"A question about proceedures??"

I came with my 84 yr old father to A & E, at 11.30, as he had been poked in the eye and his hernia had popped out. Now to be fair the wait in A& E wasn't very long, staff were friendly and helpful and it seemed clean. We were sent up to ward 620, at 3.00, so that he could be seen by a senior consultant about his hernia. Now we didn't mind waiting as we were told that a consultant would be with us shortly and my dad was told not to eat or drink. Luckily the nurses down stairs did get him a sandwich and a tea at 2.30. It had gone 6.00 and no senior doctor came. I went to ask if there was any idea when we would be seen but no one could give a satisfactory answer. It had now gone 7.00 so I asked again and I was told a junior doctor would see my dad, which they did. This doctor was very good with dad; asking many questions etc and after going to get a second opinion from a senior doctor came back to tell us that my dad would be referred to Out Patients and there was no immediate worries. So at this we were both happy and preparing to leave but we were told we couldn't be discharged without a senior doctor seeing us and so we would have to wait till the change over at 8.00 p.m. This time came and went still no sign of any senior doctor. I must have asked 3 nurses if we could go and all said no we had to wait. My dad was not offered any food or a drink, them knowing he was a diabetic! At 9.30 I asked the final nurse why we couldn't leave after we had been seen by a junior doctor and couldn't understand why we had to wait to be seen by a senior one! The nurse got my dad's file out and read to me that the junior doctor had written we could go home and that an out patients appoint should be made. The nurse told me that they would post the appointment letter out to my dad and that we could go home, as the senior doctors had gone into theatre, which we weren't told! So if this nurse had not said to go home would we have been expected to sit on the ward all night???? As we weren't given any information and had to ask for it!! I appreciate that the NHS is short staffed etc but to me keeping people informed should be the basis of good practice. We had been very patient all day but I cant except the procedure that was followed after the junior doctor had seen us. Why we were made to wait I do not understand and thankfully there was 1 nurse who used some common sense and actually cared for an 84 yr old man who was tiered and hungry.

I have to ask why we were made to wait after the junior doctor had seen us and they and my dad were happy with the out come?

Why did 3 nurses say we couldn't leave and then the final one (thankfully) after looking at his file said we could??

We were told that we had to be seen by a senior doctor .....why have junior doctors on the wards if they cant make decisions.