"Poor"

In early November I attended A&E during the night while experiencing acute and indescribable pain in my hand which was swollen.

The pain was not relieved by over-the-counter painkillers and my fingers were swollen.

The pain was of such intensity that I was shaking, my teeth were chattering and I was unable to sleep or use my hand.

I was seen fairly soon after arrival by a nurse who I felt was in sympathetic and trivialised the extent of my pain.

This belief was confirmed by the length of time I was kept waiting before seeing a doctor .

After 2 1/2 hours

A nurse eventually came into the waiting room and told me I would be seen next.

It was in fact a further hour and a half before I saw a doctor .

The doctor was excellent .

He splinted my hand and a dose of morphine after which I was discharged.

The entire process took approximately five minutes.

The department appeared to be very quiet that night with only one of the patient in the waiting room.

I am 63 years today age and this is only the second occasion in which I have attended A&E in my entire life.

I only went on this occasion because I couldn’t bear the pain any longer.

I felt badl y let down to be left sitting there for so many hours in excruciating pain without being updated about When I might be seen.

When I might be seen.

This experience was stark contrast to my earlier experience which I would rate as excellent.

This leads me to believe that the level of care is very dependent upon the level of skill of individual staff members.

I’m due to have surgery to my hand in a few weeks and although Warwick Hospital is the closest to my home I’ve chosen to go somewhere else.