"I was ill when I walked in and I was even worse when I walked out"

I had undergone open heart surgery for a valve replacement and a partial aorta replacement in March this year and hadn’t felt well since.  It was diagnosed that I had AF which was a result of my surgery which is apparently common.  I had Cardioversion yesterday in Forth Valley Hospital. I was extremely nervous, the nursing team were amazing, so friendly, helpful and understanding.  The whole experience was made so much easier by lovely friendly nurses and the anaesthetists, who explained what was going to happen. I was nervous and they helped to put me at ease. 

 I wasn’t feeling great the next day and phoned them as per the information leaflet given to me, again I received great service, I was invited to go back for another ECG,  my nurse really went above and beyond. I felt truly cared for and listened to. I was however advised to go to A&E for more tests. 

I attended A&E at 12 noon and was advised there was a 3 hour waiting time. I was seen fairly quickly by a triage nurse then returned to the main waiting area. The waiting time increased to 5 hours during the time we were waiting. I finally got called around 5:00pm had bloods taken and was placed in another waiting area,.

My dad had kindly driven me and was waiting with me. Both of us hadn’t had anything to eat, not even a cup of tea, vending machines took our money and gave nothing in return. I was left in a waiting area and didn’t know what was going on.

I went to the nursing station to ask and was advised I needed more bloods taken at 8:00pm and then after sitting waiting not knowing what was happening, I was transferred to the clinical assessment unit just after 9pm to wait on the blood results.

The nurse there advised me, after me going to nurses station and asking, that the results were in, they looked fine but I needed to be seen by a doctor who would then decide if I get home. The doctor finally came to see me and I was sent for a chest X-ray around 11.10pm as he couldn’t believe that A&E hadn’t done this, and then the doctor needed to seek advice from a registrar as he wasn’t confident, at 12.10pm I was advised they couldn’t see anything wrong with me but I had done the right thing attending. 

The worst part of this is everyone that was in the waiting room with me 12 hours before were all in the other waiting area alongside me for the same length of time as me. It felt like everyone was just being shuffled from one waiting area to another.  

The system is a complete shambles, it needs a good overhaul, there must be a more cohesive plan when dealing with sick/unwell patients. The same nurses and doctors walked passed me multiple times each hour. It was utter chaos. I will never attend A&E voluntarily ever again.

I was ill when I walked in and I was even worse when I walked out. The experience has left me exhausted and deflated. The advice I was given after 13 hours in hospital was to see my cardiologist in 4 weeks (that’s when I’m supposed to see her after Cardioversion) and if I feel like I’m breathless especially when lying down and have chest pain go back to A&E.  These were some of the symptoms that led me to attend in the first place.

How can one department get it so right and another get it so wrong. I don’t blame the nursing staff/doctors, they looked like headless chickens running around, I blame the NHS system.   I repeat my earlier sentiment I will never  attend A&E voluntarily ever again.  

My father also said that he had never seen such a chaotic A & E department.