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"Where is the duty of care here?"

About: Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust - Queen's Medical Centre Campus / Accident and emergency Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust - Queen's Medical Centre Campus / Ophthalmology

(as the patient),

I am a disabled woman in her 20s and was sent to urgent eye care at the QMC at Nottingham by my GP after being diagnosed with Bell's Palsy at Derby 6 days prior. (6 pages of information was sent with the suspected Ramsey Hunt Syndrome as I had unusual eye symptoms for Bell's Palsy alone). I was sent on hospital transport so vulnerable & alone.

I arrived, they poked about with my eye and checked my face muscle and said we can't see a problem, even though I have double vision & distorted sight level in my eyes it's not an eye problem and I need to go to A&E (Please bear in mind the consultant involved was searching online for Ramsey Hunt Syndrome,  and didn't appear to have a clue of what it was, all in front of the patient ). They all questioned the Derby diagnosis of Bell's Palsy too (Derby had done bloods /CT scan /ECG etc.).

I was then pushed into the corridor and told to find A&E, there was no patient handover, the notes sent by the GP weren't sent over to A&E. I then spent a further 3 hrs in a very distressed state. No triage was carried out, no obs were taken, nobody asked if I was OK, even though I appeared very distressed.

After 3 hrs in a very distressed state, I wheeled myself outside and got a taxi. Luckily, the driver was excellent and parked the taxi and fetched me from the door and sorted me out and got me home safety, thank god!

During that evening there was no call to see if the patient was OK, I could have been collapsed anywhere in the building or worse. Where is the duty of care here?

I feel there needs to be major reform in these care services, its appalling standards, and that's being polite. I am absolutely fuming about the care received, or the lack of it should I say! I shall be writing to the MP regarding the matter, I find it totally unacceptable .

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Responses

Response from Kelly Morley, Patient Experience Officer, Patient Experience and engagement, Nottingham university hospitals last week
Kelly Morley
Patient Experience Officer, Patient Experience and engagement,
Nottingham university hospitals
Submitted on 18/11/2025 at 09:21
Published on Care Opinion at 09:21


Dear patient,

I am so very sorry to hear of your recent experience, this is not what you would come to expect from our services.

I have spoken to the matron of the emergency department, and they would welcome the opportunity to work with you and resolve this issue.

Please contact the pals’ team using the email address nuhnt.pals@nhs.net letting them know this is in response to this reply you have received, where we will take more details of your experience confidentially and ensure that this is investigated fully.

Kind regards,

Kelly – Patient Experience Officer

Nottingham university hospitals

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