I WONDER what the record waiting time is at Warrington Hospital's Casualty Department?

On Sunday September 20 my daughter cut her finger very badly. After the bleeding stopped she and her boyfriend sought treatment at A & E. They arrived at 7.30pm and were advised there would be up to a 90-minute wait before she would be attended to by a doctor.

At 11.15pm (3 hours later) she had still not been seen and was advised it would be at least another hour before it would be her turn. At this point she reluctantly returned home having had no treatment.

The next morning she attended Stockton Heath Medical Centre where the nurses informed her it was too late to have stitches as the fat had started to come out of the wound. It will now take three times longer for her finger to heal - all through the lack of five or 10 minutes' attention!

I do not think Sunday night was any busier than normal - just a shortage of medical staff on duty. Each year doctors and nurses are being stretched while administration and management staff grow in numbers. I wonder how long other readers have had to wait for treatment or lack of it, as the case may be.

DAVID HOUGH,

Hatton

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