"Admitted and ignored."

My husband attended A&E due to suspected sudden onset of Afib @ 11:00 am at FVRH. Wait times 6 hours on hospital board. Triaged after hours and sent back to the wait room only to be called back due to a concern over low BP, sat on chair in corridor. Head ECG, x-ray & bloods. Moved after 6 hours.  The doctor wanted him admitted to the Assessment Centre where again given a seat. No food was offered until 8:30pm - he had not eaten since breakfast. Nobody came near for 4/5 hours. The doctor arrived at 10:40pm and confirmed Afib and fluid overload. No monitoring the whole time in assessment, but he was told he was at risk of stroke. No beds, so still sat in chair until 00.44 when finally given a bed in same area, now over 13 hours since being dropped off. He was told he would be seen in the morning and left!

Care actually began at 6:30am this morning! He was observed, fed & spoken to, it was like suddenly he had appeared! He saw the cardiologist at 11:30 and told what was to happen and he would be discharged after the pharmacist had explained his new medication. He waited until 3.30pm for the pharmacist but instead another doctor came and explained everything to him, he was then discharged. 

What happened between yesterday, when sat for 4/5 hours and was ignored,  to today when he was acknowledged, cared for and felt seen in the same unit?   He was never moved from assessment.

What I don’t understand:

Why keep him on a chair and not admit until the next day with no monitoring and only having observation 3 x in over 19 hours, no intervention?

Do cardiology not work on a Tuesday?

If ‘complex’ and don’t know what to do, why not liaise, (call), with cardiology i.e. his HF nurse or cardiologist?

A doctor finally saw my husband after him being sat for over 11 hours, five of which were in the observation/assessment area with nobody going near him.  I would like to say to that doctor that they gave no support, reassurance or empathy, but seemed to prefer to snap and belittle because he asked what he should be doing. As a middle aged gentleman he is no less anxious, scared, vulnerable than any other person on your round and deserved more compassion under the circumstances.  I am so disappointed you made him feel this way.

So sad people who are feeling awful are treated this way and made to feel they are in the way and a hindrance, especially in such a vulnerable time! It was as if they did not know what to do but rather than discharge they admitted and ignored.

He is thankfully home but what an ordeal. He has said he will never attend again unless he is blue lighted. That is sad as it could put his life in danger with his heart condition but that’s how he has been left feeling.

I would like to thank those that did care for my husband, did make him feel seen, did make him feel as if you cared and validated his presence after being admitted and ignored.