"Left waiting in the hallway at Princess Alexandra Hospital Emergency Department"

I presented to the PA in Brisbane with really bad abdominal pain. I was triaged and taken in but as there were no beds I was left on a trolley in the hallway. I was crying in pain. Nurses would casually walk past ignoring me - I eventually called out to one begging for help. They stopped and said I couldn't have any pain relief until there was a bed available and walked away. No communication about how long it would be and no help. It took more than an hour before I was given anything for pain and during that time nurses stood around chatting about their social lives and weekend plans, showing very little compassion or interest. I don't believe they were busy.

The care I received from the registrar, ward services and radiographer was excellent as was the organisation of investigations including CT and X-rays. I was admitted to the ward and found the nursing care there to be excellent. But those ED nurses I came across need to connect with their patients and show they care.