A&e regular attender

More the ones who go for no reason i should think

Im a regular, like you, long term chronic sick, no other options but to go in for tests, monitoring and drips and things

Its a big major trauma centre with a helipad etc and im sometimes recognised by name in the corridor (its embarrassing) but its not because i go for no reason, its because im there so often due to illnesses

The last time i was there after a CT scan, the wait for a porter was ages, and i asked if i could make my own way back, one was hesitant, the other said, oh thats ok, she’s ‘name’ shes here often, she will be ok to go back on her own

From a GP perspective. We get a report about frequent a&e (and 111) users. We discuss them at our safeguarding meeting. If there is good reason for them to be using it we may be concerned that their medical needs are not being met in primary care and get them in to see us.

If they are persistent users for no reason we will try and speak to them but it doesn't usually come to much as they tend to not engage with us.

Most frequent users are known to the GP practice anyway.

We had a very frequent flyer when I worked in acute nursing. Diabetic ketoacidosis every time, but she didn’t take any responsibility for her condition and openly said that she allowed herself to go into DKA because she enjoyed the attention she got when she was admitted. I’m amazed she is still alive because of the permanent and severe damage she’s done to her body (and I only know because she regularly posts in a local Facebook group that I’m also a member of!)

Your condition doesn’t sound like you have any warning or control over when it happens though, so please do get the emergency care you need when you need it!

We refer to them as high volume users. They get referred to the high volume user team.

Yes, if you are a high volume attendee for a medical condition you can be referred to this team.

I can’t remember the criteria but most patients I see who are registered as high volume users visit more than once a week.

It’s not a bad thing to be referred to this team. They help with identifying the reasons you attended A&E and help with support in the community to avoid crisis. This could be social support, help with identifying when the right time to go to A&E is or arranging appointments with a specialist to help sort out recurrent issues.

If you have a chronic condition that you are being treated for why don't you go direct to that department?

Problem is A&E is for accidents and emergencies, A&E is also where people tend to go for anything scary because they don't know where else to go or don't have anywhere else to go.

for example:

Pain/bleeding in early pregnancy. It obviously a horrible experience and people panic but A&E cannot and will not help unless you have had an immediately life a death level rupture and hemorrhage (rare).

EMU/EPU (early maternity/pregnancy unit) is where you need to go to be investigated and have any treatments done and they will book you straight in. Most people just don't know that though and spend hours sat scared, in pain and bleeding in A&E just to be discharged to their GP as its not an A&E matter without being pointed to the correct department.

Its often not people fault they are in the wrong place and many do genuinely need some medical attention. If only people where more clearly informed and sent to the correct area A&E wouldn't get so overwhelmed all the time.

6 times a year is nothing. Some people attend A&E weekly or even more than that.

I only went once, paramedics who came out insisted, A&E immediately put me down as a time waster, put me in a side room, lied about my reports of my pain rating - said I said it was 0 out of 10 when it was never less than 8 and I was curled up in pain and projectile vomiting. They finally gave me a squirt of gaviscon and said it was indigestion despite me telling them it clearly wasnt - it was in the wrong place to start. They came up with some guff but no tests, no compassion and no care. I had gall stones - was sent home in agony. So no, unfortunately it does not take much for nurses to decide you are a time waster.

If you’re in resus absolutely no one is going to question your need to be there. I’m sorry things are so tough though

One of my children is marked as a 'frequent attendee' because he's been admitted several times with viral induced wheeze. He's 3 and has had at least 10 admissions, 3 of which have been in the last 3 months.

No one seems bothered, if anything it seems to get him seen and sorted out a bit faster as they are more aware of what treatment he responds to better. I like it because we have a pragmatic discussion about what to do and they know I know how to administer inhaler etc so it saves us all some time!

Ex a&e staff here. No you wouldn’t be recognised as such, staff may recognise you as being their frequently but having admissions to resus means you genuinely need to be there so please use the service when you need to!

our frequent attenders were generally there every other day. They were dependent on opioids and would self discharge once they had what they needed.

My Nan had a sort of high A&E attendance but all for genuine reasons - she was very poorly and was discharged a few times from hospital when she shouldn’t have been and ended up back in A&E.

quite a few times she was there we’d see the same people, sometimes night after night. A lot of those people are lonely or have nowhere else safe to go, there’s also people with mental health problems. It’s sad that people like this see A&E as their only option but it is for a lot of them the only way to access a safe space or the support they need.

You've posted this before?

You will and should be on that list for all the right reasons - to get a thorough assessment to make sure there isn’t anything they can do to stabilise your condition better ( medically or socially )
if there isn’t anything they can do to change it you won’t be “ black listed “ or anything.

We identify older people who are high a&e attendees or who have multiple admissions to see if there is any support (clinical or social) that we can provide to them at home to prevent unnecessary admission.

FF is just a description of frequent visits but there are many different reasons, not a judgement

What should people who are having a mental health crisis do? Chuck themselves off a cliff? The NHS is supposed to treat mental ill health too you know?

No you are over thinking it. Frequently flyer means frequent attender like those with severe copd etc. it's not a negative judgement more a fact and perhaps alerts staff to think the person could become quite unwell.
Yes ok alcoholics / people intoxicated with drugs etc may also be frequent flyers, but for a different reason.

How? It takes a day to be seen!!

It happened to my friend's daughter. Turns out, yes, there was something really really wrong with her after being fobbed off for 3 years of absolute nhs nonsense.

I really wouldn't worry about this opening poster.

I had a period some years ago where I fell and cut various bits of my body open at different times.

I've got peripheral neuropathy, so falling is not uncommon (though I now use rollators in the house, as well as outside). Also have to use a steroid inhaler, which makes my skin very thin.

Result, I fall, my skin breaks, my skin cannot be stuck together with stitches, and I end up going to the doctors one of twice a week to get my dressings changed.

I once commented to one of the nurses that I was a "frequent flyer" and I knew the NHS was on its knees. She told me it wasn't those like me that they became annoyed at, but it made them sad that it was people like me who felt bad about using NHS, when others were using NHS for things other than medical needs.

I think they are talking about tjose who make it a hobby to. Go to anevo look i broke a nail/sneezed/bored lets go to ane n check in on fb n say you wilm pm someone lol know of one individual on this list thet make it a family day out at least twice a week they know tjose who are genuine and tjose who are wasting time you are genuine so try not to worry

Surely not- your established condition requires A&E visits and you can't help that. I think this list would be for people who keep turning up for minor things

As a clinician I’d be worrying that your condition isn’t well controlled and/or that you don’t have access to the right sort of support. Having to attend ED/A&E frequently isn’t great from your perspective.