"Horrible ineptitude and attitudes"

I've had horrific experiences with the doctors at Pilgrim recently. Incidents include getting a wound dressed so badly and inappropriately at A&E, it caused large blisters on the pulling skin to which point I had to return and the nurses were horrified and couldn't believe I'd actually had it done there. A different doctor that same night asked me, to my horror, "what are steri-strips? " Also A&E isn't private, you are in a doorless room in the middle of the waiting room when you are assessed! I was loudly asked by a staff member whether I intended to kill myself.  This in front of everyone. I was humiliated.

Mental health is worse. I've also had an appointment with a psychiatrist to discuss some medication side effects, wherein we literally spent the majority of the appointment in silence while he slowly looked up the medication and told me what it does. Well, I know that. That's not what the appointment was for. I've had doctors straight-up ignore my symptoms and what I'm trying to tell them. I've had doctors be rude, dismissive, write nasty letters to my GP when I dared question their diagnosis, refuse to listen to symptoms that can affect my diagnosis or treatment or take me seriously. You never see the same doctor twice so you waste half the appointment going over your details again. Once I went into the consultation room and the previous patient's notes were still there on the desk! I could see her name, phone number, everything right there! No respect for privacy or confidentiality at all.

Treatment of my husband who is also my carer has gone from one extreme to the other, too. I had one doctor who pretty much exclusively addressed my husband rather than me while I was in the room because I would just "forget" and another nurse who wouldn't let me ask my husband for confirmation of an event because they're not there to talk to anyone else.

The nurses throughout the departments (especially A&E and Mental Health) are mostly stars, who provide efficient, professional and compassionate service.

However, in my experience, the doctors who are scarily enough the decision makers are awful. They have very arrogant, condescending attitudes. Having to go to Pilgrim Hospital causes me no end of anxiety and my experience has even driven me to the point of suicide over the course of the last two years. The nurses really are the saving grace.

I don't think I've ever had a trip to Pilgrim hospital without coming out feeling a thousand times worse.