"Unacceptable"

I am not one to complain about the NHS as I believe that the service that they provide on the whole is good. However as a tax payer for many years I believe that I and everyone else who uses the services the NHS provides should be treated with the utmost care and respect.

I visited the A&E department at QE on two occasions in one week due to severe pain and discomfort from a serious injury I had sustained. The first time and the second having been sent by my GP as he was very concerned with how I presented to him.

The first time I went I was X-rayed and told that there was nothing they could do and that I should go back to the care of my GP. I accepted this without fuss even though I was frustrated after a long wait in A&E in extreme pain. However over the next couple days m condition worsened and I was promptly told by my GP to go back to the hospital. Upon arriving I was sent to the urgent care centre where I was seen by quite a helpful nurse. She took a detailed history and spoke to an orthopaedic dr who told her without hesitation that he would not come to look at my injury after reviewing an old X-ray that had been taken before. Now, I don’t claim to have any medical training but common sense would say that if a patient presents with worsening symptoms and a GP has sent that patient straight back to hospital, wouldn’t it be wise to X-ray that patient again or at least examine them? The nurse then had to record on my notes that the dr refused to examine me.

I was then sent back to A&E and was triaged by a nurse who said that I would, after all, be seen by a orthopaedic dr. After waiting a few more hours in the waiting room which I might add was a disgrace, filled with bowls of vomit, patients who had been brought in by the police who were obviously too ill to be in the waiting room with other patients, children and their loved ones, I was then called in to see an A&E Dr.

After feeling very frustrated I thought that at last I would be able to see a dr to get to the bottom of my issue or at least get some suggestions or help. From the very outset her attitude was one of rudeness and insincerity. After calling me into the room she started with saying that she couldn’t see anything on the X-ray and that she didn’t understand why I was there. I explained the situation of being sent in by my GP however I was sinply met with rudeness and bluntness with no regard for the pain I was in or allowing me to ask questions. I was at no point disrespectful so I did not understand why I was being treated that way. She also was so aggressive in the way that she examined my injury where I even had to say that she was hurting me. I understand drs are under a heavy work load but this is no way to treat anyone. I requested to be seen by the fracture clinic at the hospital as I was supposed to be seen out of area after which she replied ‘that will cost a lot of nhs money to organise.’ I thought this was absolutely horrendous. I hope something can be done.