"A&E department"

My mother was taken to A&E after a fall at her care home.

She suffers from Advanced Alzheimer's.

The department appeared chaotic and staff were either rushing around or standing chatting.

My mother was left unattended for long periods and became increasingly confused and distressed.

The first doctor treating her showed no interest in her mental state and appeared not to know how to deal with someone with dementia.

They dithered about her treatment and then after an hour disappeared without a word or without informing anyone about what they had done.

The replacement doctor was much better and better acquainted with Alzheimer's but was too busy to give the level of care required to keep my mother calm and prevent what then happened.

After 3 hours of being subjected to various tests and different staff coming and going my mother became utterly demented.

She started screaming and kicking and wailing.

She shouted abuse at everyone and tried for 3 hours to get off the bed she was on.

It was the worst afternoon and evening of my life, listening to her obvious distress and pain, but not being able to get anyone to help.

The two nurses who came on shift at the end of the time we were there were marvellous though.

They had to put up with the most abusive language and her lashing out every time they went near her but they carried on with fortitude and good humour.

By this time though my mother was uncontrollable and in the end had to be sedated.

She was finally discharged at 2100 having been there for over 7 hours and since being back at the Care Home has continued to be aggressive, abusive and resistant of all help.

She is refusing all food and drink and I blame her current condition entirely on the lack of care and compassion shown to her in A&E.

I would also add that as her daughter and son in law the lack of any decent hot drinks is a disgrace.

We were unable to sit down for hours at a time due to a shortage of chairs, and neither of us had anything to eat or drink for most of the time we were there.

We were given 2 of the most disgusting cups of tea I have had and had to pour them away because they simply were not drinkable.

For relatives forced to be with their loved ones for hours on end it is inexcusable that a) they are unable to sit down and b) not given any palatable hot drinks.

We had to stand outside my mother's cubicle because she was so out of control she couldn't bear anybody near her and we were constantly in the way of trolleys and staff going backwards and forwards but no-one made any attempt to find us anywhere to sit or to check we were okay (apart from the two nurses who came on shift later on in the evening).