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"Left waiting and in pain"

About: Hull Royal Infirmary

I was taken by ambulance into A & E with excruciating abdominal pain, receiving nitrous oxide (i think) for the pain, which worked well. After arrival I was moved and the gas was taken away from me, meaning the pain came back, although shortly afterwards I was given a muscle relaxant as painkiller which, again, worked. However, this wore off as I waited and the pain returned. I advised a nurse at the time that I was in pain but after about 30 mins of waiting the pain became unbearable so I went to find another nurse who said she would bring pain relief. At this point the pain caused me to vomit so I rushed to the toilet, missing the nurse. When I next saw her she told me she'd been but I wasn't there so I explained why, expecting her to give me something for the pain as soon as she was next free. After about 20 mins waiting, now in the worst pain of my life, I went to speak to another nurse (senior, I presumed), practically begging for help. I was told "We can't help you if you don't stay in your bed," and so I again explained that I'd had to vomit and went back to waiting in pain. Nobody came. I again began to vomit from the sheer pain, but now fearful to leave the room, used the sink in the corner, bringing the attention of a doctor who went to ask a nurse to help me. Nobody came. After a time the senior nurse found me hunched over the bed and expressed surprise that i still hadn't been seen to. Still nobody came. Ultimately I told the doctor that I could not wait any longer. She went to enquire where my medication was but having been told someone was getting round to me (!) actually came back to apply a pain-killing drip herself. In all I was waiting for well over 2 hours in horrendous pain. I had asked no less than 5 different people to please help, yet only the busy doctor herself could eventually assist. I found this extraordinary and completely unacceptable. Why? How could this happen? Was I being punished for being absent through vomiting on the first occasion? If so I was being punished for being ill! In short, the doctor was helpful, and I know they're busy but the nurses quite simply did not do their job. Disgraceful service.

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Responses

Response from Hull Royal Infirmary 9 years ago
Hull Royal Infirmary
Submitted on 03/09/2014 at 11:43
Published on nhs.uk on 04/09/2014 at 04:00


Dear Mr McInnes Thank you for placing your posting on the NHS Choices website. We are sorry to read of your recent experience within our Emergency Department we will ensure that the staff concerned are made aware. I Thank you once again for taking the time to provide us with your views on local NHS services. Kind regards, Patient Experience Team Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

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