If you work in A and E, when is the quietest time for a patient to come in?

Well, this thread is 6 months old so I'm sure, though cannot guarantee, that OP will have been seen by now - even with the NHS in the state it is in.

Depends on the triage too
Serious issues are obvs treated v quickly

A&E waiting times aren't clear as you are not seen in order of arrival.

If you need to be seen fast you generally are. I took in my baby with breathing problems (wound up ventilated a few hours later) and got seen very fast
Minutes. Same when i had to go with 5 year old gasping for breath with severe croup despite it being mid morning - given steroids probably with 5 mins of arrival. On both occasions the waiting room was full of people.

Sorry previous message was for @Eightfour

Where do you live?! (If you don’t mind giving rough area!)

I had to go to A&E in the early hours of Christmas morning once. It was deserted.

The longest delay was the time it took the doctor to stop lauughing when I told him the gash on my head was caused by a louspeaker landing on it.

If you have minor injuries unit not everywhere is the same

@Randomsabreur a non-emergency broken limb can be treated at Minor Injuries. It doesn't need to go to A+E at all

I can think of many things that have no alternative to A&E but could wait before heading in. Assuming A&E waits are around 10h and you're competent monitoring a broken limb for circulation or nerve damage you might well be able to "schedule" your visit away from a peak and wait say 10% longer in total to be seen but if you're waiting on your sofa at home rather than the floor of a waiting room you'd probably be better off!

If I broke my arm falling on the stairs at home at 10pm tonight I'd wait until morning if I had no red flag symptoms because I'd probably be treated at the exact same time...

If you're able to schedule your trip to A+E for when it's most convenient for you, you almost certainly don't need A+E.

Try the GP, out of hours GP service or 111. A+E is for emergencies, it's in the name.

I hate some of the attitudes on here

Most people have a spectrum of ability to cope with pain, illness and injuries and to think that they are ok or it will get better. Many have to be convinced to go in by relatives as "they're not dying" in part because of attitudes and campaigns of if you're well enough to think about you don't need it.

I waited almost a year to go to emergency from the first inset of acute and then chronic pain having exhausted my family doctor (who just offered me anxiety medication) and the urgent care center who said it was an ovarian cyst that would sort itself out.

Turned out I was dying very slowly and painfully. As in I would have died if I had not gone to emergency. When I did I felt like I shouldn't be there and was treated as such until I had a CT and suddenly a surgeon was being called over the talon for me. I was only 33 years old.

So yes people can need to go and can try to figure out when would be the least busy time to go. Not just for themselves but to out less strain on others.

If you've got a clearly broken but not instantly threatening issue, or something in a child too young for minor injuries you can absolutely choose the time...

Things like broken fingers can wait a couple of hours, broken ankles/wrists you're not sure about, other things that need hospital imaging but aren't a risk to life or limb.

It's more a case of avoiding obvious peaks so if something happened Friday night you might wait until early Saturday to avoid drunks/kicking out time fight related patients or might wait and see/ostrich until morning. That said you'd want to be early before local rugby/football matches kicked off.

Likely to be quieter early hours as ability to get there will be reduced, cost of taxi/need to drive or be sober limits numbers a bit.

Avoid if at all possible Boxing Day, later New Years Day/early 2nd Jan...

@baldpenguine wow. Please go back and re-read your first post to me again. Who's the one who's been swearing... clue... it wasn't me. Don't @ me further as I won't be replying to someone who has been so rude to me

Yeah you are fucking rude. You've been rude to a few posters on here.

Pipe down.

It depends on what's wrong with you I think. I went with my Mum on a Tuesday at 8pm, and she was actually seen by doctors who could solve her issues at 8am. Some people there had been waiting since 11am and were still there at 11pm. When I was admitted it was Sunday at about 7pm, I had a broken hip and shoulder so it felt like they helped me quite quickly, but I had to wait till 8am the next morning for surgery as they only have one theatre open on Sundays. It seemed really busy both times though, we were shunted into a corridor both times.

Unfortunately been twice in the last year once via car and once via ambulance. Our nearest hospital is 40 minutes away.
On both occasions I was triaged almost immediately. Waits were advertised as 3 - 4 hours which turned out to be pretty accurate, though for me I was seen by a doctor, had various tests, seen by the doctor again and discharged within that time frame.
First visit was a Monday afternoon and the second a midweek evening when I fully expected I'd be there all night.
I felt very fortunate and was very impressed with the care and attention I received on both occasions.
DSs partner is an A&E nurse in London and says mental health/drug/drink related patients are definitely on the increase and can cause significant disruption.

And this is why our NHS has sunk so low.

Fell one morning and split my scalp open. Went to a&e arrived at 9ish and was walking bs knout with a glued wound at 10ish. From triage to treatment it was really fast.

@Aaaalrightythen and I'm guessing you must be a medical professional since you know you still should have been in A&E and not sent home like the actual doctor did. If it was that bad then you should have gone sooner. And I won't be replying to you any further other than to say ODFOD

@InAMess2023 and you are repeatedly ignoring that I waited well over 12 hrs in pain in the week after I attempted to get help, when I STILL NEEDED TO BE IN A&E. Unless you are telling me I didn't need to be in A&E or that I didn't wait for over 12hrs before getting treatment you are being willfully idiotic in saying anyone who can wait over 12hrs before going to A&E doesn't need it.
And I won't repeat it either. I seriously hope you aren't a medical professional!

Sorry that should have said 'you're fucking rude'. Oh the irony

@Aaaalrightythen I have repeatedly said my comment was about waiting 12 hours BEFORE going to A&E rather than waiting 12 hours IN A&E. I'm not repeating myself yet again so hopefully you get it now

@baldpenguine 'what an absolutely fucking ridiculous post' also @baldpenguine 'you're rude' - really?! And I actually said 12 hours

Well I can see from various other replies to your unclear comment that I wasn't the only one who misinterpreted.

You made a standard blanket comment that if you're waiting for 18 hours you don't need to be in A&E, which was a couple of posts down from someone who specifically said they waited 18 hours IN A&E.

Perhaps you need to make yourself clearer.

Also, you're fucking rude.

No, I waited over 18hrs and still wasn't properly looked after.So yes I waited over 12hrs and did need to be there. Your comment suggests otherwise.

@Aaaalrightythen your story has zero relevance to my comment whatsoever though. You were sent home by a doctor after you'd already been to hospital. Nothing to do with waiting 12 hours before going to A&E