"A & E Care"

About: Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France / Accident & Emergency

(as a service user),

I woke up with a migraine and after taking my tablets I woke up 1 hour later with total blindness and weakness down my left side. After a call to my GP I was sent to A&E for a CT scan. I arrived there at 1pm. After an hour wait I was triaged and waited in a corridor. 

Despite asking for a painkiller I wasn't given anything as they said they needed the scan before. I waited till 7pm for scan. I finally saw a couple of senior staff.  After 3 requests a nurse came in and handed me a syringe with Oromorph. They did not stay while I took it.

After about 1 hour everything righted itself and I felt so much better. But due to mental health conditions I took a panic attack. I had sensory overload due to my sight etc coming back and the noise and how busy the department was. We asked if I could go home and they said yes as I was better. They would call if anything was wrong with CT.

Next day a senior staff member called and shouted at me for leaving the department.  They called me a stupid for leaving due to medication I take. They said I was an addict looking for pain meds. I am not an addict. My medicine is prescribed by a psychiatrist.  They told me I wasn't allowed to drive as I had discharged myself from hospital. I didn't.

I have lost confidence in going to a&e and health care in hospitals. I've had to pay privately to see a Neurologist to be allowed to drive again and be treated with dignity. I'm very unhappy being spoken to like that.

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Responses

Response from Ray Middlemiss, Clinical Nurse Manager, Emergency Department, NHS Lothian 2 months ago
Ray Middlemiss
Clinical Nurse Manager, Emergency Department,
NHS Lothian
Submitted on 14/01/2025 at 16:05
Published on Care Opinion at 16:05


I'm sorry to hear about your experience in the Emergency Department - if you wish for me to look in to your attendance and journey in the ED please contact our Patient Experience Team LOTH.feedback@nhs.scot

Kind regards

Ray

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Update posted by Help35 (a service user)

Thank you for the offer. But I want to stay anonymous and don't feel that stirring up the staff member who was so rude, dismissive and called me an addict is something I want to go through. But thank you.

Response from Ray Middlemiss, Clinical Nurse Manager, Emergency Department, NHS Lothian 2 months ago
Ray Middlemiss
Clinical Nurse Manager, Emergency Department,
NHS Lothian
Submitted on 16/01/2025 at 17:36
Published on Care Opinion at 17:36


I appreciate that it is difficult but if you change your mind please do not hesitate to contact the patient experience team.

Kind regards

Ray

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
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