"Meeting targets"

Anything else?

I went to the A&E department on Wednesday 29 May, suffering from chest pains. I was seen immediately and given an ECG and a blood test. I was advised that I had probably had a heart attack and that they would be doing an x-ray and a further blood test. In fact nothing happened for the next five hours and I was then transferred to a ward and waited for a bed to be made available. Time passed and the impression of organised chaos was self-evident. I felt sorry for the staff who were obviously doing their best in an impossible situation. I asked the reception nurse what was going on and she said the x-ray and blood test should have been done in A&E and that they would get round to doing it after the doctor had been around in the next couple of hours. At this point I discharged myself. The doctor "read me my rights" and I signed the forms. About an hour later, as I drove south, the medical registrar phoned me on my mobile and advised me to get to a coronary care unit as soon as possible. I went to the Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, where I received exemplary care and attention. So firstly, I would like to thank the medical registrar for saving my life! That said, the care in your A&E department fell short of basic standards and the booking-in of bed patients was a farce and needs immediate change. The staff, frankly, could not cope with the workload and patient care 'went out the window' in preference to the sheer weight of paperwork. If you want further feedback, call me on my mobile which you should find in your records.