"Waiting times"

At 16.30 I was referred to A&E Lister Hospital by my GP with an infected cyst, which had become very inflamed and had been causing pain for three days. I also had a high white blood cell count, indicative of infection. After being stuck in a jam on the A1(M) I finally reached the Lister at 18.00. At 20.20 I was led to the Surgical Assessment Unit where I was told to wait for a doctor who would decide the next course of action. There was blood on the floor of the SAU. At 22.10 I was finally seen by a trainee doctor who said they couldn't take a decision them self, but a Registrar would come in the next half hour. He /she would decide whether to admit me for a minor surgical procedure that day or subsequently. At this stage I hadn't eaten for nine hours, and I finally managed to persuade the nursing staff to bring me a sandwich. At 23.40 the SAU was very quiet, and I told the nursing staff that I would discharge myself. Before they would remove the cannula I had to sign a form saying that I was discharging myself against medical advice, which was risible as I hadn't really received any! I had an almost 6-hour wait and I never saw anybody who could take a simple decision. Does the NHS not empower staff to take decisions about minor surgical procedures.? It's now Good Friday, and my GP surgery is closed, so the alternative to draining the cyst, i.e. a course of antibiotics, is no longer an option. The staff I did see were pleasant enough, but all in all this was an awful, awful experience. Everyone of working age pays approx. £4,000 per year through tax to the NHS England budget of £120 bn. I pay more to the NHS for services than any other organisation, and the service I received was very poor.