"Insufficient staffing"

I had occasion to visit the hospital over this weekend on three occasions to visit an ill relative. I was horrified at the lack of attention and care given to this relative. At one point an alarm on a syringe driver was activated. An auxiliary nurse came in to turn off the 'call' alarm, but informed us that the 'trained' nurse was on their lunch break and they couldn't sort out the syringe driver. 35 minutes later the alarm was still sounding. It meant that no pain relief was being given to my relative during this time, causing considerable discomfort and distress. In the end one of us had to ask that the nurse interrupt the break to deal with the situation; this nurse was the only 'trained' one and in charge of twelve patients rather than the six recommended and indeed detailed on the 'staffing chart'. Not only was there an issue with pain relief, but simple instructions regarding a saline drip were ignored. If this weekend provides a snapshot of how this hospital operates, then people will be safer at home rather than in the clutches of their so-called professionals, who seem to care more about their own stomachs than the well being of their patients. Why did they bother entering the profession in the first place? If this had taken place at a school and a child had needed attention but had been told to wait for 35 minutes, there would, quite rightly, be an outcry from the public about the lack of professional care. Why should a hospital be any different? I left the place feeling absolutely disgusted.