A HOSPITAL boss has apologised to a patient who waited 11 hours to be seen and was evacuated from the emergency department in the middle of the night.

Angie Collins visited Basingstoke hospital’s emergency department on Tuesday, September 26 at around 11pm to accompany her husband.

However, the 58-year-old from Old Basing has complained about her experience after waiting there for 11 and a half hours with her 65-year-old husband.

Basingstoke Gazette:

The receptionist, who has five children and nine grandchildren, said: “On arrival it was clear the department was very busy, we totally understand and it didn’t concern us too much.

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“As the time went on it was becoming very obvious that no one was hardly being seen by any medical personnel. At 4am I was told there were five people in front of us. We were finally seen by medics at 9.30am – 10 and a half hours after we had arrived and we left at 10.45am, after 11 and a half hours.”

Mrs Collins described the booking procedure as “not very efficient” with patients having to stand in the doorway to book and then book in again at the reception inside.

“The department was very cold and very uncomfortable,” she said.

The final straw came when the fire alarm went off at around 3am, resulting in the whole department being evacuated.

Mrs Collins said: “The department was evacuated without fire marshals (no one in high-vis jackets) the whole process seemed unorganised.”

Andy Hyett, chief operating officer for Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has apologised for the negative experience.

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He explained that the trust’s emergency departments are under extreme pressure, adding: “Our emergency departments and those across the region are incredibly busy, with high volumes of people accessing emergency care alongside patients being more unwell resulting in sustained levels of demand at our hospitals in recent weeks.

“We know that there was an extremely high level of attendance on 26 September, as well as a small evacuation within our emergency department – this was supported by colleagues trained as fire marshals – after a fire alarm was activated. It is disappointing to learn that a patient didn’t receive the best possible experience when with us during that time and we sincerely apologise for this.

“Our staff continue to work incredibly hard to provide outstanding care and the best patient experience for all who need us, prioritising the most severe cases. In order to do this, it’s really important that our local community supports us by using the right service at the right time – for non-emergency medical support please use NHS 111; speak to your local pharmacist, or GP. For a life-threatening emergency or urgent care, always dial 999.

“By working together, we can ensure care can be accessed by those who need it most – something that is particularly important as we head into the winter months.”