"The helpful and pleasant approach ..."

What I liked

The helpful and pleasant approach of the nurse.

What could be improved

I was admitted at around 11.00am with a suspected fractured patella following an accident at work. I had passed out, was speaking slowly and had low blood pressure. I was left in the entrance corridor with both doors wide open for around an hour and a half. I was very cold. The member of the ambulance staff who was with me said there were no more blankets. Once inside A&E I had to wait for several hours before I was seen by a consultant. I found his manner totally inappropriate and disrespectful. I was given a bedpan which the nurse said was useless as the urine went straight through it onto the floor. My husband and I several times intervened on behalf of the elderly lady in the opposite bed. She was alone and in agony and in our opinion treated abysmally. We have seen similar things wheneeer we have been in A&E. When the ostepathic doctors came to see us, they gave us about one minute of their time to tell me that I have a fractured patella, and must have 6 weeks in plaster and 6 more weeks off work after that. I have a management role for Staffordshire County Council so this was no small matter. They gave us no opportunity to ask questions. They did not introduce themselves and were neither pleasant nor respectful. At around 6pm I finally had a full leg plaster out on. The nurses who did this were not competent to do this. They had no time to show me how to use the crutches nor to tell me how to cope at home. The plaster was put on so badly that it had sharp angles at the top and, when I went back a couple of days later to get it changed at the request of my GP, I had large black bruises caused by the plaster. I was in A&E in all for arond 7 hours and had a truly awful experience.

Anything else?

I wish to lodge a formal complaint against the hospital and provide more detail.