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"My needs were not taken onboard at Royal a&e"

About: Royal Victoria Hospital / Accident & Emergency

(as a service user),

I attended the royal a&e recently as advised by my GP due to a suspected kidney infection. I have a skin condition that means I have severe ulceration of the skin and these can be brought on by long periods of sitting and having multiple already are very painful. 

I was referred to urgent care and informed them of this situation when they phoned, they said there was nothing they could do but to inform the triage nurse when I arrived. I arrived at urgent care shortly after 4pm, I explained to the triage nurse the situation however they weren't very sympathetic to it and I was told sitting in the waiting room was the only option (I wasn’t asking or expecting to be seen quicker just perhaps a trolley or softer seat so I could take some pressure off my skin). 

I was surprised when I was moved to zone B which was yet again another sitting area. I explained my situation again in their triage area but again it was just dismissed. I seen a doctor and became really upset when they said I would need to be admitted due to the fact I knew I couldn’t continue to physically sit any longer. They told me around half past 8 they’d try and find a trolley so I could lie down, I spend all this time with no pain relief as I wasn’t allowed to take my usual medication and nothing was written up. 

Eventually at 10pm I got a trolley but only because they wanted to change a suprapubic catheter. I was then allowed to wait on this trolley until I got a bed around midnight. Having to sit for the prolonged period resulted in two new necrotic ulcers by the time I was going to the ward. I just feel that my needs were not taken onboard by anyone in the department.

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Responses

Response from Linsey Sheerin, Divisional Nurse, Urgent and Emergency Care, Emergency Care, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust 2 years ago
Linsey Sheerin
Divisional Nurse, Urgent and Emergency Care, Emergency Care,
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Submitted on 20/11/2021 at 11:58
Published on Care Opinion at 11:58


Dear Mce567,

My name is Linsey Sheerin, I am the Service Manager for Urgent and Emergency Care at the Royal Victoria Hospital. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience on Care Opinion and please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in providing you with a response.

I am saddened to read of your poor experience and that your needs were not met when you attended our services. It is unacceptable that you were offered pain relief and spent a considerable time in discomfort, I will ensure that your experience is shared with staff so that learning can take place.

Zone B is an ambulatory assessment area, however given your requirement of needing a trolley for comfort and to prevent further breakdown of your skin you should have been referred to a more appropriate area. I am sorry that staff did not provide a holistic assessment of your needs which resulted in further distress.

If you would like to discuss any further aspect of your care, please do not hesitate to contact me at Linsey.sheerin@belfasttrust.hscni.net. I hope that your are currently well and making good progress in your recovery.

Best wishes

Linsey

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