"Waiting in A&E"

Well we have currently been here for just about 6 hours. The screen says it's a 12 hour wait which in itself is ridiculous. Anyways, my mum had a suspected stroke, she went to the GP, who sent her here. After about an hour she saw someone, got some blood tests and given an injection to help with feeling dizzy. Another couple of hours pass and she goes for a scan. Now we are waiting on someone just to look at the scan to diagnose her issue.

Everyone here has all been here for the same length of time, in and out, in to the triage for one thing or another then shipped back into the overcrowded waiting room, back and forth, over and over. The tannoy message states that no relatives should be taking up space in the waiting room but for some people it's a family outing, there is one patient that has a further 3 people with them. Most people have 2 people with them. I'm only here with my mum since she is frail and too dizzy to walk unaided. If I was here for myself, which I have been a few times in the past, I would not bring anyone with me. The waiting room is heavily overcrowded, some people are sitting on the floor.

It's really warm and stuffy. One patient fainted due to the stuffy heat and just now a patient just collapsed into a heap on the floor by the reception desk and vomited on the floor as they were trying to head to the bathroom. The main entrance door is set open, but there is no air flow and therefore having the door left open seems pointless.

The vending machines only accept card payments or contactless on your mobile device but some people in here can't even buy a drink since they only have cash. Plus the vending machine has no bottled water left, just fizzy juice such as Irn Bru Extra and Cola Cola Extra. The food on offer is simply crisps or chocolate, some sandwiches or something would be nice.

I must say though, the worst thing about the entire experience is how uncomfortable the seating is. At points, I just had to stand up. A lot of people were complaining how their backs were painful and how uncomfortable they were.

There is also no TV, I know it wouldn't make sense to have a TV turned up loud, but if people are waiting around for 6+ hours, a TV with subtitles would help pass the time. My dentist has one turned on with the volume low and subtitles. It certainly keeps your mind occupied.

There is no feminine hygiene products available from the toilet facilities, so at one point I had to leave my sick mother and go to a nearby pharmacy to buy some.

When the staff do come out and shout your name, it's as if some of them are trying to whisper. Maybe a name tannoy system would be better. That way, staff won't need to stand there, calling the same name 4/5 times since nobody can hear them whisper/shouting.

I was impressed with the new check in system and how easy the digital screens seemed to be, but every patient I saw using it ended up going to the reception desk as the digital sign-in never seemed to actually worked properly. But once it gets fixed, it's a great idea.