"lack of courtesy by staffof McMillan cancer centre"

I was told to attend on 25 May at 9.30am at Mc Millan Cancer Center Lister Hospital, for chemo treatment cycle 5 for ovarian cancer. I arrived at 9.15am in order to be called in to start treatment on time. I was kept waiting until 10.30 am when nearly every patients who arrived after me were called in long before me.

When a nurse finally called my name at 10.30 am I expressed my disatisfaction by saying simply "finally" with a smile. Instead of apologising for the delay she shouted in my face "stop being so rude, show some respect to the staff" at the top of her voice. The surprise of her behaviour triggered some dizzy spells and I had to stop twice to recover my balance on the way to the treament room. She showed no concern for this.

She took me to a seat and spent another 10 minutes berated me at the top of her voice so that every other patient could listened to her treating me like a naughty child misbehaving at school and showing disrespect to teachers leaving me embarrassed and humiliated.

In addition she was very clumsy when putting the canula in ignoring the pain she was inflicting me so much so that I one point I screamed due to the intensity of the pain. She finally gave up and called another nurse who put in the canula within a few second and with hardly any pain.

I apreciate that the nurse was not responsible for the delay, the blame resting with an appointment system who calls all patients in at 9.30 when it is obvious that nurses can only process four to five patients in one hours. The simple remedy being that appointments should be staggered during the morning . If I cannot be seen before 10.30 then I should be asked to attend at 10.30.

It is unacceptable to be crammed in a waiting room with not more explanation for the delay than "sit there and wait your turn will come eventually"

I was even told by another nurse that this was the NHS and you could not expect anything better and should be grateful for what I was getting since I did not have to pay for it.

This attitude is totally unacceptable from NHS staff who should be asked to re-read the NHS constitution who states that all patients should be treated with consideration and courtesy. This being specially true for cancer patients who already have to stress with a life threatening illness and the very distressing side effects of the drugs they receive.

I was advised to place a formal complaint via PALS but I am not willing to take the complaint further as most nurses are very hard working and caring. I would expect that the appointment system be looked at to make patients experience better.