"my daughter's visit to A/E"

As a retired nurse of over 30 years being a charge nurse and a clinical nurse manager I feel I am still capable of assessing if someone has a problem. My daughter has been having ongoing upper respiratory symptoms for 2 months now with a "telephone appointment" with ENT next week.

This week she became really unwell with difficulties with breathing and swallowing describing like a back pressure making her respirations fast and laboured. I told her to call 999 as she has been through all the hoops of NHS24. The ambulance crew arrived one being very supportive and the other one being abrasive at best and downright rude at worst. Basically told her it was exaggerated and that since she had an appointment next week what did she want. On the way to the hospital not one word was spoken to her in the ambulance only to say arrogantly "I've been watching you and you breathing is fine and I hope you have money for your fare with you because you will be home and do you really want to sit for hours in triage? "

I am certain the triage nurse was influenced by the technician's report and showed the same attitude. The SHO who examined her said they did not have great experience in ENT but could not see a problem and it was not worth asking an ENT doctor to come down for an opinion then discharged her.

I personally have seen this dismissive attitude towards patients creeping in for years, and feel the care my daughter received was both unprofessional and subjective in as much they deemed her as a time waster despite the symptoms I outlined earlier. As I said this does not surprise me and I am so glad I am retired and out of this culture of indifference.