"Every member of staff we met was friendly and caring"

The waiting area at A&E became more busy through the afternoon but the atmosphere was calm and respectful. I accompanied an 89 year old patient. The screens displayed data on waiting times but they didn’t seem to correspond with what was happening around us and we had no idea how long our wait was going to be - frustrating and we had to ask more than once how we were progressing in the wait.

Not all staff calling patients through by name were clear or loud enough. It was about 6 hrs to see a doctor, on a Friday afternoon.

Every member of staff we met was friendly and caring - receptionists, doctors, nurses, porters, HCAs and radiographer. We saw no one on a trolley in a corridor. We got an MRI scan at midnight - amazing, thank-you. We were given a private room for the elderly patient to rest in awaiting further care - so kind - and offered tea and sandwiches in the morning. Nurses checked on us regularly and took obs. The overall impression was of a caring and professional department. The doctors explained clearly, although the elderly patient had some difficulty hearing and understanding the various accents. We were very appreciative of the overall care in A&E and await follow-up in outpatient clinic. Thank-you.