"a truncated version as the NHS want to control..."

Exactly what sort of service is this these days? A year ago I was treated in the same venue for severe pain by being administered pain relief. This time I was left unattended

It was suggested by some that I should not even be at A&E rather call up my GP at 4 in the morning for advice. This, despite two independent doctors stating clearly that I should attend A&E. Others suggested my symptoms might be psychosomatic.

There was a general attitude of ignorance and patronisation that was most unwelcome.

Nobody goes to A&E for fun!

At least one patient who came to A&E after me was seen by a doctor, had x-rays and left before I was even seen by a doctor.

When staff were asked to attend me they seemed to find other things 'more important' to do so my treatment was left a little longer whilst they chose to attend someone else. I was left halfway through a procedure whilst the staff left to attend somebody else. The member of staff never returned and somebody else came along to find me wondering what was going on. I was supposed to have had paracetamol intravenously by drip which the staff had to go and check up on before sorting it out. This was truly shambolic.

I remember at some point someone who I think was a nurse telling me in no uncertain terms what they thought – it is mostly a haze because I was exhausted, on morphine and not quite with it. The insensitivity shown was remarkable. This ‘attack’ was unwarranted, unprofessional and totally out of order.

There did not appear to be any follow up by seniors on what others had been asked to do. On two or three occasions a member of staff was asked to attend to me but I found that request being overridden by them being asked to do other things for others. Each time I was left to ponder what was going on.

I did not get full answers to my questions. I am an intelligent person and have trained in haematology – I know my way around hospitals. I know how to approach staff and how to clarify what problems I may have. Each time I got no reward from asking questions. I didn’t even know the results of blood test, x-rays until near then end of my stay. I was told very little about what was happening.

I did not appear to have a designated nurse despite a name being written on a board, after 6 hours of my stay.

The only time I got pain relief was in the ambulance, where the staff were great.

They administered 10% morphine and paracetamol intravenously – it had worn off during my stay on the ward. Nobody asked how I was. One, seemingly senior member of staff agreed with me that they would be ‘snappy’ too at my treatment because I commented to them that I was sorry if I seemed snappy as I did not know what was happening for me.

It was hours before I had x-rays and even then had to return to have more. It seemed that everything that could be done to annoy me was being done. Some of the staff thought this was very tiresome too – not even knowing themselves what was going on.

I left A&E in a worse state than I arrive