"Understaffed A&E Department"

Attended A&E on the advice of GP after an accident on the weekend causing swelling and embedding of an ear piercing - nothing too serious but was advised the GP couldn't carry out a minor procedure on.

We arrived before 5pm at A&E and wait approximately 2 hours just to be seen by Triage - they confirmed I would need a local anaesthetic and a small incision made in order to remove the piercing. We waited until around 9.30pm by which we'd gotten talking to the people we were sat next to - one person had arrived at 8.30am (still hadn't been seen when we left at 11pm) and another who had already been diagnosed but staff were insistent had to go via A&E rather than be directly admitted to receive care.

After it became obvious the hospital we severely understaffed to equip with intake of patients, the lovely guy from Triage announced that we were looking at a 12 hour minimum wait to see a Doctor (even for Minor Injuries) and that those with limb of less serious injuries would be better off waiting until next day and attending a Minor Injuries or Urgent Care Unit.

I have tried every MI or UCU within a 40 mile radius - not one of these has an Emergency Practice Nurse or a Doctor in order to perform this minor procedure. I find this astounding, we have dedicated places for minor injuries to help relieve some of the stresses on emergency departments that are going unused because these centres aren't actually equipped or staffed to deal with minor injuries?! My injury does not warrant sitting in a hospital where people need care for serious illness or injury but there is nobody else that can deal with it. I feel awful for the staff there who where trying their best to cope with the situation!