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Overall, this was a poor and very unpleasant experience

Posted By magpiejs39

"Overall, this was a poor and very unpleasant experience"

About: Glasgow Community Services / Out of Hours GP Royal Alexandra Hospital / Accident & Emergency

(as a relative),

I attended the OOH GP dept and A&E which my husband who was physically unwell and in a great deal of pain. 

We were referred to the on call surgeon by the GP and attended the A&E dept for this. We were advised he would be given pain relief and further investigations. 

Some staff who welcomed us were short and abrupt in manner.

My husband was triaged, however, he was not any offered pain relief and we asked for this later whilst still sat in the waiting room. The door was closed on him and  he felt belittled when asking for this despite sitting in the waiting area in extreme discomfort. A staff member stated there were over 60 patients in there, which we were well aware of however we felt there was no real attempts by any member of staff to meet his needs.

The A&E dept had no hand sanitiser or masks available for patients. Patients left in waiting room vomiting into bowls.

The female toilets were filthy and strewn with toilet paper. One toilet had no working flush and the other no toilet seat. The toilets had a strong smell of what I believe was cannabis. The toilets in the main RAH building were of a similar disgusting standard.

I appreciate that services are stretched, however this is no excuse for the  poor standards of care that we received. I found staff to be unpleasant and rude. The cleanliness of the department was very poor and unhygienic. 

Overall, this was a poor and very unpleasant experience. 

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Responses

Response from Charlene Sweeney, Operational Business Manager, GP Out of Hours Service, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde 3 weeks ago
Charlene Sweeney
Operational Business Manager, GP Out of Hours Service,
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Submitted on 06/01/2026 at 10:30
Published on Care Opinion at 10:30

Dear magpiejs39,

Thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience when attending the GP Out of Hours (GPOOH) service and subsequently the Emergency Department at the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH). I am very sorry to hear that your husband was unwell and that this was such a distressing experience for you both.

From the information provided, it appears that a number of the concerns you have raised relate specifically to the Emergency Department environment.

However, I would also like to confirm whether there were any concerns arising from your interaction with the GP OOH team itself. You mentioned that the GP assessed your husband and arranged referral to the on‑call surgical team via A&E. If there is anything specific about the GP OOHs consultation, communication, or referral process that you felt was unsatisfactory, we would be grateful for more detail so we can investigate fully.

If you would like to provide further detail, please contact me directly at:-charlene.sweeney@nhs.scot.

Thank you again for raising these issues. I hope your husband is now feeling much better. We are committed to ensuring that experiences like the one you described are addressed appropriately.

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Response from Melinda Devlin, Lead Senior Charge Nurse, Emergency Department, Royal Alexandra Hospital, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde 2 weeks ago
Melinda Devlin
Lead Senior Charge Nurse, Emergency Department, Royal Alexandra Hospital,
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Submitted on 11/01/2026 at 14:04
Published on Care Opinion on 12/01/2026 at 07:19

Dear magpiejs39,

Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on your recent experience in the Emergency Department. Firstly I would like to apologise that during an already stressful time you and your husband had a difficult and challenging experience, this is not the standard we strive to achieve, I am very sorry.

While I hope your husband is recuperating I wonder if you both feel able to discuss your experience when it is convenient to you both, my direct email is: Melinda.devlin@nhs.scot this will allow me to appropriately address concerns raised. In the meantime I would like to reassure you both I have feedback further concerns of cleanliness to our domestic services and repairs to our estates team.

Kindest regards

Melinda Devlin

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