How quickly would you expect to get triaged at a&e with a dehydrated toddler?

[Arewehumanorbones]

Actually wanted a GP appointment but they sent us to a&e without even seeing him. Not had a wet nappy in nearly 24 hours and been sick for several days now.
We are probably just wasting everyone's time. So how long would you expect to wait to be seen to be sent home?

Not criticism at all! Hope you get seen soon it's worrying when they won't drink and it's frustrating as hell waiting in hospital

We are very lucky that our hospital has a separate children's A&E and a minor injuries unit. You wait in a completely separate area with children.

DH was triaged, in a bed, and hooked up to a drip within an hour when we went and he had severe abdominal pain.

Hope you get seen soon.

The consultants at our peads a and e also cover the kids ward and the neonatal department. I know before now Ds has been the cause of a long wait in a and e for others.

Really sorry to hear your DS is still unwell. Hope you are seen soon, it can be very concerning when they aren’t really responding, etc.

I waited in the a and e with my daughter with a suspected broken leg as several bricks had been dropped on it, you can imagine the pain dd was in, she was crying and screaming in pain in the waiting room and then passed out with the pain! Waited an hour for triage, as soon as the nurse seen her she picked her up and carried her to the treatment area and then got a chair for her and she went straight to x ray. I felt an hour was far too long for her to wait.

Hope things are looking up for you and your DS.

Just been triaged!
(Sorry HollowVictory)

Apparently he's not drinking due to very swollen tonsils so they will take him up to paeds assessment at some point and get him seen up there as no doctors are currently available in a&e for small children....

Aaand we wait again.... Back in the waiting room.

Hope you are seen soon OP. We were in last week with similar (not exactly the same) - triage within 30 mins, fluid challenge, saw doc after maybe 4 hours, then another fluid challenge and doc again another 3-4 hours after the first - admitted after 13 hours though they had told us it would be sooner than that.

I'd hassle them if I were you - dehydrated, less responsive, floppy could be serious and is more urgent than a damaged limb.

Good luck.

Oh cross post

Still good luck!

Sorry just to correct mistake in my previous message - admission for fluids and IV antibiotics was after 13 hours though they had told us sooner that we would be admitted when there was a bed available

They've said no point in doing the fluid challenge as they can see he can't drink.

Hope your LO is ok now Mini

Hope he's ok OP and that you don't have to wait too much longer.

It's so worrying when they are poorly. I've been on both ends of this. I've been the parent who has to sit for half a night and/or day watching the waiting room clear again and again with a dehydrated child, who then started drinking, didn't need IV fluids and got sent home.
And I've been the parent that gets fast tracked to a private room in under 10 minutes.
In both situations I have been incredibly worried. But I have also had to accept that it is not an environment of "first come first served" but of "sickest quickest"

And yes, it's horrible whenever they're ill of course. And waiting times are ridiculous. But, also, you do not want to be the person "jumping queues" in A&E. That means you are usually very ill, or potentially or actually dying.

Poor wee soul. I hope he is seen soon.

I honestly don't mind waiting for treatment. Once triaged. As waiting means they are not too I'll so is reassuring in a way. But not being triaged, not knowing exactly how poorly they are, just wait to be triaged, well I hate that

Has he been assessed yet?

Yes been triaged just waiting to go up to the ward

I would expect to be triaged quite quickly upon arrival from all previous experiences with DS, then wait a good few hours to be seen by a doctor if triage nurse thinks it's not too urgent, which i always see as a good thing to need to wait. It's very worrying and panicking if they're concerned enough to rush you through ahead of all others (luckily happened to us only once).

Hope he gets seen properly soon and they can help him get better soon too.

Are they admitting him then? Have you had any tests done yet?

I took my dd to a&e recently with breathing difficulties and it took them two hours to triage her! They were exceptionally busy though and waiting time for treatment was well over four hours that day.

Never waited more than 20 mins with DS but he had breathing difficulties. An hour seems a long time

@PaquitaVariation

I find that horrifying! 2 hours with breathing difficulties is shocking. Your poor dd

The target for triage is actually 15 minutes, Emergency Departments quite frequently miss this, but that is what they should be aiming for.

The RCEM guidelines (2017) say "Triage Standard
Triage is a face-to-face encounter that should occur within 15 minutes of arrival or registration and should normally require less than 5 minutes contact."

A 1 hr 45 min wait for triage is pretty awful, I say that as a Senior Sister in the Emergency Department

Wowzel that's interesting.

On the paediatric assessment unit now. Dips for fluids and antibiotics. He's already looking better.
They think he's just been unlucky with norovirus quickly followed by tonsillitis, so should be fairly easy to sort.
Expecting to be discharged in the morning with ABs to take at home.