"My father's A&E experience"

My father - who is in his 80s - fell at home. We called 111, did a video call and was triaged over call and asked to take him to A&E.

On arrival we booked in at reception.  Waited 2 hours to be taken in to have his BP checked and asked to wait outside again. Nurse advised we could be another 3 hour wait as extremely busy.

Around 20-30 mins later a consultant appeared in the waiting room, advising everyone that the wait if you have just came in could be 5-7 hours of already been I would be up to 5hrs wait.  

I asked the consultant about my father's condition - he had cut his head and as on blood thinners may be bleeding inside his head, was incontinent and has cognitive impairment issues. They simply said just need to wait like everyone else. He will need a CT scan. My poor frail elderly father was getting more anxious by the minute.

Eventually after an hour a HC worker appeared and said can take his bloods and do some tests but advised it would be another 3 hr wait. So the head injury with possible bleeding in his head is it that urgent as they have made out if they are prepared to let him wait apx 6 hours in total. My dad said he didn’t want to wait that long.  As I had already explained, he is incontinent. They did nothing to ask if he needed any change of pad etc. Where is the dignity in letting him sit there soaking wet?

We left as my dad didn’t want to sit there any longer getting more agitated. So a wasted 3 hours.  

There were 60 odd patients to be seen that  night and only 20 odd bays. Nurses and doctors are working flat out, I am not dissing them. Peoples lives we are talking about here.    

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