"Took friend to A&E with suspected DVT."

My friend and neighbour (74) has dementia and I suspected that he had deep vein thrombosis due to a swollen leg and pain in the groin.

I firstly phoned NHS DIRECT, who dealt with the query immediately.

They recommended using the Out of Hours GP facility at Wrexham Maelor.

This team rang straight back and were very helpful, giving him a 10pm appointment.

Later that evening they phoned again explaining that my friend's symptoms sounded serious and to go straight to A&E to save time.

We got to A&E at about 8.15pm and were greeted by a helpful receptionist.

However the Out of Hours staff member was surly and indifferent when I checked that we hadn't wasted someone else's 10pm appointment; not my responsibility but out of courtesy.

He was triaged very promptly by a lovely nurse and given a 'yellow' status - urgent.

We waited until around 11.25pm and were seen in an interview room and then a cubicle, where he was examined by a very nice young doctor who took blood and diagnosed DVT, and then a nurse for an anti-coagulant injection.

I was shown how to give a second jab at home and we left having been given everything we needed.

The people who mattered were GREAT.

The wait was acceptable given it was bank holiday Monday.

The information given is slightly lacking as several patients are apparently waiting for GP Out of Hours and look like they are being seen more quickly: There's little commuication as to how long things will take.

At 10.30pm I asked the receptionist when he mightbe seen as he was getting restless and was warned the other person 'on yellow' had been waiting 3.5 hours.

We were seen sooner though.

The waiting room is plain but bright and well presented but unacceptably filthy.

This really perturbed me - the floor clearly has not been washed for days - I realise there are terrible budget contraints, but an orderly using a floor washing-machine earning the Living Wage could surely clean it every shift? On getting home I washed all our clothes and immediately had a shower, I felt so grubby.

My friend was booked in for a scan and is now due to have this tomorrow.