Another former nurse shares “bedlam” experience at “dangerous” Lincoln A&E

A second retired nurse has come forward to criticise the “dangerous” medical practices at Lincoln County Hospital – sharing her story of alleged “bedlam” at A&E.

The nurse, who has asked to remain anonymous as she is still being treated at the hospital, says that she was left in A&E for 14 hours while requiring a catheter, bringing on a urinary tract infection.

She was first admitted to hospital on October 17, feeling numbness in the lower half of her body, and a month later she is still in hospital.

She uses a powerchair to get around due to being disabled with multiple ailments, and claims that she was asked to walk to the ambulance without a spinal board – despite fears she may have been suffering with Cauda Equina Syndrome, which affects a group of nerves in the lower spine.

“The ambulance crew brought me to A&E without a spinal board and seemed very put out that I didn’t want to walk to the ambulance”, she said.

“I couldn’t feel my feet or anything below my waist, everything was numb, so asking me to walk was ridiculous and could potentially have paralysed me.”

Since arriving at hospital, she says that she has had a two catheter infection resulting in her catheter being changed twice, as well as contracting another hospital-acquired infection.

She has also twice been in the same bay as a patient who caught COVID-19, a worry for her as she is a high risk patient with long COVID following a hospital admission in January 2021.

Her COVID-19 struggles left her being unable to effectively breathe without assistance at night, using a BIPAP machine to counteract the “50 plus apnoea that I have every hour I’m asleep.”

Perhaps most damning of all her accusations was claims of being “dumped unceremoniously” in the middle of A&E after a scan, with no pain relief despite numerous complaints of discomfort.

She goes on to suggest that her hospital bed was given away numerous times and she was “expected” to stay in the waiting room on a regular chair, despite declaring her disability to staff.

The former nurse said: “I am not happy at all at the dangerous practices that are happening in this hospital.

“The people in charge are not putting patients first and are not placing patients in appropriate wards where the staff have the skills and training to deal with each individuals’ personal needs and required specialism.

“Until the trust is able to put plans in place to cope with the diabolical treatment we are getting there will be no improvement.

“They only react to problems instead of hiring people to proactively take charge, plan ahead, and make the hospital a better place both for patients and staff.”

She said she feels “lucky to be alive” after the “abhorrent treatment” she received, claiming some doctors did not believe her when she complained of issues both within the hospital and in her own health.

These accusations come just days after another retired nurse used the same word, “dangerous”, to describe conditions at the A&E department of Lincoln County Hospital.

A spokesperson for United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Unfortunately, we are unable to discuss individual cases.

“Like many areas, our emergency departments remain extremely busy and we are sorry about any delay patients may experience. Our teams continue to do everything they can to care for patients, prioritising by clinical need.

“We welcome the opportunity to speak to patients about any aspect of their care, especially if they do not feel we have met the high standards we expect in our hospitals.”