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

For those querying timing an visit, when your nearest minor injury unit is an hour away and doctors no longer provide such a service you have to go to a and e. You don't want to but there is no other option and so you do try to aim at a quiet time. Two incidents recently - suspected infection after hand surgery and burst stitches after face surgery

I've only had to go to A/E once for myself.Fell over and broke my wrist.Arrived at A/E reception 12 noon on a Tuesday and by 1.50pm I had been triaged,X -rayed,taken to the anaesthetic room,sedated and had my wrist manipulated back into place,plaster cast put on and more X-rays.
In contrast I spent over 5 hrs in A/E on a Saturday night when my FIL fell down our stairs and broke his humerus

DH was taken to hospital by 999 ambulance late one evening, midweek. Wait was about six hours once in hospital,, though ambulance came immediately.
Then the next day, once home, the hospital having said his injuries were just bruising and concussion etc, he went to a different hospital by taxi where they said he’d broken several bones.

We needed to call an ambulance for my DP a few weeks ago. Ambulance arrived in about 15 minutes and he was seen almost straight away when we arrived. It seemed fairly quiet.

That was on a Sunday morning.

I had a gallbladder attack on a Saturday night and went in at 2am and I was the ONLY PERSON in the waiting room! I thought there was some sort of apocalypse going on. The receptionist I spoke to said it was very eerie.

Last time I had to take my mother to a&e it was a late Monday afternoon and it was rammed, with medical issues. Mum had waited through the weekend, gone to see the gp and had sent her to a&e as it was an issue that needed her to be admitted to hospital, he’d rung and got advice from the consultant who confirmed but there’s no by pass to being admitted you have to go a&e. We went about 5 or 6 Monday night and it was 7am Tuesday morning once we’d been through triage, seen the doctor and got into one of the a &e beds, when she saw the consultant he said “why didn’t you come last night?”

a&e nurse told us Monday nights are always busy with medical issues as you get your people that have waited thought a weekend for their thinking they don’t need a&e, then weekends tend to be more physical injuries from drunk people and people playing sports

if you are trying to find out the best time to go so you don't have to hang around it is clearly not an emergency so you shouldn't be going there.

Call your GP in the morning

My mother fell and broke her wrist on a Friday night once and insisted on waiting till the Saturday mid-morning because she wanted to avoid all the drunks. This was before there were minor injuries clinics though.

I disagree with some of the above posts re if you can choose the time to go, it's not an emergency.

I was there all day last year, left, next day phoned my GP who went mad and sent me back, but it still took hours to get a drip put in.

The staff at my local hospital said that Mondays were always extremely busy which surprised me as I thought it would have been the weekend.

Hmm, I'm not completely sure of this.

I waited 51 hours at home with abdo pain, unable to eat or pass anything. In A&E when I finally went, a CT revealed a large tumour in the colon and I needed surgery.

I waited at home for so long because I was trying to tough it out, not understanding how serious my situation was. Turned out I didn't just have ordinary gas pain, I had a bowel blockage and incurable cancer.

The surgery saved my life, although for how long isn't clear as of course I still have incurable cancer. But I've been able to get cancer treatment and it's now been a year that I wouldn't otherwise have had.

So I can't really agree that I didn't need A&E. The wait time at home was not diagnostic of the severity of the condition. And there may be others like me.

I found there would be a lull 3am-6am

You're right about Saturday nights. My son and his girlfriend recently took their friend who had slipped on the ice and broken her ankle to A&E on a Saturday night. I said "oh dear, you'll probably have a long wait" - she was pretty much in and out. I was so surprised.

I know to my cost that during the day on Saturdays A&E tends to be full of little people who have damaged something playing sport! And big people too!

Our hospital still operates a ring before you are seen policy. Obviously those who have had accidents go straight up, but for the rest of us, you have to ring out of hours and they decide

I had to ring last night, 86 yo mother had a nose bleed and it was pissing out of her. Half an hour later is was still as strong as ever so I rang out of hours and was told up to 6 hours for a clinician to call back. Hour later got a call back, nose still bleeding heavily, told to go up. Triage was quick as she was expected, then settled in for a 6 hour wait. Luckily 2 hours later bleeding stopped and she wanted her bed so we came home

Waiting room was full - 10pm - of those having a mental health crisis , stoned or pissed out of their heads and the queue of patients booking in was out the door

Brilliant idea. I've had 2 A&E visits over the last few weeks and a grab bag would have been a godsend

Definitely Christmas. But that usually means it's the sickest and most injured waiting, which can be harder (from a staff perspective) than the rest of the time.

It's not a "first come, first served" service, so it doesn't really matter what time you go at. You'll be seen in order of priority. The waiting room is never empty.

Went in to A&E on Christmas Day late evening and early hours of Boxing Day. Hardly anyone in, it was great.

I keep a hospital grab bag with snacks, bottles of water, phone chargers, hand gel, baby wipes, change ever since I was stuck there for 15 hours waiting with nothing.

Went to A&E after being sent there from walk in at local hospital at 6pm. Saw a specialist around 4am who moved me to Rapid as had Ddimer issues and huge breathing problems, seen again by a young doc who discharged me home alone at 8am. Back in 3 days later at 9am via ambulance as couldn't breathe, seen at 2pm for a CT and told I had a pulminory embolism at 8pm. I'd love to know if anyone told the young doc what a fuck up he made sending me home? Does anyone actually learn lessons or is it all to busy for that thesedays?

When I worked there it was early morning, around 2 to 7 am.

Maybe from around 4-8am it might be quieter sometimes but not always but that tends to be when people have had enough of waiting.

@InAMess2023 its hard. Unfortunately a lot of people are put off by the waits that do need to be there also. A friend fell down the stairs. Up and walking but lots of bruises around ribs etc so we basically forced them into A&E and refused to take them home when they wanted to when they heard the wait. Ribs were fine actually, but they had fractured their spine! Likewise there are people who should be at GP but even though not urgent urgent can't wait the 3 weeks for the appointment wait time we now have.

Yes we had to take DS on Christmas Day a couple of years ago and it was empty. He got so many presents, every time he went to a different place to be tested or was transferred to a different ward the staff gave him something else. He was very seriously ill but still counts it as one of his best Christmases 🤣

My mum went on a Saturday evening a few months ago and came back after 3 hrs. I was shocked at how quick it was (broken foot).

Believe it or not, probably the weekend. Monday is absolute hell because everyone waits over the weekend thinking that that will be the busiest time.

About 8am would be the best time in our department. The day doctors start then and there's a focus to get the night backlog dealt with. It's also shortly before clinics start meaning that many patients in the department are moved to different specialities. It gets busier as the day goes on.

@InAMess2023 - my comprehension was fine. Now you have explained I understand that you were responding specifically to the OP but it looked like just a standalone blanket statement as you hadn’t tagged or quoted anything.