"Nursing staff in A&E worked ..."

What I liked

Nursing staff in A&E worked hard to reassure my wife and I and care for our daughter.

Doctors in the A&E department were attentive and took time to examine our daughter and explained their thoughts clearly with us as parents.

Doctors in the Paediatrics dept. similarly took time to examine our daughter and explained their thoughts and possible diagnoses with us as concerned parents.

What could be improved

More staff and resources within the paediatrics department so that they are to provide care and attention to the needs of children in their care.

Staff on A&E should realise that anything they say can be overheard by patients and their families. I would have had a fascinating morning had I have been a member of the press.

Anything else?

Comments made by lead nurses on A&E during our visit were raised some concerns.

The lead nurse wandered the corridoor outside of our treament room calling out to staff, "anything that even smells of an abdominal pain just leave them in the corridoor" and "any paediatric cases just send them straight up to paeds".

We weren't too surprised then when we were sent up to the Paediatric ward - staff there weren't expecting us, didn't know about our daughters case, and didn't have any of the results of obs taken downstairs in A&E.

We remained in Paediatrics from around 9am until 5pm but rarely saw anyone (we had initially awoke that morning just after 5.a.m with concerns about our child's health - so by 4p.m. we were both exhausted). We were tired, concerned, frustrated, hungry and thirsty. We were promissed a Doctor would assess our daughter at 1.30pm - but instead we were visited by the doctor nearer 4pm.

Throughout the day in paediatrics we cared for our own daughter just as we would have done at home, though in hospital we had limited access to food or drink for our daughter.

When we approached staff for attention we were only told the department was very busy and someone would be sent to see us soon.

Other parents were also making complaints to staff about lack of communication and lack of attention at the time.

I feel the department was so busy because A&E were sending children to them directly and maintaining their own quota of patients to meet their own targets. The paediatric dept inadequately staffed and able to cope with the simplest needs of children and their parents.