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"Horrible nightmarish experience"

About: North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust / Emergency ambulance The Royal Liverpool University Hospital / Accident and emergency

(as a service user),

I'm in my 60s, and disabled with lung disease. Yesterday I went to see my GP to report another lung infection and the fact that my previous report of getting heart palpitations (averaging 160 bpm for up to 4 hours) had not received any real help or treatment. I was told not to worry, prescribed yet more antibiotics, and told to go home and take it easy. As I reached my front door about 3pm, my heartbeat shot up to 170 bpm, I couldn't get up my stairs, so I turned my oxygen up and called an ambulance. It arrived after 15 minutes and I got taken to A&E at the Royal Liverpool Hospital. A camera-person was filming the whole thing for the BBC hospital reality TV series, and when we got to A&E they said thanks mate, and disappeared up the corridor with their camera focused on one of the ambulance drivers. As for me, I was turfed off the gurney and told to sit in the waiting room with dozens of other people, and it was so crowded I had to stand for an hour before I got a rock-hard metal seat in a puddle of spilled liquid. After a few hours (7 pm) sitting next to some screaming kids I was given an ECG and a blood test, but no liquid or meds or any other kind of help; and I told the nurse I was feeling too ill to sit or stand in the waiting room any longer, and hadn't eaten since before noon, and wanted to go home and lie down. The nurse told me NO I had to wait to see a doctor, so I waited another couple of hours and nothing happened, so I went home. Still haven't heard anything. Next time I think I will just stay home, get drunk, and hope for the best. Horrible nightmarish experience.

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Responses

Response from Lead Nurse Patient Experience, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust 5 years ago
Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust
Submitted on 19/03/2019 at 11:28
Published on Care Opinion at 11:31


I am very sorry you had an uncomfortable wait within the ED department,unfortunately we have been experiencing a large volume of patients through the department.

I have passed on your comments to the relevant managers in particular your feedback about waiting times and the waiting area

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