"A&E experience"

Anything else?

I was unfortunate to be admitted on 2 ocassions. Once for an arranged operation and again 5 days later as an emergency as a result of complications after the operation. On the 2nd visit, I had to call 999 and have nothing but praise for the paramedic. It all went downhill after I reached A&E. I was assessed in one area of A&E after calling for an ambulance approx. 2.45 am on a Sunday. When that was completed, I was wheeled through to non-descript room around 4am. I was parked in a wheelchair in a room on my own and left there. Around 11am I had to ask someone passing if it was possible to eat something and for water. Around 4:30pm I was lead to a bed and saw a doctor. About 20 mins later I was back in the same room in the wheelchair. I was eventually wheeled to a ward around 5:30pm Sunday afternoon. Overall experience and how I felt about that? Guess.

The ward experience was not much better. There is no continuity of staff. You rarely saw the same nursing staff one day/night to the next and felt that no-one really knew why you were there and what your care package consisted of.

I was shocked when items got dropped, for example a tissue, and this was just left there and not picked up from one day to the next. Is that general practice? All the activity seemed to take place around the nurse's station and very little actual 'nursing' taking place. The attitude of the staff seemed to be that of 'I suppose I can if I must' when asked for assistance and you were made to feel guilty when asking for help.

I saw no reason to believe that there is a shortage of nursing staff as there always appeared to be more in uniform around the nursing station than actual beds. Oh yes, and what do all those different uniforms mean?

I could go on but I doubt it will make any difference to how things are done.....