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Original poster

Is it normal to wait over half an hour for triage in a&e?

51 replies

DaisyDreaming · 03/02/2019 09:42

I understand a&e units are busy with lots going on behind the scenes but is it normal to wait at least half an hour for triage with serious problems. It worries me that trips (one for me and one for a relative) has resulted in waiting over half an hour to be triaged in order of when we arrived. Once actually seen by the triage nurse one of us was treated instantly in majors and the other in resus but reception were happy to let my relative be slumped in a wheelchair struggling to breathe with low sats and unable to stay awake (would wake if shaken but would fall back asleep instantly), I had been sent there by my nurse as they figured my family could get me there quicker than an ambulance. Treatment by the medical staff has been amazing but what if we hadn’t arrived at quiet times? My relative has ketoacidosis, sepsis and pneumonia and was rapidly going downhill yet he had to wait in order of when people arrived to be triaged. What if he has been the 10th person to arrive? I’m so impressed with the care received once triaged but it does worry me

OP posts:

chocolatecake08 · 03/02/2019 10:48

I think half an hour is really good in my experience at my a&e it is at least 2 and a half hours x

Gorbie · 03/02/2019 10:53

Sadly it is yes, my daughter (3.5) recently split her forehead on the patio, oh took her to a&e and was there 4 hours in total, 3 hrs wait to be triaged then another hour waiting to see the dr to get it glued, roll forward to bedtime and she knocked it so I took her back at 7.30pm, we waited 4 hrs to see the triage nurse then another hr to see dr to get it re glued, luckily the bleeding had lessened but both times she had blood coming out still and was holding a towel to her head while sat on a hard chair!! I will add this was on a Tuesday so not even the weekend!!

PurpleWithRed · 03/02/2019 10:56

I think that's a very long time indeed given the state of your relative - presumably she was visibly very unwell and the receptionist had been informed of the circumstances? a known diabetic with ketoacidosis, alert only to voice or pain, and difficulty in breathing on top would actually have got a very quick ambulance response (certainly within half an hour and probably much faster) who would have started treatment (O2 and fluids) straight away. How close to the hospital were you? Personally I'd be raising this one with PALS.

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4strings · 03/02/2019 11:30

I found myself in A and E on a Friday night a couple of years ago. Triaged after about an hour; eventually treated about four hours later. I had a small but nasty injury that did need emergency treatment (massive infection risk) so wasn’t a priority. That said, I was alone and by 3am, when the place was full of very unstable people, felt vulnerable and scared, frankly.

What bothered me about the triage was the nurse who though as I didn’t look unwell and the bleeding had pretty much stopped clearly thought I was wasting time. She literally barked “What’s up with you then”. When I removed the tea towel I was using to stem the bleeding her demeanour changes completely. Explained I wasn’t a priority but yes, I needed sorting that night!

MsJaneAusten · 03/02/2019 11:35

I agree that some people are misunderstanding what triage means. You really should be triaged within a few minutes, then wait according to need.

Whatdoyouknowwhenyouknownowt · 03/02/2019 11:38

We took Fil in with suspected stroke, sat for over an hour & then was triaged, where he was taken through immediately.

MsJaneAusten · 03/02/2019 11:44

I’ve just done some googling and can’t find target times for triage, which is baffling really!

TheFairyCaravan · 03/02/2019 11:52

The main reason for this is time wasters who pitch up at A&E with a fucking cold! Then thete are the people who go there because they actually do need to see a medical professional but cannot get an appointment for weeks ahead.

No it's absolutely not at all. The main reason for people having to wait in A&E is because there is absolutely no where to put them and too few staff. The very sick are spending umpteen hours in cubicles waiting for beds because there's none in the hospital .

I've lost count the amount of times DS2 has said they are working in dangerous conditions and every time I ask about time wasters I get the same answer which is "the majority are really bloody sick, mum."

Dox · 03/02/2019 12:09

There is a big difference between going to A&E with a broken bone and an patient who is semi comatose with breathing difficulties.

Triage is supposed to prioritise them.

I would expect a broken bone to take longer to triage and then possibly several hours to wait for treatment whereas the relative in the wheelchair to be seen within minutes.

Lindy2 · 03/02/2019 12:18

I think half an hour for triage is normal. At our hospital it is anyway. I don't think a half hour wait at a busy hospital is bad at all. Assuming 5 - 10 minutes per person that's only 3 - 6 people going ahead of you.

drinkswineoutofamug · 03/02/2019 12:25

We have a new system at our trust and it works. You are triaged at the door . Nurse then decides if where you need to go. Gp out of hours/ walking majors or a&e. You then report to reception to book in. This has lessened the time wasters with a cold.

PinkBuffalo · 03/02/2019 12:29

Thefairycaravan You have confirmed what our a&e big hospital have said last year. Lots of news reports saying time wasters were the cause, but a senior member of staff called a press conference and said time wasters aren't the issue as they can send them away, it was full of really poorly people who needed treatment. We are rural where we are and the hospital is approx 30 miles away covering a huge area which is very densely populated in places. The hospital is no longer fit for purpose,which is sadly why I lost my dad there last year .

wigglypiggly · 03/02/2019 12:33

I read about a hospital where you see a nurse before being triaged, wonder if its the same one as drinkswineoutofamug works in, it looks a great idea. If someone takes a turn for the worse sitting in reception I'd be up straight away telling the receptionist that they have deteriorated.

twentypencemore · 03/02/2019 12:34

The triage system at our A&E is shit. When I attended, literally every single person who was there before me got seen, people coming in after me got seen, anybody and everybody walking through the door got seen. After about 3 hours DH politely asked at the desk and was told to sit down and wait our turn.
Another hour and he went back to the desk and was told by a very grumpy receptionist that it was the triage nurse's decision, not theirs, and the nurse had obviously decided on my first examination that I wasn't a priority. At which point DH told her I hadn't had any sort of examination and hadn't seen the triage nurse at all. Cue a very red face and called through five minutes later.
A couple of months ago my elderly parent had exactly the same experience except they only had to wait 2 1/2 hours to see the nurse, by which time they were in a hell of a state.

Southwest12 · 03/02/2019 12:37

When I worked on an A&E reception people were triaged according to arrival, and it could be up to 40 minutes wait. But, if someone presented at the desk that reported chest pains, difficulty breathing etc we would send them straight through and let one of the medical staff decide if they should wait to be triaged or not.

Fairylea · 03/02/2019 12:40

Our triage system is very good (Norfolk). You firstly see someone at the door who asks you what’s wrong and they give you a ticket - this ticket has an urgency number on it- you’re then waved through to the main desk to check in. From there you wait to be seen. I would imagine that someone who is literally at deaths door would be rushed through at the initial stage.

I have Addison’s disease which can be fatal if untreated in emergencies and I am always treated very quickly - if you saw me walk in you'd probably think I was a time waster. I’m slim ish, young ish, walk well, wear make up and generally look “fine” and well. My condition can suddenly go downhill though so I need treating immediately- I am high priority for ambulances too.

I went to a and e earlier this week as I was having a lot of kidney pain. I was seen in 10 mins of checking in and then had bloods and an ecg done. I was sent for a kidney ultrasound within 1 hour and it showed i had kidney stones. I was discharged with medication and a treatment plan. I was amazed how quickly I was in and out.

I think on the whole triage does a very good job, it must be so difficult at times to decide who goes first / has priority.

Undercoverbanana · 03/02/2019 12:46

The only times I’ve been to A&E are when my daughter was blue-lighted in and we were rushed straight in on those occasions as her epilepsy was out of hand and she was in real danger.

Otherwise, my son broke his arm when he was 6 and we were there for a few hours before seeing anyone apart from the receptionist. I think we were seen quickly as he was young and in a lot of pain. I still think a couple of hours was good. This was nearly 20 years ago!!!!!!!

TaimaandRanyasBestFriend · 03/02/2019 14:42

Yep, normal!

Myusernameismud · 03/02/2019 16:11

It is NOT normal to wait for half an hour to be triaged with breathing difficulties. I wish people would stop saying that it is.
Breathing difficulties should be looked at within a few minutes.

thaegumathteth · 03/02/2019 16:17

I had sepsis recently and was triaged ahead of other people in the waiting room. People were raging. I presume they looked at my symptoms on my arrival note and sore of triaged without seeing me iyswim?

Overrunwithlego · 03/02/2019 16:25

It’s not safe, although that doesn’t mean it’s not normal. A&E attenders should have an initial clinical assessment by a registered healthcare practitioner within 15 minutes of the time of arrival in order to identify those at risk of deterioration. This doesn’t mean a full assessment though - if you’re there for a broken finger that’s going to a pretty quick check and then you’ll need to wait according to clinical need.

Overrunwithlego · 03/02/2019 16:27

thaegumathteth That is exactly what should have happened. They’ve had a quick clinical assessment of you and identified you were at risk of serious deterioration.

popcornwizard · 03/02/2019 16:35

Last time i went to a+e it was directly from a GP appointment with a letter. I walked in and spoke to reception, was triaged almost instantly then went to sit in the waiting room. It was really full and people were really grumpy. Saw someone i knew there (she was there with her father, and had been waiting for 3 hours for a ct scan) so chatted for a couple of minutes before being called for a ct scan myself.

I was a lot more ill than I looked, kept in for a week, but to the waiting room if must've looked really unfair. Was pleased to see friends dad going in as I came out, but still felt a bit guilty of jumping the queue even though he was ok.

Triage and treatment seem to be in order of need in our hospital.

Lovelilies · 03/02/2019 16:55

Well I've just started a new job streaming in A&E and our aim is to see people within 10 minutes of arriving in the department so...
In reality if they come in in droves it's a bit longer but we try and stick to it. The long wait comes after seeing me! (Obviously if the patient is as ill as your relative I'd send them straight through to resus).

t1mum3 · 03/02/2019 17:12

We once waiting, standing for four hours, in children's A&E with my son who had very elevated blood glucose and no means of testing ketones (recently diagnosed with type one diabetes at that time). It was really poor. Triage would have quickly identified whether he needed to be seen by a doctor or whether we could manage at home (would have been happy to manage at home in the absence of ketones).

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