"Rude staff and waiting times"

My eye filled with blood and I had pain.  I contacted nhs24 who advised me to go to A&E within the hour. I spoke with the member of staff on reception, who spoke very quietly and I had to keep asking them to repeat theirself. They ended up sighing and saying - it doesnt matter.

On arrival it was a 7 hour wait. I asked the triage nurse if I should just leave and go to my optician the next day, they said they couldn't tell me that but to let reception know if I was leaving. Then they said someone does need to see my eye at some point.  The wait time went up to 10 hours and a nurse came and asked anyone who could leave to do so.  I asked if I could leave and see my optician but I was again told the nurse couldn't tell me that.  I would have happily left but I just wanted to be sure there was no immediate risk as nhs24 had said within the hour. 

I was triaged again 5 hours later and again I asked if I could leave and see my optician as I could see how busy they were and if I wasn't at immediate risk I was happy to leave.  They said they couldn't tell me that and made me feel like I was being a nuisance.

When I saw the doctor they spent the first 5 minutes questioning why I was there and not at my own A&E ( I was staying with my partner for the weekend). I explained and they said - well, this happened on Thursday so why are you here?  I explained that it had become worse and that 111 had advised me to attend.   The whole time I was there I felt like a nuisance and a time waster.

When I went home my partner had to reassure me that I had done the right thing, I was very upset. I was only there as advised by NHS 24.  The next day I saw my optician who took time to explain everything to me, reassured me I did the right thing and made me feel like I was in the right place. 

The tea and coffee machine was broken.  There were no cups at the water filter and then a nurse parked someone in a wheelchair in front of it so nobody could get to it anyway.  

I could see how stressed and under pressure the nurses were.  It must be an awful situation for them. But the patients are vulnerable and scared and do not deserve to be spoken to so abruptly, especially when they are clearly in pain or unwell.  It is the worst hospital experience I've ever had and when I left I said even if my leg is hanging off, please never take me there again. It left me very fearful for what would happen to me if I was seriously unwell. 

I can totally understand wait times.  I know the NHS is under extreme pressures.  I can't imagine what it must be like.  I would have been happy to wait if the staff, especially the nurses, had shown any compassion or basic respect for the patients, including me.