"A & E Dept lacks communication"

My husband attended A & E last Monday with a letter from his GP who told us that he would be "fast tracked" to a surgeon. We arrived at around 12 pm and waited in the queue for 35 minutes. He then had his blood pressure taken and we were told to go to Ward 15 the surgical part of A & E. I assume that this meant that they had achieved their target of seeing some one in 4 hours! We waited in a dismal room with many other patients who had clearly been there some time. The whiteboard indicated that the waiting period was one hour. After two hours I enquired at the desk, who were very indifferent and unhelpful, how much longer as I had to put more money in the car park. They had no idea and dismissed my enquiry. After about four hours we saw a junior doctor who could not make a diagnosis so we returned to the waiting room. We eventually saw a very efficient senior surgeon who made the diagnosis and said my husband could be treated right away. He carried out a minor operation and put a line in for an antibiotic. We eventually left the hospital just after 7 pm. The main source of my complaint is the unhelpful staff at the desk and total lack of information and care. Communication is the key to keep patients informed otherwise they get anxious and angry. Putting up a notice saying a one hour wait makes the situation even worse as you know that is never a feasible option.