"Disappointing emergency care"

My son was taken to emergency department of RVI by ambulance after collapsing in the street and having a seizure, something that had never happened to him before. He had neither been drinking alcohol nor taking drugs. I have no complaint with the care he was given nor the three and a half hour wait. The reception staff were pleasant but the nursing staff seemed completely devoid of kindness on any level. We were sat in a room for a considerable length of time without anyone popping in and asking if my son was ok. Nobody even looked into the room and smiled. Yet there were several nurses sat chatting at the nurses station. While my son's condition may be commonplace to them, it wasn't for us and it was an anxious time for us. The first doctor that came into see us walked in and started talking without introducing themself and when, via the intercom, an announcement was made for doctors to resus, they got up and walked out without a word. After another wait, another doctor came in and I couldn't fault them at all. They introduced themself, had a lovely warm manner and was extremely professional and thorough in the care they gave my son.

As a patient or carer you feel very vulnerable. We were made to feel as if the nurses just did not care about us. They were unfriendly, abrupt and unkind in how they spoke to us.

My son was kept in the assessment suite overnight. When I visited the following day, I was prepared for the same attitudes, however, the staff on the assessment suite couldn't have been more different. They were friendly, cheery and helpful. I can't fault them. Two shining gems were the young nurse in the bay and the domestic