"A & E"

Staff did what they could when I was recently admitted with a serious head injury. They deserve credit in the current pandemic period where the provision of PPE was not all that it could have been (whether government or departmental management is at fault here, I don't know).

That said, I was unhappy with a somewhat crass and personalised remark one staff member made about my appearance. I will not divulge any names here but would suggest circulation of some sort of memorandum reminding staff that tactless and unprofessional remarks towards patients are not acceptable.

Furthermore, during the 9 hours I spent in A&E I was not offered a hot drink at any point. I was offered a fish sandwich but that was because I was given a medication (ibuprofen) which could have upset my stomach without food intake. I had a squashed packet of crisps in my pocket and made to with that but offering a fish sandwich to a patient where the department appeared to have no policies whatever on special dietary needs (I am a vegetarian) is surely not acceptable. Indeed, I find it quite staggering in the third decade of the twenty-first century that your department has a mindset on this question which appears to be mired in the 1950s...

I was also very unhappy with the fact the A&E dept had no provision to ensure a discharged patient with a serious head injury was taken home in an ambulance or similar hospital car. I was required to make my own way home at my own expense in a taxi where the department gave out completely wrong information about which taxi firms would accept debit cards.

I received a text message asking me to comment on my experiences in the hospital but the only number given in said text would allow me to reply...

Thank you to hard-pressed hospital staff on the front line but, given the above, there is surely a lot that needs looking into.