"My experience in A&E and ward 4 north"

I came into A&E on Friday night and was very disappointed with the conditions I encountered. The area was packed and over crowded and I felt so unsafe. During my wait of a long 8 hours, I was left uninformed and not updated, I felt lost in the system. I was in so much pain and yet was never offered pain relief at any point during my wait. I felt at risk of contracting covid at multiple times during my wait, as other patients around me failed to social distance. Additionally, many other patients weren't using the sanitizer dispensers. I took it upon myself to leave the main ED waiting room and head out into the main reception where I thought there was much more space to social distance. After I was eventually called to be seen, only then was I notified that that area was for suspected covid patients and that I shouldn't have been near it at all. This situation could have easily been prevented if there was better sign posts or a member of staff down in the ED telling people where they can and can't go. 

When I was eventually called in to be seen the staff were so good to me and they couldn't do enough. I saw immediately how skilled they were and I developed a bond of trust as they started to help me. After a short while I was then taken up to the  4 north ward where I am right now. The staff up here cannot do enough for me. Both medical and nursing teams do all they can to ensure I am comfortable and up to date with what's happening with regards to my care and treatment. I know I could ask the staff any question and they would get back to me with an answer as soon as they can. 

Overall the only suggestions I could make for improvements is for a better run A&E department. I think people need to be kept informed with regards to how long they will be waiting as well as what areas are safe of them to be in.