"Friday the 13th nightmare!"

My 15 year old daughter had to have several X-rays on her knee followed by an appointment with a consultant but it all went absolutely terrible!

We arrived 15 minutes early in the X-ray department and waited a further hour and a half. When my daughter was finally seen she had 2 X-rays then was told to go upstairs to see a consultant. It was all going fine at that point except for the waiting of course but, as my daughter was getting ready for GCSE's she brought some revision materials to read over. When we were finally called in to see the consultant (another half an hour) it took about 5 minutes for them to tell us my daughter needed another X-ray in a different position.

Without complaining we went back downstairs and told the receptionist that my daughter needed another X-ray. The receptionist pointed us to a different part of the X-ray unit which we went to but, on arrival there was a dramatic change in environment. Hospital beds with patients in them were littering the corridor, old vulnerable patients were left on their own to wait either in wheelchairs or beds. Halfway through the wait my daughter noticed an old lady having either a fit or seizure of some kind (staff was notified immediately). Then all movement she had created stopped (she died in her wheelchair). The staff wheeled her slowly passed us and other patients, her blue eyes were wide open. My daughter couldn't look at her but caught a glimpse at her anyway, which shocked her to the core. She also found it distressing causing her to have a minor panic attack. After I calmed her down we were called in to have another X-ray. Unlike the nurse my daughter had before (they were a gem) the second one was absolutely rude and inconsiderate. Later when we were seen by the consultant, again, all they said was that my daughter need physio.

After leaving my daughter was unable to speak (which was very strange as she arrived a normal teen). I was very worried about her because not a lot of people have seen someone die in front of them let alone be 15.

Overall it was terrible, not just the waiting but the whole experience. It was physically and emotionally draining, never to be repeated. The staff was rude, the care for patients are atrocious and everything was awful. I am seriously worried about the state of that hospital.