"Concerned about staff competence and service in A&E"

I took my husband into A&E after a TV had fallen on my husband's foot leaving a heavy open bleeding wound and severe swelling and bruising.

After waiting about 15 mins we were seen by a nurse who looked at the wound and put dressing over it. We were told the foot needed x-raying and there was a 15 minute wait. After waiting for almost an hour his foot was x-rayed.

Then we went back to wait for a doctor to look - another 1/2 hour wait. This doctor then said he would have to get an orthopaedic doctor who informed us we would need to go to Walsgrave in Coventry to the plastic surgery unit and he would go and contact them to say we were on our way.

After waiting another 1/2 hour we went to ask if the call had been made to which the nurse replied I will go and find the doctor and ask. Finally after another 30 or 40 minutes the first doctor we had seen came and said we could go home and go back to Walsgrave two days later as an appointment had been made.

I questioned the fact that two doctors had different opinions about my husband's condition but this seemed to be fobbed off. The nurse then redressed my husband's wound but when he got off the bed it started bleeding badly. She said she was not happy at letting him go home like this, to which I agreed. I then said that two doctors had voiced different opinions about my husbands condition and could I see one of their superiors as I was not satisfied with the diagnosis.

She then went to find the two doctors. On her return again about 20 minutes later she informed us my husband would be staying in overnight and they were deciding where put him whether in an observation ward or orthopaedic and she would get back to us.

After waiting yet another 1/2 hour I then went myself to look for one of these doctors to ask what was going on and voiced my concern about being left and that nobody seemed to be doing anything.

They then decided to admit him to an observation ward - this was around 4 and half hours after arriving.

I would also like to point out that we were left unsupervised in cubicles where we had access to medical equipment and felt they just wanted us out of the door asap to achieve their KPI targets.

Whilst I appreciate the NHS are stretched for staff, my observation was that lack of staff was not an issue. The issue was down to organisational skills and more worrying the inexperience of doctors who are discharging patients who clearly need further attention.