"Dire experience"

As a recently retired GP I have been horrified by my experience of bringing my frail 90 year old father to A&E with a fractured spine. In fact we're still here languishing in what's laughingly called Pitstop facing our second night in a noisy cubicle because there are no beds. Having been in the frontline myself in the past it's a real shock to see how totally chaotic it has become. Most of the individual clinicians from the paramedics to the nursing staff and medical teams are kind and competent but there is clearly a complete breakdown in communication between departments and in continuity of care. If I wasn't able to be my father's constant advocate and carer these 36 hours I think he could have come to serious harm and I'm still not even sure he will get to the rehab setting that he needs in time to prevent an irreversible deterioration. This is no way to treat frail elderly (or their carers - I've had to stay propped in an uncomfortable chair for 36 hrs and fend for both of us). It doesn't have to be this chaotic. Referrals missed, drugs not written up, no-one knowing who is required to review results, etc, etc It's also a travesty that our highly trained paramedics are spending whole days hanging around A&E in large numbers because their patients are stuck when waiting times for ambulances are so long. What is going on?