I went to my local London A&E with DD, 19yo, on Monday. She was triaged as an "emergency" rather than "urgent care" and told a cubicle and bed would be found. The nurse then returned and said she wasn't trying to kick us out but not only were there no spare cubicles in "Emergencies", but there were no staff whatsoever who would be able to see DD within the necessary time-frame so she strongly suggested we go somewhere privately instead.
I said I didn't know how to even go private for an emergency, let alone how I would get to another hospital in the London morning rush-hour with a very ill young woman in such severe pain that she couldn't even walk - I asked if they would provide an ambulance to blue-light her somewhere suitable but the staff said no whilst at the same time telling me that DD was seriously sick and yet could not be seen owing to a shortage of doctors.
I don't blame the triage nurse, who I think was genuinely trying to help us get medical care ASAP, but AIBU to be shocked to be told basically to go away and find private care when turning up at A&E with a woman triaged as an emergency? Is the NHS actually broken? I shudder to think what DD would have gone through had I not been there as her advocate. In any case, I am not sure that there are private hospitals that deal with acute admissions, are there???
Incidentally, after I conducted an audible telephone conversation with DH about how the NHS hospital was asking if we could go anywhere private as they had no staff who could see her even though she urgently needed to be treated, DD was immediately seen by the Staff Nurse in Charge (who should have just finished his shift so bless him) who at least gave DD some much needed IV pain relief and a saline drip, but she was still left to lie uncomfortably across two metal chairs designed for visitors, whilst attached to her drip, as there were still no cubicles and, presumably, not a trolley in the whole hospital.
7 hours later, we finally saw a doctor who immediately admitted DD, put her on IV antibiotics and listed her for an emergency operation first thing in the morning, so we were hardly the worried well - actually, just one look at DD would have confirmed that.
Has this happened to anyone else? Is there a diktat to NHS staff that people who seem wealthy (I am well spoken and well dressed which is the only thing I can put this down to) should be redirected to private hospitals at busy times?
NB I have n/c to protect my DD's confidentiality.
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AIBU?
NHS A&E department telling us to leave and go private????
82 replies
notgettingyounger · 30/06/2016 14:45
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