"Caring, compassion, commitment, courage, competence, communication and infection prevention and control"

Last year I was treated at Royal Preston Hospital as an emergency admission for a laceration to my leg. My foot had been trapped in a door and there was a blow to my achilles heel. My partner wrapped a clean T-Shirt around my leg as I was bleeding profusely and unable to walk, he drove me quickly to A&E.

We arrived at the entrance and he assisted me out of the car, I could not walk and the T-Shirt was now very bloody. He turned and asked a nurse for help, she told him to move the car, he said he needed a wheelchair for me, she ignored me and his plea for assistance and walked away chastising him for parking at the A&E entrance. Fortunately an ambulance crew saw my plight and got me a chair and assisted me into A&E whilst my partner moved the car.

I was clearly in a state of shock but this nurse showed no compassion. When I was eventually triaged and sent for treatment I was concerned when being asked to climb onto a trolley with no sheet on with my gaping wound. I was worried about the risk of infection. I requested that a clean sheet be provided. The doctor fetched a sheet, my confidence was by this time undermined and I felt very nervous. I asked my partner to observe the procedure and that if aseptic technique was not followed to highlight this to the doctor. Whilst I recognised there was a risk of infection due to the nature of the injury, I wanted to ensure that no additional risk was posed from the environment or the doctor's hands.

I thanked the doctor for his skill and treatment, as I made a good recovery and did not get an infection. However, no after care advice was given, I couldn't walk and no crutches were offered. I received the triple booster for tetanus from a nurse who sat on the trolley where my leg had been treated - patients and visitors are advised not to sit on the bed so this was a poor example to set in terms of infection control.

Caring, compassion, commitment, courage, competence, communication - the 6Cs, on this occasion could have been better from some of the staff.