"A&E doing ok in straightened circumstances"

Having had an X-Ray at Clacton which confirmed my hip was fractured I was told that the minimum time for an ambulance to Colchester was 10 hours. Luckily I had access to crutches and transport. I presented the letter I was given to Colchester A&E but after initial assessment was told to sit in a chair. Only at the point when I nearly fainted was care finally taken and I was moved to a cubicle with a bed. The first doctor I saw asked me why I was there and had obviously not read the referral letter from Clacton. I finally had a CT scan at 2am the next morning confirming the need for an operation, having originally arrived at Clacton 10 hours earlier. I was told the operation could take place in the next 72 hours. In the morning a nurse told me I could eat as the operation would not take place until the next day. Less than a minute after I had eaten a piece of toast the consultant arrived expecting to operate that morning, so plans had to change. A category of errors and missed communication. It is clear that resource levels are below requirements, even if staff are trying their best.