"A&E experience"

I was shocked and very upset by my visit to the RVI A&E department, the only redeeming element being the friendliness and helpfulness of security and porters.

I was there for 10 hours total and sat in a corridor waiting on a hard chair for 8. I was seen by the wrong person three times and was unable to have the scan I needed. I was also taken to the wrong ward. I witnessed zero cleaning between patients or otherwise, severe lack of organisation, and a nurses station filled with student nurses and nurses eating chocolates and chatting. Zero privacy was available during the discussion of sensitive medical issues or security information (name/dob/address etc.). Both of my intimate exams were chaperoned by students who were pulled out of the corridor by doctors, one of whom was on her first day and had to take a deep breath to steady herself. I was removed from three rooms as doctors looked for places to examine patients, again with no consideration to the sterilisation of the room prior to or after examination. I also witnessed the utter disregard for elderly patients on trolleys in the corridor, one of whom was clearly distressed and asking for water and was ignored until he began to remove his ostomy bag at which point he was noticed by a passing doctor. This happened three times. Another wandered off a number of times and was not suitably supervised given his known confusion and conditions. In the end it was down to other patients to supervise him.

My condition was clearly not well understood and a number of misunderstandings ensued, yet no specialist was contacted, I had to do this myself.

Overall shockingly organised and a very frightening experience where care and urgency were, for the most part, absent.