"A&E was excellent but we were let down by the..."

What I liked

We took our 9 month old son to the Children's A&E due to suspecting he was suffering some problem with his throat or mouth after he had become distressed and gone off his food.

The A&E were excellent and having seen us promptly, they were quick to diagnose he had Thrush - something the GP had failed to do less than 24 hours earlier!

What could be improved

Having been seen by the A&E doctor, he prescribed our son with medication to treat the Thrush in his mouth. However, having gone to the Hospital pharmacy, we found that they were closed for lunch for one hour!

Thinking we would go elsewhere for the medication, it was only when I handed over the prescription to a pharmacist on the other side of town that I was informed that I could only use the prescription at the hospital pharmacy!

Not only did this require me returning to the hospital some time later, it also meant a delay in getting the medication that was required for my very irritable and distressed 9 month old son.

Although money is not an issue when considering the health of your child, the fact that the Hospital pharmacy closes for an hours lunch has a number of affects on patients. Not only do they have to wait for their medication due to having no option to go to another pharmacy, the hospital is also earning more money in car park fees whilst you wait around for a member of staff to finish their lunch!

Now, being a public sector worker myself, I would never expect someone to work all day without their lunch, but surely the lunch hours could be staggered to leave someone staffing the pharmacy throughout the day? This would have negated the need for me to return and pay more car park fees, but more importantly it would not have delayed a very distressed and upset little baby from receiving his medication for any longer than necessary!