"Appreciated their honesty and the pressure they face"

We unexpectedly ended up in A&E in Wishaw. All good now…but our wait was 10 hours, as a high priority case. Minor ailments was a 5 hour wait.

We left at 12 in the morning and the care, when taken, was second to none. Nothing was too much trouble and the Dr’s and nurses (whose shifts had went into the next shift) were reassuring and caring.

When we left, people were sleeping on the floors because there were no seats. At one point, 6 ambulances were waiting to bring patients in. In the space of that time, a Dr came out and told everyone what was happening….twice.

The doctor told us it was very much a battlefield situation, where the immediately dying were being taken but that left no critical care nurses for anyone else and no beds. No one was going to be formally admitted, because the hospital was full, but they would be seen.

They also told us the situation was the same in the other nearby hospitals.

Both times, after the doctor had spoken, they were given a round of applause because everyone appreciated their honesty and the pressure they were under. I didn’t hear one raised voice or complaint and instead people were helping get others water and food. 

I’ve honestly never experienced anything like it and as the Dr urged, I am writing a formal letter to my MSP and I hope everyone who was there does too.

The pressure those care assistants, nurses and Dr’s were under was heartbreaking to watch and the Dr summed it up perfectly when they told us they were sorry, we don’t deserve this and they don’t deserve this.