"Lack of care and compassion in A&E"

Attended Good Hope Accident and Emergency department today at approx 14:30 hours .  Ambulance was called but told could be up to several hours to before they could attend ! Asked if we could take her to A&E we both drive so we could.

Our mum is in her sixties and has no previous  known medical conditions and is usually fit and well .  Lately she has lost a lot of weight and had told us she had had similar episodes for the past 3 days . Mum was extremely pale and her hands were freezing .  She was shaking as if cold and  could not lift her head up straight. Her head was bending towards knees in the seating position  as felt she was unable to  breathe properly. 

Queue  of 3 people in front of us as extremely concerned  - asked them to check mum as we were really worried.  We found them rude and dismissive toward both my sister and I who were trying to tell her why we had attended.  My mum was unable to lift her head to talk as she couldn't breath. 

We stood in the freezing cold entrance right by the automatic doors in A&E whilst they attempted to get Mum's oxygen levels.   She was shut down and freezing but the nurse suggested it was her nail varnish .  After standing there for at least 5 minutes I asked if they could be taken another way? We were told no in what seemed a snappy manner.

I asked is it normal then to feel like you can't get air into lungs and breath but it was suggested this was the machine.  They did not appear to want to listen to either my sister or I and I felt they were completely unprofessional and rude.  This nurse actually shouted at my mum to look up and proceeded to lift my mum's chin.  They said in a very short manner that she was not cyanosed and her numbers are all normal.  We were sent to wait in the waiting area despite mum feeling really unwell and  unable to breathe. We were ignored for a good while then they tried again with a machine on 2 father occasions within approx 5 hours  to to gain some observations .

I asked whether it was is OK to be waiting this long not being able to feel you can lift head up as you can't breathe but both my sister and I felt ignored, as if we were not there. At no point were we rude. I kindly asked again and was told it is probably a panic attack. I said my mum has never had one in her life but they just walked off.  I also asked a doctors if it was fine to be waiting in middle of A&E unable to breathe .  They went over to the nurse who advised we would be seen.

Long story short my mum is currently at 23:57 sitting in the majors part b at GHH.  She has had a massive heart attack and the consultants will not let her home - she is being admitted .  I must commend the 2 doctors who were extremely concerned and were brilliant with all of us.     

My real concern is that the nurse did not appear to recognise a sick patient -it appeared they either did not care or did not know what they were doing. We understand the NHS is overrun and understaffed at times and the pressures in A&E are extreme but this nurse appeared to have no compassion care or thought for our mum who was having or had just suffered a massive heart attack.

I would not wish any person at a time of distress attending A&E to experience what my Mum has encountered today; she is extremely lucky that nothing happened to her whilst waiting although we don't know that for sure yet we are awaiting further investigation.s   Also informed that mum wouldn't necessarily be admitted to a cardiac ward and that she could go anywhere dependent upon beds and staffing ! 

For now my sister and I have had to leave her in majors as we were not allowed to stay with her.  We are extremely worried as today's encounter did not instill us with any confidence at all.