"Head injury experience"

About: The Ulster Hospital / Emergency Department

(as a service user),

I attended the Emergency Department having suffered a head injury following a fainting episode and displaying symptoms such as vomiting, confusion, slurred speech, memory loss and photophobia. I am a nurse in the Trust myself and have always noted the excellent care given when I have attended the department previously.

On this occasion I arrived late afternoon and expected a long wait as the department was very busy. At this stage I was 8 hours post injury.

The triage nurse was rude and sharp and made a comment about me wearing sunglasses (it was incredibly bright, worsening my symptoms). My blood pressure was taken on my forearm through a thick jumper - so I suspect not particularly clinically accurate. I sat in the waiting room from then until after midnight with worsening symptoms of drowsiness and confusion. In the end my friend who is also a nurse went and flagged down a doctor to express her concerns about my presentation & lack of monitoring, at which stage I was finally prescribed painkillers/anti-sickness - which was given an hour later by a senior nurse who was sharp and blunt & again made a remark about my photophobia. At this stage because of these attitudes I was starting to wonder if I was wrong to have attended ED and was wasting their time.

An hour later, 10 hours after arriving, I saw a doctor who was absolutely excellent and finally did a neuro exam which identified some issues, another hour later I’d had a head CT. Initially I was told I could go home with severe concussion but then it was decided I would be admitted to identify cause of my collapse and early that morning I was moved to Orange Zone where again the doctors were great and I had multiple other tests identifying an infection before I was able to be discharged later that day.

As a nurse myself I left feeling disappointed at the attitudes of many nurses in the department who came across rude, short and dismissive, not one nurse introduced themselves to me by name or wore a name badge, except the Sister (in red uniform) in orange zone who was lovely. Whilst I understand the incredible pressures these nurses face and how hard they work, it is not the standard of care I would give my own patients. I have cared for many people with head injuries and doing a set of neuro obs regularly is an absolute basic. I was vomiting and my BP was high which could have indicated a serious injury. I was vulnerable and very concussed and it was only for my friend advocating on my behalf that I could access painkillers - after over 8 hours in the department.

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Responses

Response from Leanne Wilson, Interim Lead Nurse, Unscheduled Care, South Eastern HSC Trust 2 months ago
Leanne Wilson
Interim Lead Nurse, Unscheduled Care,
South Eastern HSC Trust
Submitted on 24/12/2024 at 14:07
Published on Care Opinion on 27/12/2024 at 09:41


Dear marscw44,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I am truly sorry to hear of the disappointing aspects of your visit, particularly that you found some nursing staff to be rude, sharp and blunt. This is not the standard of professionalism and courtesy we aim to provide and I deeply regret the negative impression this has left.

I am however glad to hear that you had a positive experience with the medical staff who promptly ordered the necessary investigations and identified an infection before your discharge. It is also reassuring to know that the sister in red left a lasting, positive impression.

As a nurse yourself, I appreciate your understanding of the immense pressures all staff are under. However I fully acknowledge that it is vital all staff maintain professionalism, courtesy and empathy at all times, regardless of circumstances. Please be assured that your feedback will be shared with all nursing staff as a reminder of this.

If you would like this matter further investigated please do not hesitate to contact our complaints department.

Email:complaints@setrust.hscni.net

Phone: (028) 9055 0469

Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback as this helps us to continually learn and improve.

Kind Regards,

Leanne

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