To be annoyed at friend for taking her kid to A&E so often

I work in an acute Trust. This kind of behaviour is what is crippling hospitals - BUT GPs absolutely need to shoulder a lot of the blame. If people could get appointments more easily they wouldn’t be attending A&E for minor injuries and illnesses. To be fair, our GP surgery is pretty good especially where children are concerned. Why isn’t she using a walk in centre instead? A&E is meant to be for life threatening injuries/conditions, bone breaks etc. I’m amazed she isn’t immediately turned away by triage.

I agree with that too, however I will add that the choices we have are all shight, so it’s like picking the best of a bad bunch! The whole system needs overhauled

We get the government we vote for and many people in the UK (and worldwide) are increasingly persuaded to vote in opposition to their own interests.

I don’t disagree with that and to think how rich the UK apparently is, yet poorer countries clearly use their money better and make things better for their citizens. Our government should take note.

I think things have changed a little in the last years; some parts of the UK would love to have the living standards of parts of Eastern Europe now.

Eastern Europe? That’s surprising considering it’s considered the poorest part of Europe. Lucky them to have specialists available with such ease

She’s talking about a different country though. Where I live, a nurse comes on the ambulance rather than a paramedic, for example, but I haven’t heard of that in the UK

They are problem doing that because they haven't officially handed the patient over to A/E staff and are waiting to do so. The patient remains under Ambulance care until signed over. They are not necessarily helping out in A/E and I have never heard of that happening, probably for insurance reasons.

I know adults who do exactly the same, it’s not a successful week without a trip to A&E.

Where I am in eu, people called ambulance when a man fell off his bike. He was fine 😶he got a whole checkover and then was released from the ambulance to go home. Imagine having resources for that! On top, when there's nothing else going on - I've seen them helping in a&e so giving medication, checking on stats and going to get the Dr if needed. It blows my mind!

They called an ambulance for that??? As an ex ambulance staff employee that is ridiculous. Id like to think the crew told her a thing or two. I would have done.

To be fair being seen the same day isn't an unreasonable expectation. A few weeks ago my son had otitis and was crying from the pain. Like hell was I going to let him suffer all day because no doctors could see him. Thankfully where I live I was able to get him seen at once. I did have to pay but my insurance reimbursed me.

Your not-friend clearly is a bit anxious around health and probably wasting her time (though we'd have to see the actual scrape to be fair), but the UK system does sound horrible based on what people say here ? I say this as a staunch supporter of socialized healthcare. I think it's awful that in the US diabetics don't get access to insulin and people die or see their quality of life impacted because they can't afford it.

There is a subreddit dedicated to hospital bills and it's frankly sobbering.

But let's face it, the NHS is a bit shit and these days if your leg has fallen off , you'd probably be lucky if the cleaner put a dab of bleach on the wound.

Both my children have been hospitalised for ‘a repetitive cough’ my eldest oxygen dropped to 90 the one time. When they have coughs I panic because I have seen them both decline rapidly and be extremely poorly to the point they’ve had seizures from high temps. There’s nothing wrong with being concerned over your child’s health.

This. ^

I have a dear friend in A&E with serious bowel issues, and many other conditions, they've now been there for over 24 hours. Your neighbour is an arsehole who needs to get a grip on parenting a sick/injured child, pathetic. And when the government start charging for GP appointments ... anyone who really does need help will be royally fucked!!

Loved this. I hadn't thought about the state of A & E, the people who attend and the chance of the child catching something nasty

I don't think she would want to visit my big city A&E in the evening with her child. It can be like war zone.

And l don't mean ordinary people with the usual health problems but crammed with addicts and substance abuse problems. People being abusive, fighting, swearing vomiting, passing out, relieving themselves

Thank God. l have been there for a few years so things may have improved

That baffles me too , your colleague is not alone. Some of us grew up with paediatricians and doctors doing home visits, and not being advised to get children with fever over to GPs, and so on.

Telematic medicine in the NHS? It has been around for years.

There are lots of people who treat the NHS like this, it is annoying- but so are a million other things we as tax payers fork out for. Hypochondriacs is one of the big arguments for charging for GP appointments- but they would just go to walk in centres , A&E or urgent care instead- it's part of the price we pay- you can't police other people or their mental health, concentrate on what you change and improve.

I think we need to be ashamed for sneering at people for their use of A and e.

My infant daughter became ill.
I took her to two doctors who both gave eye drops and said she would be fine.
I knew she wasn’t,
I took her to A and E, we didn’t even have to wait to be seen, admitted immediately for life saving IV antibiotics for cellulitus.
Left any longer meningitis and sepsis were very immediate risks.

I developed a horrible condition and GP fobbed me off several times.
I was so ill I went to a private doctor, immediately rushed to hospital for blood transfusions, again an emergency when I was told to wait and see by GPs.

I have lost a dear family member ,aged 50, this month as they were hesitant to waste anyone’s time and call an ambulance. They are gone now but do they get a posthumous medal for not seeking medical help?
Their children can keep it instead of their parent!

This stuff really angers me, what is the psychology that makes people feel good by sneering at people who are unsure and seek help????!

I’d mention that if it was me, I’d be worried about Social Services becoming involved with so many hospital visits. That might curb her enthusiasm!

I know of people like this who live close to a hospital and walk in there for anything rather than the usual route.

Surely youd try basic level stuff first like calpol?!

She's probably used to good healthcare.

I'm in the eu for my kids schools and oh my goodness I'd tell stories of the nhs here but I don't want to rub it in people's faces. Let me just say the difference is mindblowing.

I agree that she's wasting time but having lived this good life now I don't think I'd cope in the UK 😶I've fully embraced the luxury I have here. A&E also has three tiers here, clinic type, some weird emergency but not dying type but they can handle dying type and then full blown a&e.