"Concerned about the care my daughter received"

I write this following a visit with my daughter to FVRH A&E. She presented with a deep cut to her leg just below her knee and she has a known bleeding disorder. I feel her care fell far below the standard expected.

We arrived at around 6:30pm and were triaged just after 7:00pm. Nurses confirmed the wound on her leg would need to be glued and she was categorised as level 3. I understood there would be a wait due to how busy the department was.

However, it was not until 2:00am that a doctor first assessed her. The doctor removed her dressing without care, dismissing her distress with the comment - It’s only a plaster. They concluded that only steri-strips were required. This contradicted the triage assessment.

When I questioned this, a registrar reviewed my daughter and confirmed that stitches would in fact be necessary given the wound’s location. They explained it would likely need to be done under general anaesthetic (GA) and called for a surgical doctor.

While we waited, the first doctor commented that my daughter’s bleeding disorder was “more reason not to go through with a GA.” I explained that our usual care pathway is for A&E to liaise with her specialist haematology team in Glasgow, but this was dismissed with, “We have haematologists here.”

The surgical doctor examined her a short time later and contradicted both earlier opinions, stating the wound would heal on its own without stitches, glue, or steri-strips. Only after I raised concerns about re-bleeding, infection, and scarring did they agree to apply steri-strips. They also told me to give no food, only clear fluids, until a decision was made in the morning. Despite this, the steri-strips did not close the wound effectively.

No aftercare guidance was given on how long to keep the steri-strips, how to change dressings, or whether to use Tranexamic Acid—vital in her case.

We left A&E at 2:30am. The next morning I was called at 8:45am and informed that stitches would not be given.

My concerns are:

The excessive seven-hour wait despite her bleeding disorder.

Conflicting and inconsistent medical opinions (glue, stitches under GA, no treatment).

Dismissive comments and failure to liaise with her haematology team.

Lack of aftercare instructions.

Increased risk of scarring and poor wound healing, which independent professionals have since confirmed could have been prevented with stitches.

I fully appreciate the pressures on A&E staff, but the contradictory opinions, dismissive attitude, and absence of proper aftercare have left me concerned about the care my daughter received. 

I look forward to hearing from a senior manager.