A NUMBER of patients interviewed by a watchdog body in Glan Clwyd Hospital’s accident and emergency department had waited more than four hours to see a doctor, a survey has revealed.

Representatives of community health councils (CHCs) visited 14 A&E departments across Wales on the weekend of January 27 and 28.

During a visit to the hospital in Bodelwyddan, they heard from 51 patients, ranging from 22 months’ to 89 years’ old.

Half of those spoken to were self-referred or attended A&E on advice of family or friends. As well as those who complained of a long-wait, one in five people surveyed did not feel staff communicated with them well,

One person was unhappy about being left in a treatment room alone for 20 minutes “without explanation”.

Three in five felt the privacy was good in the department. Other patients told the CHCs there was not enough privacy – examples included bloods being taken on a chair in the corridor and lack of access to the mental health room – and just under half were satisfied with the service received at the time.

The findings have been published as part of a report entitled Accident & Emergency Patient Experience Review: A view across Wales.

Darren Millar, AM for Clwyd West, said of the Glan Clwyd findings: “This report lays bare the pressures at Glan Clwyd’s emergency department and the impact which this is having on patients and staff. Glan Clwyd is the worst-performing hospital in Wales when it comes to hitting A&E targets and things have got worse since the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) was placed in special measures by the Welsh Government. It’s simply not good enough.

“Staff are working under intense pressure due to a lack of beds in the hospital and it’s about time that managers took action to address this issue.”

A BCUHB spokesman said: “It is encouraging to hear that most patients have a positive experience when cared for by staff in our emergency departments. We welcome the feedback, which will help us to improve services for patients.”

The report was prepared on behalf of the seven Community Health Councils (CHCs) in Wales and feedback was gathered from 541 people.

Mutale Merrill, chair of the board of CHCs, added: “Some of the stories we have heard, particularly from people who suffer with chronic illnesses such as diabetes are worrying.

“We are urging health boards to take these concerns seriously and take action to tackle the issues raised.

“It was, however, extremely heartening to hear that A&E staff garnered significant praise throughout the report. While we received some complaints, it is a very positive finding that patients believe staff are visibly doing their best in extremely pressured situations.”