"Overall it was a really poor experience"

Late at night, my 2 year old son was experiencing worryingly low temperatures that would only improve with hours of warming with extra layers and blankets and cuddling. This was following 3 days of fevers and diarrhoea.

I did as much as I could at home to treat him but phoned NHS 24 looking for some advice and reassurance since he was unable to regulate his own temperature. I got a call back from a GP who competed a telephone assessment and advised he should be seen as soon as possible face to face but that he was the only GP covering the whole of Lanarkshire so he was unable to do this so I’d be best taking him to A&E.

I attended Wishaw A&E just before 4am and it was very busy, which was to be expected. After an hour wait, we were triaged by a Nurse and CSW, I’m not sure of their names as they never gave them. The triage was very rushed, a quick set of basic obs then back to the waiting room. 4 and a half hours later, we were taken through to the A&E dept by a staff member. My son had spent the last 5 hours in a thick coat cuddled into me in the waiting room so I knew that he was warm and his temperature had returned to a normal level. However, he was still lethargic and had stomach pain.

Consultant apologised for the wait which was appreciated. Then lead us into a room and instead of starting the consultation, immediately starts grabbing obs machines to start checking my son’s vital signs. My son suddenly perked up with the change of environment and was bright as a button (if you have a toddler you’ll understand that they can compensate very well). I asked the staff if they wanted a quick run down of what had led to us attending A&E and said no, as didn’t need it. They then talked over me and comments on how well my son looked, stated that maybe I didn’t know how to measure his temperature properly and commented that he was fine but knows that were advised to come here so let’s just get it done.

Consultant was very bright and breezy in nature but to the point that they would laugh off anything I tried to say and brush it off. I tried to explain that I called NHS 24 simply looking for advice and that I was signposted here, I didn’t feel it warranted an A&E visit but here we were. I was constantly interrupted and not allowed to finish my sentence or ask questions. The consultation was incredibly rushed, it was basically a race against time to tick off his obs and get us out the department due to them being so busy.

During the very quick examination, consultant asked my 2 year old if they could examine his chest. I asked if they wanted me to remove his top, they said yes so I did so, after telling my son what was happening. They then stood him up on the trolley and pulled his pyjama trousers down with no warning or explanation of what needed to be examined and why, or any attempt to gain parental consent.

At the end of her brief examination, they checked his urine, explain it had ketones and to give him some sugary juice. They didn’t explain to me what had caused the low temperatures or what else to look out for. I tried to ask but got laughed off. They then laughed some more, said bye and left the room, leaving me to find my own way out.

I felt like an inconvenience and embarrassed that I had wasted everyone’s time when I was only doing what was advised by primary care, who were unable to carry out reviews due to short staffing. Nobody chooses to sit in A&E for 5 hours with a poorly toddler unless recommended to.

Overall it was a really poor experience due to the poor communication skills and rushed consultation.