"I feel me and my child were not treated as humans"

My daughter became unwell a few days ago with stomach pain, a sore head and a high temperature.

I rang doc on call and they advised me to go to A&E. On arrival we were put into a small room which looked like a wash room. The nurse came and did her NEWS. My daughters temperature was 39.4° and a heart rate of 130.

The nurse wanted to do a blood sugar check on her, as soon as my child heard the word blood she went into a panic and began crying and stressing out. My child told the nurse she is scaring her and this is when the nurse went into my child's face 'mocking her' letting on to cry and telling my child she is scaring her (the nurse). As my child was stressing and screaming 'No' I told the nurse to not take her blood sugar and the nurse replied 'so she's non compliant' and walked away.

3 hours went by, no one came near us. I asked for a sip of water for my child and was told she wasn't allowed anything to drink. I asked the receptionist how long it would be til my daughter is seen again and I was snapped at and told there are sick people in here!

I am not medically trained but I do know when my child is very sick and I know a temperature this high is serious. As the night went on and no word of the doctor or nurse, I took my daughter home and went straight to my own GP who thankfully sourced the cause of her temperatures and gave her the correct medication and treatment she needed.

This experience has definitely got my eyes open. I feel myself and my child were not treated as humans. I do appreciate staff are being pushed to their limits and are working so under pressure they are forgetting their compassion & respect towards patients.

Recently I had to be admitted to hospital and spent the night in A&E and I had a pleasant experience but this one was far from pleasant. I certainly will never bring my child back to Causeway A&E.