Ailing A&E

THErE are concerns that in Welsh a&Es only 78.9 per cent of patients are seen within four hours, when the target is 95 per cent.

When my 82-year-old mother had a lot of pain in one leg, we took her to a& E at Morriston Hospital in swansea at 4pm.

The triage nurse told us she would be a priority due to her age. it was then announced at 6pm that the waiting time would be six hours. at midnight, after we discovered my mother’s notes had been lost, we were sent to a treatment room to wait for a doctor.

at 1am he showed up, prescribed a painkiller and told us a nurse would be on her way to administer it. Two hours later a nurse came, but only after we made inquiries as to what was going on. another doctor then attended my mother and said she’d need a Zimmer frame before we could go home, which caused further delay while the paperwork was processed.

at 5am, we were finally able to leave a&E — 13 hours after we arrived and my mother had been ‘prioritised’.

The second doctor and every nurse were helpful and professional, but this experience highlighted the breakdown in communication in a&E. Before the nHs can start to improve, the management needs a complete overhaul.

KEITH YEATES, Swansea.