My Son had been suffering kidney stones, aged 25. He visited 7 different medical centres, hospitals, etc, and kept getting fobbed off, despite being in agony, over several weeks. I rang an ambulance recently in March, as he was screaming in pain and passing in and out of consciousness.
We got to his house, some 9 miles from ours, and there was no ambulance, just him on the floor. We took him to James Cook, less than a mile from his home, after 40 minutes had gone by since I rang for an ambulance. Eight ambulances were waiting outside A&E when I got him there. I knew one paramedic who was there, and demanded to know why he had not been sent an ambulance. He informed me that all ambulances were told not to collect any more patients, as 'they were too full' People were spilling out of the doors as there was standing room only. Patients brought by ambulance were stacked up in rows - one gentleman had two heart attacks waiting to be seen by a dr. We were left in the waiting room for more than 3 hours, while my Son projectile vomited in pain, and passed a lot of blood, which I gave a sample of, to a nurse. He was humiliated having to do all this in front of strangers. We were taken to a cubicle, then sent back out to the main area 'to wait for a dr' after 4 hours, he was taken for a CT scan, and told he had a large stone. They said they would give him pain relief. A cannula was inserted. Half an hour later, they took it out, and told him to go home, and see if he could speak to a urologist the next day.
They were on holiday. He was left to pass this many days later, all the while in excruciating pain. COMPLETELY unacceptable response. This was his second visit to them inside two weeks, with the same problem. The first time, they said unless he needed a blood transfusion they would not treat him. Nobody cared. Nobody helped his pain. He was given one anti emetic which he vomited within minutes, and filled three pans with vomit, but again, nobody even asked if he was ok. All in all, a horrendous experience.
"Our over all experience"
About: North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust / Emergency ambulance North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust Emergency ambulance Newcastle Upon Tyne NE15 8NY The James Cook University Hospital / Accident and emergency The James Cook University Hospital Accident and emergency Middlesbrough TS4 3BW The James Cook University Hospital / Urology The James Cook University Hospital Urology TS4 3BW
Posted by salandscott (as ),
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