"Poor communication in Accident and Emergency Dept"

I accompanied my daughter to A/E . She was sent there by her GP for investigation into a potential Pulmonary Embolus, gastroenteritis and for re -hydration. We waited for 1 and half hours for triage. She was taken through and observations taken. She was immediately taken through to a different waiting room with no explanation. After about 20mins she was taken to another room again with out explanation.

After 45 minutes, two support staff came in, one to take observations and the second to take blood and insert a cannula. These two continued a conversation about their out of work activities without speaking directly to my daughter. The one who took observations then informed her she was “barriered”. Having spent one and a half hours in the waiting my daughter queried what being barriered meant and what to do if she needed the toilet. She was told she could just go to the ones used by everyone. We both queried this and the staff member simply agreed it seemed weird and left.

After we had waited three hours in the department my daughter pointed out that at that point no-one had actually asked her a single question. I could go on and on, it got no better throughout her stay. We were in the department for 6 hours in total and despite her referal letter saying she needed resuscitation hydration, she was not once offered a drink or given fluids via the cannula. A Dr eventually came  and some semblance of a plan was made. We had a number of conversations with Dr who did their best and sent her on to the infectious disease unit at the RHH to continue her tests.

 I have spent many hours in A/E with my daughter over the years, I even sent in a compliment after her last visit, which was excellent, despite trollies lined up down the middle of the department. This occasion had to have been the worst ever. 

The department was not busy by A/E standards. I know fully about four hour waits. It wasn't the waiting, no one ever told us what she was waiting for.  I am an experienced nurse myself and know how communication with patients and families should work but, I think that Northern general hospital A/E failed dismally on this occasion.