The Tunbridge Wells Hospital 2018-09-04 Person 4 5 0

Seen by triage nurse quickly and diagnosis of problem and required treatment carried out efficiently. X-ray required and carried out with minimum delay. Second meeting with triage nurse took longer but Craig was very efficient explaining the problem and the likely treatment. A call was made to the doctor to view X-ray but no contact made and message left. The system then broke down as it took couple of hours for the doctor to call us into the inner consulting area and explain the next treatment needed. The consultant took over the treatment of my broken wrist with the doctor to try to straighten the broken bone by manual pressure and then fix the break with a plaster cast. The straightening did not work so consultant confirmed that I would stay in hospital and have full operation the following day. It took nearly an hour to have the second X-ray because the paper work was not available although the X-ray staff were available and ready to carry out the work. It took another hour to sort the bed out so by the time I was in my room we had been in A&E 6 hours. No attempt was made during the time I was waiting for the doctor and the second X-ray and providing a room to explain why there was a delay and the procedure needed to complete the treatment I needed. All the staff on duty spent most of their time writing by long hand detailed notes but also working on the computer screens to contact the right person for each element of the treatment to make sure some progress was being made or to leave messages to be phoned back. More people in A&E may help but at the doctor and consultant level where the delays are excessive and time with the patient can be critical in determining the best treatment and any follow up organisation of the use of other hospital services. My sincere thanks for all the attention I received in A&E and in the main hospital to mend my broken wrist AND hopefully the operation will have been successful when the plaser cast is removed. My special thanks to Craig who was on duty as one of the triage team and explained the details on my X-ray and the alternative treatments that were possible for the other doctors on duty that evening.