Madam, – My mother has just spent nearly 11 hours sitting in a chair with a broken upper arm at Beaumont Hospital. She was visibly tired and very upset after a long-haul flight. The doctor who saw her said she would need corrective surgery and she would be admitted. But there were no beds and no trolley free at that moment.
A lot of the other patients were in the same situation, with worse injuries.
Eventually, she got attention from the nurses and a doctor looked at her X-ray. He decided to send her home, with her arm in a sling, with painkillers and appointment to see a consultant.
Why did she need to spend nearly 11 hours to find this out? Why are there not enough trolleys with curtain surround to have a little dignity? Why no beds for patients who will undergo an operation? Finally the nurses and doctors were very polite and helpful and I would like to thank them, but it seems to me that the organisation of the hospital A & E is woefully inadequate. – Yours, etc,