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"A&E with Alzheimer's pt"

About: Altnagelvin Area Hospital / Emergency department

(as a relative),

I attended Derry's Emergency Department on a weeday evening with my grandmother who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Unfortunately we did have a long wait when we arrived and my grandmother had to spend quite some time in a stretcher and on a chair in the waiting room despite bleeding quite badly. This was no fault of the staff who were all extremely busy and trying their best but in my opinion the department is very evidently lacking the funding/staffing ratio it requires.

Our experience changed the second Dr Conor arrived on his shift. He seen to my grandmother as soon as he could and continued to assess her regularly. He was so caring and empathetic towards her and had a great way at interacting with a person with Dementia. Dr Conor wore many hats inside the timeframe I was there and went above and beyond to provide compassionate care. This included undertaking tasks that a HCA or staff nurse would complete, but were not available to- and Dr Conor completed all without a complaint. He explained everything in detail to relatives and never made us feel rushed despite the ward being exceptionally busy. 

I would also like to mention Nurse Happiness who was also extremely busy but always took time to check in and help care for my grandmother. Nothing was too much of an ask, and her communication when working with someone with Dementia was just amazing. I can't thank both staff members enough. 

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Responses

Response from Karima Gray, Nurse Manager Emergency Department Altnagelvin Hospital, Acute Services Altnagelvin, WHSCT 7 hours ago
Karima Gray
Nurse Manager Emergency Department Altnagelvin Hospital, Acute Services Altnagelvin,
WHSCT
Submitted on 01/07/2025 at 08:51
Published on Care Opinion at 08:51


Good Morning uniformxz76,

My name is Karima and I am the Nurse Manager in the Emergency Department, Altnagelvin Hospital. Firstly, I would like to thank you for your time and telling us your story about your recent visit to the department with your grandmother.

I sincerely apologise for the length of time your grandmother had to wait when she arrived in the department. Capacity in the department is something which we try and manage as safely as we can on a daily basis. People are waiting for a lot longer than we would like, but our team are trying their best under the pressures we face, and to have their hard work acknowledged is lovely to see.

I have shared your story with Conor & Happiness this morning.

Care, compassion and communication are the fundamentals of what we do and to have this feedback posted is such a lovely thing to read. The patient we are caring for is at the centre of all we do and your story is a reminder that, despite the pressures we are under, this is still very evident in the care that we provide.

I hope your grandmother is recovering well at home and thank you again for sharing your story.

Karima

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