"Waiting 8 hours in A and E"

This review is only relating to my recent experience of A&E on 6/1/18.

All previous experiences as an outpatient and inpatient have generally been satisfactory.

Also I emphasise that I have tremendous admiration and respect for all the staff who dealt with my attendance at A&E. No criticism in this review applies to them.

At about 0030 I decided to phone 111 because of experiencing severe palpitations at home for about 2 hours. I was advised to go to A&E for an ECG.

I arrived at A&E at about 0130 and took a ticket.

I saw the triage nurse after watching for about an hour.

I was then sent to another waiting area and was told that it would be more than 4 hours to wait to see a doctor.

Unfortunately the wait turned out to be 8 hours and I eventually left the hospital at 0930.

The waiting room was cold. The radiator was either faulty or permanently turned off. I am 74 and have severe circulation problems in my legs and ended up trying to have a snooze with my coat wrapped around my legs, or walking up and down the corridor trying to get warm.

8 hours waiting through the night feeling tired, hungry, cold and uncomfortable is excessive.

I was told that A&E emergencies were very busy that night which explains the delay, however if the 4 hour waiting target is regularly being substantially exceeded, then obviously staffing levels and waiting facilities need to be improved.