"delays and denial of an ambulance for an elderly..."

What I liked

Impressive building pity about emergancy and patient care that did not match.

What could be improved

At 2.45 am on Sunday 5th August my mother who is 93 suffering from severe dementia

had not been out of the house for 7 years and was very frightend and confused fell very hard cutting her face under and above the left eye causing heavy bleeding,becauuse of her age and being a head wound we called for a ambulance only to be told we would have to make our own way to the A and E department at walsall.

On arrival at A and E we found the reception area extremely quiet, us being the only people there ,after booking mum in we had to wait a short time then we where led into a cubical. A kind nurse followed and attended to mums face gave her a clean dressing to hold to her face and told my brother and I a doctor would follow shortly.

For forty minutes we waited and mum was getting more confused and wondered were she was,So I went to the drinks machine,and noticed to my astonishment at least fifteen members of staff standing around the nurses station talking,while we were kept waiting.

Looking towards the other cubicles only two had the curtains drawn and no movement appeared to be taking place,it was so quiet I did not see or hear another patient.Upon walking back to the my mothers cubicle ,a doctor quickly followed.She was examined ,we were told mum did not fit the criteria for a scan,and also we were told they did not take kindly for it to be required at that time in the morning ,but because of her age she would make enquiries.She came back after least ten minutes and told us this was not needed,then sent for a ward sister to clean the wound,she was very good with mum and tried to put her at ease.After a while the doctor filled in a report and we were then told we could go,giving us an aftercare leaflet,at 5-30 am. Why were we denied an ambulance and why the delay when things were so quiet ? And what is classed as an emergency? obviously not a 93 yr old suffering a serious fall and injury.