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The staff were good when you got to see them

Posted By Nauna

"The staff were good when you got to see them"

About: Causeway Hospital / Accident & Emergency

(as the patient),

I recently went to A&E with severe pain and nausea. I am well known to the surgical team there, having previously been admitted to ICU and a surgical ward. Despite my history and presentation, I had a long wait post triage to see a doctor in A&E before eventually being admitted to surgical ward 2. 

I was struck (yet again) by the impossible task facing A&E staff. There were people in the waiting room shouting at them and badgering them, there wasn’t enough space in A&E for the amount of patients and there certainly wasn’t enough doctors in the A&E department.

I was in a lot of pain and yet was placed in chairs in the corridoor of the department and back in the waiting room. When I eventually got to see an A&E doctor, they were very good and thorough and I was given a bed in A&E, had 2 scans, seen by the surgical doctors and then moved to Surgical ward 2. However, this took far far too many hours considering my pain.

So, the staff were good when you got to see them, nurses and doctors- but it all took much too long bearing in mind my history and presentation. More staffing resources are needed for sure!

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Responses

Response from Victoria McCrory, Assistant Clinical Services Manager, Medicine and Emergency Medicine, NHSCT 12 months ago
Victoria McCrory
Assistant Clinical Services Manager, Medicine and Emergency Medicine,
NHSCT

Submitted on 16/05/2024 at 13:49
Published on Care Opinion at 13:49

Hi Nuana

My name is Victoria McCrory and I am the Assistant Clinical Services Manager for Causeway ED. I am sorry to hear that you have been unwell and had to access services within the ED.

As you note the department remains under significant pressure, with demand on our services often outweighing capacity. Staff continue to work with senior management, site co ordination team and patient flow to try and improve waiting times and flow through the department. The increased number of patients in the department also contributes to a reduction in the number of protected consulting spaces, which can impact the length of time it takes for our medical team to assess and review patients.

Thank you for acknowledging the difficulties staff within the department are facing. They continue to work hard to provide a high standard of care, despite the sustained pressures they face.

I apologise that the standard of care which you received fell below the standards which you expect, this does not align with trust core values and is not the standard we as a department aim to achieve.

If you wish for your case to be reviewed in further detail please don't hesitate to contact me on the details below. Once again I wish to apologise for your experiences within the ED dept, and hope you are keeping well.

Yours Sincerely

Victoria McCrory

ACSM CAU ED

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