"My son was taken to A&E via ..."

What I liked

My son was taken to A&E via ambulance suffering from an asthma attack and was treated thoroughly and I was fully informed of everything that was happening.

What could be improved

We were moved to childrens ward where facilities seem to be lacking somewhat. Although there were many empty side rooms my partner had to sleep in a chair in the ward next to my son on the first night, it was explained that the side rooms were kept for babies and infectious patients, which we would of gladly have moved rooms if one of these patients had been admitted. I am concerned that parents/ guardians are not supervised/ vetted in any way, therefore a potential abuser could be able to access vulnerable children.

Anything else?

My son needed to have an ECG as a precaution. We were told that the results seemed fine one day and this morning told that they were not and further investigation would be required. The doctor then saw me a couple of hours later and said that his calculations were wrong and my son was ok after all. This was a huge relief, but I am angry that he was not more thorough when reading my sons results and had not got a second opinion before telling me the results were not normal and causing my son, myself and my family a great deal of emotional distress. He also did not apologise for his mistake. Also my son- who is 9- complained that none of the staff communicated with him directly giving him reassurance and telling him what is going on. Children have fears and anxieties and questions that need answering during a stressful stay at hospital.