"Waiting time terrible"

There HAS to be a better way of organising this. I was brought in with my 13 month old via ambulance after calling 111 with breathing difficulties, left to wait for 4 hours, treated (2hrs), then sent home with strict instructions to return if temp increased again or breathing problems returned. This happened so (on advice of 111) 3 hours later I was back in the waiting room, we have now being here over 7 hours, (10pm-5am) on a hard chair in the waiting area next to a door that lets in gusts of wind everytime it opens, people are leaving without being seen and others are going in before us who arrived after. Communication is terrible, I am just acting on drs instructions being here but if she’s not unwell enough to be seen we should be told that, not ignored, alternatively we should be seen in order of arrival. Nurses doing obs are ok and I appreciate it’s terribly busy and drs are under immense pressure but these are sick children. I repeat- there MUST be a better way of doing this, an appointment system? a traffic light priority system? Just better communication all round. Management please please please look into this it’s an incredibly painful experience for absolutely everyone involved. Also what on earth is the justification for one parent only (from same household) when masks are mandatory and there are no restrictions elsewhere anymore? Further pain for the both parents, the ones in alone and the ones left outside. After going through the trauma of having a baby in lockdown this is insult to injury when everything else is well and truly open.