"Lack of actual care"

I brought my relative over to A&E recently. We waited 12 hours before leaving and going home, though we were through triage quickly. My relative‘s blood pressure was extremely high and her symptoms were confusion, lightheaded and blurry vision on and off.  

After she had her bloods done she was not seen again . At approximately 11 pm. I knocked the triage nurses door to see if she could have her blood pressure taken, but they said no as they had multiple patients waiting on triage. Surely slipping the blood pressure machine on wouldn’t have held them up too long?

The receptionist then came into the waiting area and demanded that all non-patients leave and go to their cars or wait at the front of the hospital. I could not leave as my relative was in a wheelchair and needed me for assistance. Following that a senior staff member came in with a similar tone telling us that the hospital was nearly in an emergency situation and there were several people being resuscitated in resus (information I don’t think is appropriate to tell everyone), and any non emergencies needed to go home. By that stage we had been there 11 hours. It didn’t look to me as if patients were being seen in order of time or severity.

I went round to the nurses station again and asked if my relative could have her blood pressure taken or if anyone could look at the blood results so we could see if it had reduced any, then I could make a call if she was an emergency or not . I was told there was no one who could do this as the department was so busy and that they couldn’t make a decision as to whether we should stay or go home.

I felt the senior staff member I mentioned was extremely rude, shouting at me that I was keeping them back from resuscitating people because they were talking to me. The emergency phone was ringing and they asked me if it was okay for them to take it. I was so shocked at their tone and rudeness.

Surely my relative should have been monitored during the day. There was nothing to drink or eat in the vending machine for sale and some patients who were waiting got their relatives to go to the shop and get some supplies for everybody. I fully understand that the staff were up to their eyes and were stressed out but I was unhappy with the care we received and feel the manner in which I was spoken to was so unsatisfactory and disappointing.

We went home at midnight and I rang the GP on the Monday morning. The GP sent us back for a brain scan to rule out a bleed from a previous fall.

On this day the staff were amazing and so thorough. An HCA was amazing at getting blood and the Doctor who saw my relative was so thorough. She turned out to have an infection which was causing the delirium and she was admitted.

I had to make the call on the original visit to take my relative home and this should not have happened. If she had taken a stroke it would have been on my watch and I would have been responsible.

I feel there needs to be intermediate triage to follow up issues like high blood pressure. We never complained once about the wait time, but just the lack of actual care. I am a big fan of the hospital but was ashamed of it on that night and so disappointed.

The kindness and generosity of the Newry people waiting and their families was heartwarming and to them we were very grateful for feeding us and supplying water.