"An environment of total negativity"

I have 2 people in my family who depend on me to support their living. One is in hospital.

I went to A & E for a suspected broken finger - nothing serious. However, thinking about those I had left in a neighbour's care and my partner in hospital, I asked the receptionist if they had any idea what the waiting time might be for a consultation about my x-ray (I had already been there for 5 hours). I needed to make other arrangements for my family members.

I was polite and made it clear that I was not complaining. I could see from the negative notices on walls about patient behaviour and the sheer volume of work that the health professionals were under a lot of pressure.

However, I was met with a response from a triage nurse that was extremely rude, if you need to go then go. Reminding me that they told me I would be seen as soon as possible. There was no 'care' in that response. The tone was aggressive and I felt really upset and embarrassed at how they spoke to me.

I don't have a sign that says "Aggressive behaviour from members of staff will not be tolerated." 

What are we doing to the NHS? Why has it become OK for this to happen? My pride in the NHS was shattered last week.