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

It’s all gone suspiciously quiet from those that were so vociferous just a short while ago….

Right?! OP have you tried phoning the GP again and saying "but mumsnet posters have told me this must go through you..." 😂

Amazing that certain posters, after OP informs us that her GP told her to go straight to A&E, still think that going to the GP first is the right thing to do - that's just wasting their own time, and the GP's/receptionist's time, while making it harder for people who do need to see the GP to get through.

Did you tell them that the receptionist at A&E told you that you shouldn't be there? What did they say to that?

It annoys me that staff in the NHS get away with doing and saying things that need to be highlighted back to them as wrong. But it's because no one talks about anything... we just accept being spoken to like shit and told we are wasting time (with stage 4 kidney failure in PP's case)...

There seems to be no consequences for poor performance in role in the NHS.

If I fuck up in work, or even just make the wrong call, I have to own it, apologise to those involved and put it right.

In what world can you simply ring the GP and seek advice ? There’s a two week wait for face to face appointments here and if l were to ring my surgery with something like this during the usual 8pm race for a phone appointment, I can guarantee you the receptionist would tell me to go to A&E.

The simple fact is that a foreign body in the ear is appropriate to A&E/minor injuries and had OP known it was there from the start and the cause of the pain, that’s where she would have gone immediately on discovering the object. The fact that she didn’t know it was there for so long is irrelevant. Se knows now, and that doesn’t make it any the less appropriate to A&E to resolve.

Out of interest, @SuePerdo you have any medical qualifications or clinical experience?

Or just your own personal experience?

One is entirely different from the other.

I’m staggered that wasting GP time is repeatedly suggested. This is why many of us can’t get GP appointments and the whole online system shuts down by 9.30!

OP’s GP have told her to go straight to A&E, without checking her first

No ours doesn’t. There is no ENT walk in- the advice is to go to A&E/MIU triage.

It’s only sense if the consultant would have been willing to take responsibility for any subsequent damage to the patient’s hearing while they waited for a GP appointment and were then referred to A&E or walk in again, because a GP won’t remove a deeply embedded foreign body from a patients’ ear. We seem to be going round in circles with this when it’s not the question OP asked. Her query was whether the nurse should have treated her so rudely that she left without treatment. And the answer is no.

Here we do have it, she rang a GP and sort advice. Next time do that first.

Mind, I bet it was a receptionist who seem to attend the same training as 111 and send everyone to A&E.

I also had a bit of silicone ear plug stuck in my ear. It was not an emergency so I went to the GP first. The practice nurse tried to retrieve and couldn't. I had an urgent referral to ENT by the GP.

So I disagree with you saying that you shouldn't go to the GP. The GP is able to get a fast referral and then you would be able to get an appointment quickly. No waits in A&E needed. The problem was dealt with efficiently by going to the GP.

As someone who works in an ED, this is something that probably does need to be seen in ED BUT we would likely need to refer it straight to ENT who are only there Monday to Friday 9-5 so rocking up on an evening we wouldn’t be able to do anything and would need to get you to come back the following day. This is presuming that it is all the way in the ear canal near the ear drum as we don’t have the equipment in ED (or my ED) to get something out that far in, if it’s only just inside we can get stuff out. We’d probably tell you politely that you need to return the following day though. The nurse shouldn’t have been rude at all but as someone who works in that environment I can say that she was probably having a crap shift, having people have a go from all sides and probably just very frustrated…it doesn’t make it right of course.

100% agree re making a complaint.
As I said in an earlier post, the nurse who turned you away without examination was borderline negligent. At the very least she should have looked in your ear. This absolutely needs to be raised with her.

And your outcome also completely proves my point that people on here spouting all sorts of nonsense with zero clinical or medical experience is not only foolish, but could be harmful.

Some of the definitely A&E responses wee from doctors and those who work in A&E!

Yes. And here we have it. Every GP and area will have different systems. I wonder what the ignorant armchair experts with countrywide NHS knowledge will say to this.

People need to realise we don't all live in these big cities with all these extra services. People saying things like just go to your walk in ent clinic have no idea how lucky they are. We all pay into the nhs but its not shared equally dependent on your postcode

Hope you get it sorted

I look toward to responses from some posters.

Does your GP surgery have an online referral system. Ours does and it seems to work well. I did an online referral with a very painful foot and was called a few hours later by the surgery to make an appointment with a prescribing physio.
I appreciate it is a very different situation but they might refer you to the correct place? Just a thought and hope you get it seen to soon!

If you're in the UK am surprised your GP can't do a direct referral to ENT. I have never worked anywhere where GPs couldn't make speciality referrals. Either way - sounds like a trip to ED for you!

Exactly. The OP has had ear symptoms for a while but put up with it. Then only yesterday did she discover that there was a foreign body. She was right to seek help as soon as she could after her child’s appt.

If there's an A&E there will be an ENT department (separate areas obviously). All ENT OPD will have a walk in session, may be limited sessions you may have to go in the next day. Not signposted like A&E but 9 til 5 'ENT A&E' will be available.

Ring a GP, seek advice.

Exactly! You can’t ring our GP anymore now!!!

This is exactly what would happen where I live to, hope you get sorted soon.