"Rude nurses"

I visited the A&E 3 months ago around 4pm with chest pain. I took my 1 and 2 year old with me as I am a single mum and had no child minder at hand.

During the triage, the nurse asked me in a room full of 4 professionals, a patient and my children " why have you brought your children with you, where is their father? "

How insulted and embarrassed I felt to be asked such a personal question and to be made to feel less than, as I had brought my children with me.

Later on during my ECG, my oldest child got very upset seeing leads on my chest and started crying, she ended up spitting up the crisps which she had been eating. The nursing assistant said eww, you will need to clean it up, I don't do vomit. She was referring to me, an anxious mother who was presenting with ongoing chest pain and juggling two children in a crowded A&E. I did clean it up as I believe in cleaning up own mess. However I was also afraid that if I didn't I would be put to the back of the queue to be seen. As a nurse I have seen this kind of retaliation often if nurses see that a patient is uncooperative.

Later on at midnight I went to the nursing office to check how long til my blood results could be reviewed. A patient was swearing at a nurse and she later walked out. When I reached the door, I was immediately set upon by another nurse who accused me of swearing at the nurse. I hadn't even opened my mouth to utter anything. I was reeling. Enough was enough. I politely asked if she had heard me swearing, I had only arrived at the door. The other nurse interjected and said it wasn't me who had sworn at her. I did not get an apology from either of them for the false accusation.

Me and my children were in A&E until 2am. By the time I left. I was shattered and vowed never to return to royal Oldham A&E. My experience is not unique though. There are several patients who are treated worse than I am everyday in hospital environments. This behaviour can only be combated with better management. This seems to be lacking at royal Oldham, as the shift lead saw and heard everything that happened to me, but I never got any empathy from her or apology.