"5 nursing staff were very unpleasant. 13 hr..."

The triage nurse was fantastic, the triage doctor (at 11pm) was very helpful and professional. The doctor referred me to A&E. The hospital Dr (finally seen at 1pm the next day) was great too. The 13 hour wait wasn't pleasant, though the worst experience was the staff at the nurses station, who I met at 5.30am. 5 of them stared at me in silence. I said 'hi' and 'may I ask a question'? There was no 'hello' back.

The coordinator, after a long pause said 'You need to see a doctor'! Overhearing this conversation, the ambulance staff (passing through the room with a patient) turned around in response, shocked, and smiled at the audacity of the comment. I smiled back, assuming that their 'needing to see a doctor' comment was sarcastic. I then smiled and calmly said... 'I realise that.... I've been waiting to see a doctor since 11pm and it's now 5.30am."

The coordinator walked off. One of them said... 'well the whole hospital is waiting to see a doctor, so go and sit down'. I mentioned that the waiting room was empty and everyone else had been seen; they said 'sit around the corner if i was feeling lonely' (exact words). They sniggered, then one member of staff looked at me and said out-loud 'she’s the one who talks in sentences like a child'. They laughed. I didnt comment. I then asked whether I could ask them something and I was told 'no you cant'. I went to the reception, almost in tears.My leg was continuing to swell. I'd been advised by the A&E triage GP (at 11pm) that I would be given a trolley to rest on (at 11pm).

Reception said 'we're going round in circles here, sit down!'Still in tears. Eventually, after telling me there was no-where for me to go, the receptionist found a trolley and said 'sit there' & 'stand up' (not in a pleasant voice) as they put on the sheet. Then said 'there!''', sighing and left, sniggering and muttering about me being 'difficult'.

In contrast, the triage nurse, earlier that night had worked alone to clear the whole of the A&E waiting room/s. The comments continued until the nurses left. The new shift were better, though their closing comment was another unpleasant put-down. I left in more physical pain (swelling of leg due to sitting) than I arrived & v upset. As context, I have autistic spectrum disorder & I struggle with bright lights, with noisy places and sitting still, before considering pain. The hospital A&E doctors were bored and commenting that there was no work to do, while researching houses to buy. The medical doctors were overworked. If the hospital is Autism Aware (as per the advertisements), there was no awareness amongst the nursing staff. They were bullies.