I get that a&e is busy, but was not expecting to be spoken to so rudely

You obviously don't have kids or if you do they don't have medical conditions.
I would drag my self to a important childs hospital appointment with a broken bone before getting care for myself.

I understand the staff’s frustration, you should have gone to the GP or minor injuries instead of waiting so long that it became critical.

A&E are trying to deal with heart attacks, traffic accidents, people with breathing difficulties and other life-threatening injuries, and even if you go in with life-threateningly low oxygen levels it can take some time to be seen because of the sheer volume of patients.

However, she should have been cool and polite/professional, not rude. The issue is with the system not informing people about where to go rather than you.

I hope you’re getting the right treatment op. I had exactly the same issue part of my hearing aid got stuck. I went to our local minor injuries place which is completely separate from an and e and it was very efficiently removed by a nurse in about 10minutes. You were absolutely in the right place and I’m sorry you felt you had to leave last night. Best wishes

True, i don't think when we are vulnerable and in pain anyone should be spoken to rudely in a health care setting. In fairness i think staff are probably under pressure (not excusing rudeness though)

You did nothing wrong, you went to the right place, at a time that was right for you - except that you should not have left when that nurse was rude to you. (It’s understandable though that you felt you had to leave after a professional spoke to you like that ...) I read you’re going in again and that the situation is now worse … sending you lots of strength OP and don’t let anyone tell you that you are/were wrong!

You should absolutely complain btw. Imagine how many people she's spoken to like that and made feel embarrassed for seeking help and then have suffered in silence instead. It's really really bad.

Thank you.

Whenever threads like this come up I’m reminded of taking my wife to A&E when she was having breathing difficulties. The nurses were so awful to her and the triage nurse decided she was “just” having a panic attack and fobbed us off.

Ir actually turned out to be a sustained allergic reaction combined with a chest infection, and if I hadn’t been there (and if I wasn’t as bolshy as I am), and my wife had just taken them at face value and gone home, then I dread to think what could have happened.

What are we supposed to do when A&E is not even concerned about an inability to breathe?

Why would you decide to come on here at the end of the thread and spout more utter nonsense? It beggars belief. The OP did the right thing in the first place. A&E is not just for when your head is hanging off. The nurse was completely in the wrong.

So it’s okay to be rude to people when you’re overworked?

And what’s wrong with the OP using A&E at the point when a situation becomes urgent? Infections can most certainly be life threatening by the way, I know somebody who died of sepsis after a common cold.

The fact is that a triage nurse is there to do her job: triage people as they come in. She can leave her personal opinions and her attitude at home and do her job, just like the rest of us. I don’t know why we are expected to put up with subpar treatment through the NHS. Healthcare professionals are not conscripted into these roles, they go into them with their eyes wide open - everyone knows what the NHS is like. So if they are not able to work under the pressures then they need to find alternative employment and not take it out on patients.

Thinking of you OP. What a total nightmare. I hope they're dealing with you properly this time.

Hope you were seen swiftly and kindly at A&E/MIU today op, and that they were able to retrieve the offender smoothly.

Yes I agree. People blaming patients rather than the system, does nobody any favours. Not least those of us working in the NHS.

I am sorry - that is so grim. Hope you are doing better now.

I am appalled at the number of people on here advising OP to ignore unprofessional behaviour and medical advice.

Yes - in a job that requires you to know something about triage.

You did the right thing OP, ignore everyone making you feel awful, typical mumsnet reaction here. You went when you realised it was a foreign object and were referred onto minor injuries. I’m my experience (children who really like putting things in their ears) GPs won’t touch foreign objects lodged in an ear unless it’s right at the entrance and easily grabbed.

I work in a hospital and there’s a very high percentage of staff who do speak to patients like crap. It’s worrying and sadly being normalised.

I am really sorry this happened to you. The A&E operative was extremely rude and way outside her zone of authority and I hope you are going to make an excoriating complaint about her. I believe PALS is the way to go.

I am gobsmacked at the way you were spoken to there - when you had been repeatedly advised to go there.

A phrase like “Bang out of order” seems to fall short.

Glad you have someone with you today and hope you get it sorted ok.

I was in a mental health crisis last year ,.my husband took me to A & E it was 1.30am , we were advised to go there by the crisis telephone number.
We waited to be seen by the crisis team , a matron reminded us that the two chairs we were taking up were for 'sick'peiole (there were at least 8 empty chairs)
If my husband hadn't been with me I would have got in my car and killed myself.

Her GP told her to go back to A+E.
A GP wouldn't be able to remove the stuck object.

Nurse seems to be working in the wrong job/ place (minor injuries)

She was abrupt and came across a bit rude yes, if you were advised to go there she didn’t really need to speak like that to be honest, I know the NHS are under pressure but you can’t help what you were advised, it’s not like you rocked up from your own advice.
I went to a&e 6 years ago as i was miscarrying my baby, the bleeding was insane, it would not stop and soaking my trousers (waited 5 hours sat in my own blood) and I was in the worse pain I’ve ever felt (worse than labour honestly!) and they were dismissive to me, the dr I saw said I might not be miscarrying and asked if I had intercourse recently that may have made be bleed (really? The amount I was bleeding and that’s what you think) they gave me some pain killers and sent me off. I was indeed losing my baby just as I thought, honestly was a waste of time and could have just bought my own painkillers at a pharmacy but like you, I was advised to go after calling 111.

ive actually never had a good experience with the NHS. Not bashing them as it’s great we have them, but they are evidentially struggling and have been for so long now and you do get misinformed a lot.

That's the case in our area yes. It's very annoying. Was much better when we had a walk in MIU.

Defo a job for an emergency GP appointment. Much more convenient too.

Agree. I find it helps to anticipate the myriad ways in which they try and get rid of you and have an answer for them. Same with my NHS dentist who would rather use an appointment slot on a private customer.

So - why have you come in tonight? I have had a sharp pain since lunchtime TODAY. 111 sent me here because I have discovered TODAY there is an earring back in there and my GP will not extract metal from my ear.

She didn't need to know it had been in there for weeks.

Maybe try reading the OPs posts.