"A&E experience and vulnerable people"

I attended A&E and it was quite distressing as it was attending in the first place. An explanation was given as best as could be about being a vulnerable person whose mental health affects communication but was simply told it was fine. 

On clerking in I asked for a pen so I could write down the details as easier for safeguarding reasons and communication.

I was then granted a side room to wait in but after being in an already distressed state, had a severe panic attack (shaking, nausea, palpitations, dizziness, rocking, crying) as on my own in a room with no support.

After an hour of emotional distress I left without being triaged and went home unseen. The whole experience would have been less traumatic should I have had the correct support at the time.

The trust needs to be more mindful that some people can’t even be seen without support and it’s making me not get the treatment needed. There will be the notion and opinion of “if they were that poorly they wouldn’t have left” but actually trying to get the symptoms seen caused more distress in this instance.