"Good Hope Hospital A&E poor quality of care"

My husband was taken to A&E with chest pain, shortness of breath and palpitations. 

On arrival he was seen promptly due to the nature of the visit and received an ecg straight away which showed he was in fast AF, this is a new diagnosis which he was unaware he had. Bloods were taken and he was moved from triage into a cubicle, this was just after 10am. The nurse hooked him up to a heart monitor and said they would keep an eye on him. Approximately 4 and half hours later after complaining that he was still waiting to see a doctor, he was seen by an A&E doctor that examined him and agreed that he was in AF and needed to be seen by the medics, I asked when and he said they would be down later. This was approx 14.25. 

My husband suffers with mental health issues and was becoming increasingly anxious, as you will know this can only make his palpitations worse. I explained to the nurse some time after that he was going outside for cigarette as his anxiety was increasing.

Whilst outside my daughter explained the extent of my husbands mental health issues and she assured her that this would be forwarded onto the medics and they would make him a priority (which someone in AF should already be)

At approx 16.30, 6 and half hours after arriving medics arrived in A&E and then left without seeing my husband.

As you can imagine this infuriated me. I went and spoke to the nurse and informed them that I found this totally acceptable sub standard care, my husband had been in that cubicle over 6 hours no one had checked the monitor even when it was alarming at his heart rate of 165, and they had not once been in to do his observations. To which they said they'd do them now, I said no because he is asleep and if he wakes and realises the doctors have gone he will walk out.

With this my husband woke and said he was leaving and went outside, I followed him and bought him back into the department. Whilst we were off the department the nurse said to my daughter they'd have to document that they have been unable to do his obs as he is not here. He was off the department less than 5 minutes, the nurse had not done his observations since he was in the cubicle almost 7 hours at this point.

The nurse also told us that A&E doctors were blaming the medics and the medics were blaming A&E doctors for the fact he was still waiting.

Finally at about 18.30 a medic arrived who examined him again and although agreed with the AF diagnosis said that they thought the pains my husband had previously experienced days before were not heart related but an anxiety attack. I do not believe my husband had a anxiety attack at all as my daughter is a Nurse as she treated his chest pain with Aspirin and monitored his vital signs at home. The medic then stated that they would keep him over night to give medications to control his heart and to monitor him, why these medications had not been given during the 8 hours before and monitored through the day is beyond me, instead they left us in limbo. The medic then stated that they would still have to speak to their senior first to agree a plan and the senior would need to see him first. I asked when will this senior be coming and the medic stated they couldn't say for sure as the senior was busy and would see the more urgent patients first and that it could be a few hours.

With this my husband said he was leaving, he is not good in confined spaces and all the messing about and lack of care had increased his anxiety to the point of fight or flight, and he could not mentally handle staying any longer.

The nurse then asked him to sign a refusal of treatment form which I explained he would not be signing as he was not refusing treatment he was refusing to wait any longer, my husband had been left unattended for hours whilst in fast AF and had he had a heart attack or gone into heart failure they wouldn't have known.

I have never experienced such a lack in basic care in a hospital. My husband is home now still in discomfort and unmedicated for his fast AF but refusing to go back to A&E in fear that this experience would be repeated. I feel frightened my husband will die