"Delivering emergency care"

My husband, who is very ill,  attended a haematology review appointment. The Doctor felt a blood transfusion was necessary and to be started immediately. A bed in a side room in the unit was available and he was taken there to begin treatment.  The Doctors tried to get him a bed in 2 different wards but none were available,  as the unit closed at 6pm he had to be moved, so he was taken to majors in A&E, in a wheelchair and left. 

I spoke to my husband around 9pm and was surprised to hear about this move and also that he hadn't eaten anything from lunchtime.  I rang the Night Service manager to enquire why he was in a chair and was told he would try to sort out a bed. I was phoned back at midnight and informed that he had been moved to resus, was on a trolley, had tea and toast and  the transfusion was ongoing. Result!

A cubicle with a curtain became available during the night and he was moved into it. 

A&E is a very busy place, when I arrived the next morning the waiting room was overflowing with people, as was minors and majors, the nursing staff were working flat out. I assume the plan for A&E is - people are processed, treated, admitted/ sent home . Understandably meals are not the same standard as on a ward and the limited toilet facilities are used by many. 

I tried to no avail to get my husband moved to a ward, I contacted haematology, I was told he was now under general medicine, nothing they could do, even though it was that department who parked him in A&E in the first place! Long story short, he was on a trolley from late on a Thursday night until the Monday at 5pm, he fell on his way back from the toilet and another patient helped him up, like I said, he's not a well man. There's no actual washing facilities so he was in the same clothes all that time. 

I know Altnagelvin is a very busy place,  I know that the staff work hard and don't get a minute, it's awful that patients are having to be treated in cubicles when they should be in a bed in a ward. In my view, there has to be a massive rethink on how to deliver emergency care as the current set up isn't fair to either patients or medical staff. The police appear to have to attend quite regularly, couldn't be ideal working conditions either. 

Perhaps limiting the number of people accompanying a patient as the place was full of extras, it would free up chairs for ill people.