"A&E - what a nightmare"

Having experienced heart palpitations, I was sent down to A&E to be checked out. I was told I would be seen within an hour. I waited over five hours to be seen, only to be dismissed within two minutes. The medical staff gave the impression of being completely disinterested in the wait, though they apologised for it in a routine way. No information about who I was waiting to be seen by was forthcoming at any stage and a number of us were reduced to tears by the total lack of information, the long wait and the complete lack of empathy of interest from the reception staff.

The floor in the waiting room was covered in blood, rendering several of the seats unusable on an evening when wait times were clearly high and half the remaining seats were inaccessible due to repairs. Several cleaning staff walked through over the course of the evening. They all ignored this disgusting mess. Split bodily fluids all over the floor must constitute a health hazard and is at best, unpleasant for all around it.

I was very disappointed in the overall cleanliness as well as how I was treated by the staff. West Mid clearly needs to work on how it communicates with its patients. The night receptionist in particular could use some pointers in speaking to individuals with even a grain of humanity.