"Visit to A&E"

Last week, once again, I had reason to visit A&E after finding my husband unresponsive early one morning at home. The staff were quite exceptional in their care and compassion. By mid afternoon, after an improvement in his condition, transport was arranged by a hospital Matron and he was taken to the discharge lounge. Whilst there his blood pressure fell and the Nurse Practitioner decided to re- admit him. When he was ready to be discharged a second time, the Consultant said he didn't meet the criteria to have hospital funded transport home. The Nurse Practitioner arranged a taxi and stayed with and helped my husband into the taxi. It was essential that I had help as, when we got home, there would be a long dark path leading to the cottage. After the taxi left our address, because I was unable to leave him to go and get either his walking stick or a wheel chair, he fell. I then had to leave him alone in the dark on the ground to get his wheelchair.

Earlier, I had offered to pay for the transport but the staff wouldn't hear of this. I fully appreciate the NHS is not a taxi service but, with my husband having a history of falls, on the last occasion, when he split his head open requiring 14 stitches, there was a great difference in walking a few steps to see if he was able to walk, to walking a hundred plus steps to reach the front door of the cottage.

My husband refused to be taken back to North Staffs to have his injuries tended to because he was afraid as to who the doctor would be!

Once again, I would like to reiterate how superb the nursing staff were.