"15-month old febrile convulsion"

Anything else?

Our young toddler had a convulsion and was taken to MK hospital by ambulance. There was a 40 minute wait for the ambulance because the NHS ambulance service was overstretched and had outsourced a private ambulance company that covers Bedford, Barnet, Avon etc!!! My husband and I were terrified as were our two older children. While waiting for the second ambulance (the one that can transfer patients) I kept asking the first response lady why it was taking so long. She said that once the first response vehicle is there they stop the clock! In other words they've met their performance targets and there's no rush. Just what we needed to hear! On arrival at MK A&E we were met with the usual alcoholic fumes. This time we were lucky to get on children's A&E (in the past it's been full and my kids have seen a young boy who'd cut his stomach open jumping into a river and a man being resuscitated after having a heart attack). We waited three hours to see a doctor. When he finally came in he knew absolutely nothing about what had happened earlier in the day and wasn't interested in finding out. All he did was listen to my son's chest. Didn't check his throat, ears etc. and basically said we could take him home. The language barrier meant that we found it difficult to understand each other which didn't help. I insisted on seeing a paediatric doctor who promptly diagnosed tonsillitis which caused the convulsion. He was given antibiotics and we returned home some 8 and a half hours after his convulsion!! The doctor's examination of our son on that day was wholly inadequate. Milton Keynes A&E department is in my opinion inadequate for the population it now serves. It simply hasn't grown with the city. I believe you should feel confident that you can walk into your local hospital in times of need and know that you're going to receive prompt, clinically efficient and compassionate treatment. To feel safe and cared for. When I approach MK A&E all I feel is apprehension and fear.