"Arrived By Ambulance"

Their notice boards say you should be out within hours. My mother was brought in by ambulance, the ambulance guys were absolutely amazing. I can't say the same about the team in A&E, when told someone would be back within 5 minutes, it took over half an hour. Just after 4pm I told a nurse that mum needed something to eat as she's diabetic and hadn't eaten since breakfast. He said he would sort something. Half an hour later I asked another nurse as mum was feeling weak and he actually went and tracked down a sandwich and a cup of tea for her. The nurse I had originally asked asked me an hour later if mum had got some food yet!

We were told a final blood test would be done at 6pm (bearing in mind we'd been there since 2pm) and had to chase twice for this which was done at 6.30, we were told we'd be able to leave in an hour as test results would be back by then. Mum was put on saline ivf and I was told to wait in the waiting area which was just chaos. Staff calling out patient names- very badic sounding names but they were loudly mumbling the names rather than saying them clearly so people couldn't work out who was being called. I eventually went back in to chase up the blood test results, the nurse saud they weren't back yet without even checking. Then she checked on her screen and said they were back. The doctor who'd been looking after mum said they would send results of tests in the post "soon" - she couldn't say if that would be a week or 5 or 6 weeks. Very worrying as this is the 2nd time mum has bern taken to hospital by ambulance. Mum was given a sample tube and told to take it to the surgery. When they took the sample tube to the surgery they said there should have been some sort of report given by the hospital to give to the surgery with the sample. I specifically asked the doctor if we needed anything to give to the surgery to which she said they send it by post.

They're sitting there all day typing information into their computer screen yet they're claiming reports have to be sent by post. The various staff we encountered spent more time on their screens than with patients so if they're not updating patient records, one wonders what they're doing.

We eventually left the hospital around 8.30pm having arrived at 2pm, none the wiser about why we were there!