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"Disappointed"

About: Ipswich Hospital / Accident and emergency

Two weeks ago I had an awful fall, crashing onto concrete, bashing the whole left side of my face and my head. My husband took me to A & E, the recptionist was very kind and helpful, they understood what I was saying and I clearly understood what they were asking me. The triage nurse was impatient with me because I could just not understand the questions they were asking me and they really had difficulty understanding me too, it was ridiculous really. The nurse who took my blood tests was very kind, friendly and there was no language barrier, they understood me perfectly as I did them. The junior doctor became extremely frustrated because I just could not understand what they were saying to me to the point of tutting and sighing, looking at my hisband to see if he could translate but he couldn't understand them either. The registrar doctor, later in the evening, who needed to see me treated me as if I was not there really, whilst examining me they made eye contact and talked with the junior doctor about me the whole time in a language I could not understand. I left thinking, but they didn't ever check my eye, they didn't understand me. Two weeks later, my eye still very sore and in pain, I went to my GP who sent me to another hospital in my area for imaging. What a relief that the receptionist, nurse in charge and radiographer could clearly understand me and me them, it made my visit and their task so much easier. Well, it turned out that I had actually fractured my eye socket and disarranges my sinuses when I fell, my GP and the hospital they referred me to were quite surprised Ipswich did not do any imaging of my head and eye given the severity of my fall. I am disapointed and also if I might add, worried about perhaps having to go to Ipswich again, what if there is a language barrier, what if mistakes, serious mitakes are made because staff can not verbally understand patients, patients cannot verbally undertand staff ? It worries me and I worry for others too, particularly the elderly. Might I add there were also health and safety hazards in the consulting rooms, bottom drawerers left open on cabinets patients or staff could have easily tripped over and electrical wires on the portable machines they wheel around from room to room just left trailing all over the place. Another thing that was disgusting was they were not changing the paper roll on the bed after each patient, my husband reckoned in the two hours we were there 15 patients shared the same ripped and scrumpled up paper sheet with me. Might I add it was a fairly quiet Saturday night too, they weren't rushed off their feet and it only takes seconds to replace the paper roll sheet after each patient. I just want doctors and nurses, no matter their mother language or country of origin, to have a sound knowledge and understanding of the English language written, spoken and understanding.

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Responses

Response from Ipswich Hospital 6 years ago
Ipswich Hospital
Submitted on 30/10/2017 at 12:48
Published on nhs.uk at 13:37


Thank you for leaving your comments on NHS Choices, I have passed your comments onto the Matron in A & E who has expressed her disappointment that the service you received in A & E. The matron will discuss your comments with her team and highlight the issues that you have raised, she assures me that action has already been taken regarding the Health and Safety issues.

I hope you are continuing to make a good recovery. Many thanks

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