Care Opinion

Suggestion for waiting at a scan

Posted By HAP

"Suggestion for waiting at a scan"

About: Craigavon Area Hospital / Emergency Department

(as the patient),

24 weeks pregnant in A and E at 10.15pm 

Came in with moderate/severe chest pain 

Bloods and ECG taken quite quickly 

Wait to be seen by a Dr was over 13 hours and I couldn’t do it being pregnant I was so tired. Went home.

Phone call the next day to say my clotting factors were in fact high and sometimes this can happen when pregnant but they had availability for a scan that morning to get checked out. 

Arrived to hospital within 20 minutes of phone call and still not been seen for 4+ hours 

Asked reception - I was treated rudely and told they couldn’t tell me if the availability of the scan was still there, wouldn’t communicate with the Dr to see, felt like I couldn’t go to the toilet or get food ( being pregnant) because I was afraid of missing the call.  The staff memer just shrugged their shoulders and said they didn't know if you can hear your name being called on the tannoy or not in the toilets. 

Felt frustrated because the reason I left the night before was because of the wait!!! And then got phoned to come in for a scan and now still waiting! What was the point. 

Why don’t you have slots available for scans? 

Why can’t reception staff communicate with Drs?

Why can’t there be a list of where we are in the queue ( knowing that emergencies take priority and the place in the queue may change) 

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Responses

Response from Stacey Hardy, Lead Nurse CAH Emergency Department, DHH Emergency Department and STH Minors Injuries Unit, Medicine and Unscheduled Care Directorate, Southern Health and Social Services Trust 3 months ago
Stacey Hardy
Lead Nurse CAH Emergency Department, DHH Emergency Department and STH Minors Injuries Unit, Medicine and Unscheduled Care Directorate,
Southern Health and Social Services Trust

Submitted on 27/11/2024 at 21:15
Published on Care Opinion at 21:15

Thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience at Craigavon Area hospital Emergency department. I am so sorry this experience was so poor for you. Unfortunately the emergency department continues to be overcrowded with patients awaiting an inpatient bed on the wards. This overcrowding means there is limited capacity to see and assess new patients meaning the waiting time to be seen and assessed by a doctor can be very long. Thank you for acknowledging that emergency situations can and will change the waiting time further.

I am sorry that there was an mis communication in relation to the scan. I am unsure of exactly what might have happened. But I can only surmise that the doctor who called you to return hadn’t actually booked your scan and was advising you to re-attend to be seen and assessed and then have a scan booked by the assessing doctor. Unfortunately when patients re-attend they begin the wait to be seen again.

I apologise that this information was not explained better to you and that the reception staff were unable to ascertain some more information to explain the situation. I am sure no benefit now, but the tannoy can be heard out into the main foyer of the hospital.

Thank you for highlighting these issues and I will share with the team and hopefully in the future you have a better experience with better communication from staff.

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