"No dignity or respect"

I recently went with a friend to Barnet's A&E department. Although we were waiting for 7 hours to be seen, I was not dissatisfied with the treatment my friend or me experienced. However, during the time I spent waiting in the reception area of the department, I witnessed very poor treatment of another patient.

An elderly patient with severe vomiting and diarrhoea was in the waiting area surrounded by people. It was lovely to see fellow patients in the waiting room come to this patient's aid when they vomited, helping clean them up. However, when staff were notified about the patient, who was still vomiting in the waiting area, they told us that they were busy but would be out as soon as they could. The patient continued to vomit in the waiting room for a further hour and a half before being moved, despite the staff being reminded about the patient covered in their own vomit numerous times. The elderly patient had their dignity taken away completely and I believe that no matter how busy the NHS staff are, it would have taken no more than 5 minutes to move the elderly patient for more privacy. I am completely shocked by the lack of respect the NHS staff had for this patient and it was fellow A&E patients that came to the aid.

Furthermore, once the patient had been taken from the waiting area, the vomit and diarrhoea left stayed on the floor of the waiting room and on numerous seats for over two hours. People were walking through it to get to the children's ward and although requests were sent out twice on the loudspeaker system for a cleaner to come to the area (after reminders by A&E patients) , no one came. Not only is there a possibly of infection spread due to this, but it was making patients who were sat around the area feel sick themselves. When a cleaner finally turned up, they avoided cleaning up the vomit and diarrhoea, mopping the rest of the floor instead. After requests by patients to clean it up, which the cleaner completely ignored, the cleaner left for a break, returning after half an hour to finally clean the mess up. However, the cleaner left some vomit on the chair and by my feet.

I feel infection control, hygiene and dignity are below adequate levels at this hospital, and I would do everything I could to avoid going to this A&E department again.