills and fell ill upstairs being sick etc my partner phoned ambulance which I didn't want I would have been fine once I had some water and stopped being sick anyway the ambulance staff came and was rude from the start.

Once my partner was out of view and earshot they wasted no time saying that I was wasting their time busy night etc and were so so rude to me. In the ambulance I was sleepy drifting on and off asleep, the driver pulled over before we got to hospital got in the back and was shouting out me saying stop pretending to fall unconscious or I will shove a tube down your throat do you want that? I was merely sleepy he pushed my chest so hard with force it bruised and he laughed in my face and told his colleague to do the same if I did it again.

Got to hospital the staff told nurse/doctor I should get done for wasting their time. The staff that attended to me also told me that they were busy/wasting their time. I understand that yes it was busy that night but the way I was treated was disgusting especially being mentally ill, needless to say the whole experience left my very traumatised I wasn't going to tell my story but then I think I should as no one deserves to be treated like that by paramedics etc. I do however want to thank the nurses and doctors who looked after me and kept their opinions to themselves and treated me with respect. One thing that bothered me was that my actions was put down to drinking which wasn't the case It was down to my depression and stresses etc. I was referred to mental health services and got the help and support I needed.

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Responses

Response from Martin Esposito, Consultant Paramedic - Major Trauma, Clinical Directorate, Scottish Ambulance Service 7 years ago
Martin Esposito
Consultant Paramedic - Major Trauma, Clinical Directorate,
Scottish Ambulance Service

Submitted on 04/08/2016 at 22:15
Published on Care Opinion on 05/08/2016 at 09:10

picture of Martin Esposito

Dear butterfly88

I was concerned and saddened when I read about your experience. As the front line of the NHS, we attend an extremely wide variety of patients in a wide variety of circumstances including major trauma, elderly fallers, patients with chronic medical conditions as well as a variety of mental health conditions. Our staff are trained to manage all of these situations, provide the best possible health care and ensure that our patients are conveyed to hospital safely when necessary. I would also like you to know that we do have a set of values which include treating everyone with dignity, respect and putting our patients at the heart of everything we do. I am extremely sorry that this does not appear to be the case for you on that evening.

I would really appreciate the opportunity to talk to you and find out more about your experience. Can I ask you to contact me on 0131 314 0003 or at martinesposito@nhs.net, however, I am out of my office until Tuesday 9th August.

In the mean time, I was pleased to read that you did get the support that you needed and I do hope that you are now well.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

Take care

Martin.

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Response from Eunice Goodwin, Patient Feedback Manager for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Quality Improvement and Governance Team, NHS Ayrshire and Arran 7 years ago
Eunice Goodwin
Patient Feedback Manager for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Quality Improvement and Governance Team,
NHS Ayrshire and Arran

I respond initially to most of the posts and ensure they are passed to the appropriate team whether they are compliments, observations or grumbles. It is important to make sure all issues are addressed and I try to encourage that to happen for all the posts as required.

Submitted on 22/08/2016 at 13:42
Published on Care Opinion at 13:51

picture of Eunice Goodwin

Dear Buterfly88,

I am so sorry you had such a mixed experience. You are right, everyone should be treated with respect, it is one of our values in NHS Ayrshire and Arran and I am sorry you did not find this throughout your care.

On the other side of the coin, I am glad you did get the support you needed from our mental health team and found that some of the staff treated you with the respect you deserve.

I see you are concerned that this was put down to drinking and not due to your depression and stresses. If you wish to contact me and give me your details: name, address, CHI number or date of birth, I can look into this for you. Perhaps you would like to talk to a member of the A&E management team? If so, I can arrange that for you. My contact details are 01563 - 826222 (phone) or email - Eunice.goodwin@aapct.scot.nhs.uk.

Best wishes

Eunice

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