"Over 4 hours waiting in A&E despite being in pain"

I attended A&E on the advice of the 111 service who were outstanding.

111 suggested that I needed to be seen within the hour. I made the receptionist and triage nurse aware of this upon attending yet was kept waiting in reception for over 4 hours despite being in a lot of pain and struggling to swallow without extreme discomfort and at no time during that 4 hours was I offered pain relief despite my family members advising of my increasing discomfort.

I get that our nhs is stretched and that become more than apparent but what was not right was that people with very little wrong with them other than being intoxicated we’re attended too much quicker and with a lot more care! I also witnessed people exaggerating what was wrong to be seen quicker and then 10 minutes later having been seen I might add, we’re standing outside in the cold having a cigarette.

That is what is wrong with our nhs. When I was eventually ‘seen’ I was placed in a cubicle for a further half hour or so before the dr even registered that I was there.

I was then promptly given tests but I was then sent home having been told I had an infection but told antibiotics were not the answer, I was still in significant pain with no answers whilst the intoxicted patients were admitted to sleep it off. Granted I didn’t want to stay in but I certainly wasn’t given the level of care I needed.

If I’d have been drink I’d have got better treatment which I find disgusting.

Thank heavens GP’s are so accommodating, an appointment with them led them to carry out their own blood tests and I have now been provided the antibiotics I so desperately needed albeit 2 days later but the delay was unnecessary, I could have been treated sooner whilst in was there at A&E instead of needlessly suffering a further 2 days whilst feeling extremely poorly and losing time off work. I wouldn’t go back to A&E at Wigan again!