"I seriously concerned for my health and wellbeing"

I was recently sent to the Royal Infirmary emergency surgical unit by referral from my GP after experiencing severe abdominal and back pain. When I arrived we were seated in the "waiting area" which was nothing more than a narrow corridor with a cleaning cupboard, tea room, and staff toilet. The cleaning cupboard was in constant use with cleaners constantly coming past with large cleaning trolley - I witnessed one gentleman hit several time by these trolleys. Totally unacceptable!

Next to this small corridor of a waiting room was an office where the medical staff all laughed and joked loudly about inappropriate topics for the environment.

While in this corridor waiting a lengthy time in a lot of pain and stress no one offers any sort of pain relief; you're left unattended and not updated.

When eventually seen by a doctor in a room with 4 to 6 other people they pulled a curtain round to have a conversation that is rather personal and there was no real privacy as curtains are not sound proof.

Two trainee Dr's came round and filled me with very little confidence after hearing their conversation with another patient - one asked a lot of questions just rephrased differently, did not listen to a word the other was saying so the other trainee had to take over as a good 20 minutes passed and they were no further forward. Not great to hear when you're lying in pain, wondering if you are seriously ill!

I was sent away for the night and brought back in the morning for a scan at 11.15 am. After my scan which was pretty much on time I was sent back to the hovel of a waiting room in surgical emergency where I was sat yet again in agony and no pain relief for 3 hours. When I asked the nurse if they could give me any kind of update on my scan results from 3 hours ago. They told me the Consultants usually don't visit the ward till afternoon, which begs the questions why have us in so early for a scan to then sit around in pain, being bashed by trolleys and listen to the latest hospital gossip? 

The excuse given by nurses as to the time scale was "this is an emergency service". Yes, I agree however nothing about this experience suggested urgency to me. 

I am writing with with great sadness as this experience for me was traumatic. Not only was I seriously concerned for my health and wellbeing and the results of this scan and what it could mean for me as a single parent but I felt myself and every other patient in that waiting room were treated very poorly in the conditions and how we were just left for hours on end wondering what was going on in a great deal of pain and stress.