"A&E Dept not a great experience"

Attended 24th & 26th Feb for 9 hours and 5 hours respectively. I needed access to a disabled toilet, the one in A&E was out of order.

I subsequently went to Rowlands Pharmacy again needing the toilet I found those adjacent to the pharmacy were out of order. On the 26th I was sent to X-ray however, needing the toilet I found those near X-ray were out of order. All extremely frustrating.

I also have a chronic back condition caused by prolapsed lumbar discs. With regards to the seating in A&E I found it to be designed for looking good rather than for sitting in for 9 hours. In my opinion the designer and the people who purchased the seats had not sat in them for a prolong period and had settled for a product that looked pretty rather than being fit for purpose. I was not attending in relation to my back issues, I would rate my pain on leaving A&E as ten out of ten. Three days later I am still dealing with the impact of those visits.

Although I spent long periods waiting to see various clinicians I found them to be extremely caring given their high workload. Many of them also looked quite tired and in need of a reasonable break if burn out is to be avoided.

The current environment does not allow for confidentiality or dignity for patients in particular the elderly and those with hearing problems.