"Some staff very unprofessional"

This evening, I accompanied my daughter to A&E at Lister. She attended on Wednesday and was given a rescription for an asthma inhaler. The doctor told her that he thought her asthma was "playing up" causing her bad cough, headache and sore throat!??

This afternoon, she was suffering considerable pain in her ear and so returned to A&E at Lister.

The department was reasonably busy and my daughter was advised on arrival that there would be "some wait".

Both my daughter and myself work in mental health care and often accompany patients to the hospital so we expected to have to wait.

What we didnt expext however, was to see the receptionist and the person responsible for doing the basic meds observations, to both be scrolling through their personal mobiles.

When my daughter queried the delay, she was advised that her name had been called once already - neither of us heard her name

Called, probably due to the volume of the tv playing a radio station and the fact that the girl who had apparently called her, was subsequently observed calling people so quietly that the people next to us commented the same - they couldnt hear her.

Some HALF HOUR after seeing this young lady checking through her personal phone in front of patients who were already fed up with the delay, my daughter was called (apparently for the second time)...my daughter questioned whether it was fair or professional to be on her phone while patients were waiting. The young lady apologised! My daughter asked how to make a complaint and some 5 - 210 minutes later, a senior person came down to speak to her.

I understand, as most of us do, how hard working most NHS staff are and that they work under extreme pressure.

I understand they need to take the occasional break!

What i neither understand nor accept is that they should be so unprofessional - both the person booking people in and the lady doing the meds observations, to be using their phones whilst people are waiting to be seen.

The receptionist "snapped" at a couple of other people querying the delay in being seen, yet she too, kept using her personal phone and scrolling through it.

I am wholeheartedly against people abusing NHS staff but a little respect for patients and professionalism while on duty wouldnt go amiss!

After some two and a half hours" my daughter was diagnosed with an inflamed ear drum and ear infection and given a prescription which can only be filled by the hospital pharmacy. Needless to say the pharmacy had closed by then so we have to return tomorrow and my daughter has to get through the night on painkillers.

PERSONAL MOBILES SHOULD BE PUT AWAY WHILST ON DUTY SURELY??