"Poor practice"

I visited A & E with my mum last Thursday as the treatment her GP had prescribed was not working, she was in acute pain and the GP had suggested that A & E would have been an option in the first place.

The seats in the initial waiting area are uncomfortable but the worst aspect was the attitude of the triage nurse. She asked us why we had not gone back to the GP and, while she covered herself by saying she could not give an opinion, she strongly indicated that we were wasting time by being in the wrong place. When I went back to the desk to sign a discharge form, the receptionist was very kind, explained we were 2nd in the queue so we decided to wait and were seen by a helpful Dr. His care was excellent, other than giving 30mg codeine which is far too strong for a frail elderly person with comorbidities. Mum was not offered any nutrition, we had to organise food for ourselves and it felt like a long stressful walk back to the coffee shop in main reception. The vending machine in A & E was being repaired and there were no drinks or food in the ambulatory section. Nor was account taken of her need to rest during a long visit 10 am until 4pm. I would be pleased to receive any acknowledgement of my feedback which I have given in the interest of helping the system to improve, thank you.