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"Mater Emergency Department"

About: Mater Hospital / Accident & Emergency

(as a service user),

My 87 year old father was sent up by his GP with cardiac symptoms. He was seen in the clinical area but returned to the main reception were he sat for  a total of 13 hours. The seats were uncomfortable. There was no information regarding food . He hadn’t eaten until I arrived after 8 hours.  The single toilet was soiled with 3 different types of bodily fluids. This presented an infection prevention control and safety issue. This happened twice. Although the domestic services were called twice, there were significant periods in between. My father who has mobility issues was advised to leave the reception area, take a lift up 2 levels , follow an atrium, descend a level to use alternative toilets. He couldn’t use the lift or wait that long. He used the soiled toilet. By this stage some of the wet liquid on the floor had dried in but I was afraid he would slip and fall. 

Some suggestions:

Domestic services available immediately in ED.

More than one toilet

More comfortable chairs - with arms- the number  of elderly patients struggling to get up was of concern.

Enquiring of patients in reception if they are accompanied and how to get food

Positive feedback for the nursing and medical staff though. Fully acknowledging service pressures  on ED.

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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 14/06/2022 at 16:26
Published on Care Opinion at 16:26


Dear Spiersy,

My name is Linsey Sheerin, I am the Service Manager for Urgent and Emergency Care in Belfast Trust. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience on Care Opinion, I am sorry to read your father's poor experience. If you would like to discuss this further please email me linsey.sheerin@belfasttrust.hscni.net and I can arrange a call. You have made some very constructive suggestions on how we can improve our service and these will be shared with the respective teams.

Despite the poor experience taking the time to acknowledge the current pressures faced by staff. I hope your father is currently well and making progress in his recovery

Linsey

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