"Suspected meningitis...yet made to wait 4 hours"

When last year I was taken ill, my parents became concerned when in the night the light was severely hurting my eyes. They rang up NHS direct, who advised us to go straight to A&E as they were concerned I was showing symptoms of meningitis.

Knowing meningitis is a time-related illness, which detreriorates very, very quickly, it was shocking to find the hospital staff failed to see me within 4 hours. When I saw a doctor eventually, I had actually somewhat improved and it was clear I did not have meningitis after all. It is lucky for me that this was the case as had I been that ill, I would not have received the neccessary treatment or the quick response necessary for a disease such as that.