"A+E experience"

My dad attended FVRH A+E department after falling off his bike - he sustained a large haematoma to his leg, 2 large grazes on his elbow and leg and tissue damage to his arm and shoulder. He was triaged very quickly and 10 minutes later was sent for an X-ray of his shoulder. After this he was moved from the treatment area to the main waiting area where he sat for 4 hours. Within that time, on 2 separate occasions, members of the public came up to check he was ok, as he was pale and rocking in pain. He had taken ibuprofen prior to coming in so wasn’t offered any more analgesia. He was then taken back in to the treatment area where a nurse began to apply a sling. It wasn’t until my dad asked if they could clean up his elbow before fitting the sling did the nurse run a swab under the tap, wipe the blood from his graze and apply a mepore. 

I am very aware of what can be happening behind closed doors when it seems like the department is quiet, however my dad and I feel his care was substandard. Waiting times are to be expected and I imagine he was relatively lucky to have only had to wait 4 hours. My concern is that due to covid, a lot of people are waiting in the waiting area without a family member who normally would be keeping a close eye on them. I understand, due to potential lack of staff, it is difficult to have eyes on every patient but maybe something could be done to improve this. 

Considering my dad fell outside, I would have also have expected his grazes to be cleaned and dressed properly. His experience was purely poor practice and I’m upset at the lack of care from the HCP who attended to him. 

Overall, although my dads experience wasn’t the best, he couldn’t fault how friendly and kind everyone was and we are very appreciative of the amazing service we have. I hope this feedback allows for some changes to be made in improving the experience of the next person. 

We thank you all for your hard work and dedication during this difficult time.