Rotherham General Hospital: Man angry after wife had to wait 15 hours to see doctor at emergency department

The man, only identified as 'Mr D Ashmore', said that his wife Jacqueline arrived at Rotherham General Hospital's Emergency Department at 5.30pm on May 30, but did not get to see the doctor until 8.20am the next day.

In a letter of complaint to the hospital, which he shared with The Star, he said the treatment his wife received was 'disgraceful', 'disgusting' and 'inhumane'.

He added: "This is a wait of almost 15 hours and is what you could expect in a third world country, not the UK.

"I know that you will say that the problem is shortage of staff and shortage of funds but this is a disgraceful, disgusting, inhumane way to treat a 76-year-old lady."

He said that despite his anger, he had no complaint towards the NHS staff who he described as 'efficient' and 'amazing'.

He said: "Every member of the NHS that she met, whether it be paramedic, receptionist, cleaner, nurse or doctor, was polite, pleasant, friendly and efficient and often done with a touch of humour. They are amazing.

NEWS: NHS charity funds extra special hugs for premature babies in Rotherham Hospital

"The problem is not the staff, it's the management and organisation and whether that is the hospital at fault or the Government is difficult to say, although personally, I think the Government is deliberately underfunding the NHS so that they can say it is not fit for purpose and we should all take our private health insurance."

In response, the hospital stated that it is investigating Mr. Ashmore's complaint and explained that its emergency department has been busy, resulting in lengthy wait times.

Sally Kilgariff, chief operating officer at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our Patient Experience team is looking into the concerns raised by Mr Ashmore.

“We understand that waiting in any emergency department, including our Urgent and Emergency Care Centre, is not a pleasant experience, particularly if you’re feeling unwell or in pain.

"Our Urgent and Emergency Care Centre has been busy recently which has resulted in some long waits. Our clinical teams work hard to see patients as quickly as they can, while prioritising those patients with the most urgent care needs.”