A&E

Are you in A&E after a fall? As per another recent thread?

If you’re well enough to be observing everyone and forming an opinion on their status, perhaps you shouldn’t be there.

You're not getting it are you op. Stop judging people, you clearly don't like people judging you 😂

This is a ridiculous comment. You can be seriously unwell and still be able to walk, eat and vape.

It’s exactly the same where we are - our nearest walk in is nearly two hours away. It’s incredibly frustrating but what else are people supposed to do?

They come round offering sandwiches to patients in our A&E waiting room. I wonder if it's a trap to weedle out malingerers.

Our minor injuries unit closed. There is an 'urgent treatment' centre but it's a 35 minute drive from here (not on a bus route) and has specific opening hours. The A&E is about 10 minutes drive (buses from all nearby towns) and is open 24/7. My GP surgery has a 3 week wait for appointments.... Guess what? People go to A&E.

This can’t be real 😂

No one can lack this much empathy or understanding that other people suffer other symptoms to you.

I had broken my nose/cheebones - looked awful.

Absolutely starving as hasn’t eaten for hours. Luckily the food trolley came round and I wolfed down a sandwich and cup of tea ☕️ when I saw wolfed I mean chewed very slowly!!

I wasn’t really in pain but was waiting to be stitched up and for max fax to come down at that point. I was already in Majors by then.

I know you’re trying to say there are time-wasters, and there are, but you can’t always tell. Anyone at death’s door will be in resus.

I sat in A&E for 12 hours not so long ago and yes, I went outside to vape, got food from the vending machine and walked around (numb bum anyone?). I also needed to be there as I was having a reaction to my medication that can potentially be fatal.

I'm sorry you're feeling so rubbish but don't take it out on others.

I wish, we have no walk in clinic near us. If you can't get a out of hours GP appointment and it's over a weekend and can't wait then they only option is A&E. This is frustrating as you will see lots of people in our local A&E who could be seen at a minor injuries unit if we actually had one.

I was in no pain at all, and could eat no problem ... I walked into A and E (from the bus stop) chatting on the phone to my husband... whilst having a heart attack.

I knew something was up, a little discomfort in my jaw and collar bone and a feeling of all pervasive, impending doom. But nice to know pain and inability to eat are serious symptoms.
I needed to be there. Lots of other people who look like they are living their best lives do too.

I used to work in an A&E & once a woman came in to see a dr because she wanted plasters for her blisters that she got whilst shopping in the same city centre the hospital was in. She could have picked up plasters in the many, many shops in the city centre that she went shopping in & the hospital was in. The hospital was also across the road from a convenience store which sold plasters 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Not all medical emergencies cause pain or render someone unable to eat you know.

My father was recently hospitalised with sepsis, with his kidneys failing and really escalating infection, and they still had him pop down to the café in the hospital at one point.

My children have both had serious hand injuries lately (crushed fingers and broken bones) and we've been told to go to A&E in order to get triaged for minor injuries both times. They were running about the place as children do and we were up and down the whole time. Doesn't mean we didn't need to be there to get the treatment we required.

People can be unwell in all sorts of ways, and the hospital may have specifically required some of them to be there. So mind your business.

Omg I haven't heard that term for years! My Nan always used to say it

Dont be so silly

Do you know how long everyone else has been waiting?

@imanastronaut OP, I was recently admitted for six weeks with a kidney infection and sepsis. If you saw me in the waiting room, I was scrolling my phone, I ate a McDonalds wrap my DP brought me after a 8 hour wait. If I took your “advice” to go elsewhere, I’d be dead.

If you're lucky they will give you some of the good painkillers and you'll get the munchies and really want that vending machine.

Did you need to be there jf you could observe all this?

We don’t have an urgent care centre less than a hour away so we quite often get directed to A&E where you have to wait in the main area to be triaged and then sent to certain sections depending on the problem.

Last time I went to A&E I had to wait 34 hours for a bed. I was unwell enough to be admitted but I still ate in that time?? My mum made me a jacket potato and brought it up for me 😂

I'm just saying this very much a pot kettle situation