2nd night in A&E

[aliasname]

DD (18) was taken into hospital yesterday for cardiac monitoring after she has had heartbeat issues for a few weeks.

She's had an x-ray, is waiting for a scan, and is on an ECG all the time. She spent last night in a chair, no sleep.

When I phoned this afternoon, they said they were still waiting for a bed for her, and some patients had been waiting 3 days! Actually I don't know if it is A&E or if its an assessment ward, but I do know she has been sitting in a chair for over 24 hours.

No visitors so its hard to know exactly what's going on, but is this normal?! So worried about her...

I’ve know several young adults being admitted to hospital with cardiac issues lately. I suspect it’s related to Covid infections. Hope she is okay.

@RosesAndHellebores

It's disgraceful and it's time for it to stop. Please email PALS, your MP and the hospital CEO and say something like:

Dear

My daughter currently needs her heart to be monitored. She was admitted to x hospital on, xx hours ago. After xx hours she is on an ecg, sitting upright in a chair. This has prevailed through one night as well as all the daylight hours.

My dd is 18 and I am not allowed to be with her despite the fact she is, due to her condition, a vulnerable adult.

I would be grateful if somebody would telephone me as a matter of urgency to explain when my daughter, who is ill, will be provided with the bed and rest her condition requires. I would also like to know why I am not allowed to be with her and trust you are able to confirm that in my absence her every physical and emotional need is being met.

I look forward to hearing from you without delay to be informed of the clinical and pastoral plans that are in place for my daughter. My MP is copied because they need to be aware of the gravity of the situation for patients and their families at present.

Yours sincerely

Ah no don’t send this letter.

@LiquidSodaCrystal

I’ve know several young adults being admitted to hospital with cardiac issues lately. I suspect it’s related to Covid infections. Hope she is okay.

Covid infection is known to increase the risk of cardiac issues for a few months afterwards.

@julieca - I do understand that the issue is chronic underfunding, but still say it is ridiculous to keep saying how wonderful the NHS is and that those of us who live in other countries are envious of it (which often comes up in threads). Our own health system is underfunded, but if some of the things that happened there happened here the whole country would be in revolt!

@aliasname

I just read another thread about someone's husband who had a stroke and there was a delay with the ambulance. Now I feel guilty because some people do have it worse off, and at least DD is being looked after.

That's me. Please don't feel guilty, the NHS is on its knees and patients (and front line staff) are the ones who are suffering.

I hope she is sorted soon and for you because it is so shot being a relative and feeling powerless at the moment.

@gofg I understand, but I despair at our electorate. They keep voting for a party that is destroying our health care system.

@MauveMavis

What political descion did Tony Blair make that led to catastrophic issues with hospitals and people left alone giving birth, left to die etc?

Maybe... The NHS won't prosper under any party and needs immediate removal from politics?

Julica I despair when people's forget how atrocious hospital became under Blair.
I don't want to spam you this thread with links.

Op... My df was waiting for over ten hours a few years ago trying to get into a and e.

@RosesAndHellebores
Just don’t be a dick. It’s not a lot
To ask.

@Naughtynovembertree I have a rare chronic illness. My hospital and specialist treatment was way better under Blair than now. Exception is the food has improved since then.

@RosesAndHellebores

It's disgraceful and it's time for it to stop. Please email PALS, your MP and the hospital CEO and say something like:

Dear

My daughter currently needs her heart to be monitored. She was admitted to x hospital on, xx hours ago. After xx hours she is on an ecg, sitting upright in a chair. This has prevailed through one night as well as all the daylight hours.

My dd is 18 and I am not allowed to be with her despite the fact she is, due to her condition, a vulnerable adult.

I would be grateful if somebody would telephone me as a matter of urgency to explain when my daughter, who is ill, will be provided with the bed and rest her condition requires. I would also like to know why I am not allowed to be with her and trust you are able to confirm that in my absence her every physical and emotional need is being met.

I look forward to hearing from you without delay to be informed of the clinical and pastoral plans that are in place for my daughter. My MP is copied because they need to be aware of the gravity of the situation for patients and their families at present.

Yours sincerely

Please don't send this. Medical care shouldn't, and isn't, prioritised based who shouts loudest, threatens the most, or emotionally guilt trips the poor staff working in a system which is not in their control.

It makes you realise how bad things are when members of the public themselves sort their own triage system out.

Recently our local a and e had queues down the road and some very sick people waiting in line before even getting to triage .
Each time a small baby turned up those in front were letting them ahead, my dad had had a very bad bang to the head and was weak and dizzy. He started vomiting and she we said don’t worry to someone it’s not contagious it’s from the bump they all said immediately go ahead and one by one they let us to the front , also saw an elderly lady be sent to the front too

The NHS was massively better funded under Blair and Brown. It’s really some crazy political bias to claim the reverse!

Anyone who is wondering why the NGs is in crisis - it’s ten years of the Tories plus Brexit. Covid is merely a temporary issue compared to that.

The exodus of staff as a result of Brexit is extraordinary, but the funding problems are completely down to the Tories.

Social care is funded through local government - who was it who ensured councils got rid of hospital social work departments as a result of massive local government cuts? Yes, that’s right - the Tories.

Anyone who has voted Tory (or for Brexit) in the last ten years was warned that this would happen - now it has; so why is anyone surprised?

@RosesAndHellebores

It's disgraceful and it's time for it to stop. Please email PALS, your MP and the hospital CEO and say something like:

Dear

My daughter currently needs her heart to be monitored. She was admitted to x hospital on, xx hours ago. After xx hours she is on an ecg, sitting upright in a chair. This has prevailed through one night as well as all the daylight hours.

My dd is 18 and I am not allowed to be with her despite the fact she is, due to her condition, a vulnerable adult.

I would be grateful if somebody would telephone me as a matter of urgency to explain when my daughter, who is ill, will be provided with the bed and rest her condition requires. I would also like to know why I am not allowed to be with her and trust you are able to confirm that in my absence her every physical and emotional need is being met.

I look forward to hearing from you without delay to be informed of the clinical and pastoral plans that are in place for my daughter. My MP is copied because they need to be aware of the gravity of the situation for patients and their families at present.

Yours sincerely

Why would she be classed as a vulnerable adult simply due to a heartbeat issue? I think people have misused this phrase so much over time to try and give themselves and their wants and needs 'extra points' that people don't actually understand the true definition anymore.

OP I hope your daughter gets some answers soon.

A vulnerable adult is someone with a severe mental illness, dementia, or learning difficulties and so need another adult to help them navigate systems including GPs.
Having an illness does not make you by itself vulnerable, most people in hospital have some kind of illness.

The NHS started being a shambles in 1947. Blair helped it by fundung a huge additional layer of bureaucracy called Primary Care Trusts and allowing the exponential growth of CCGs.

I have written to my MP and urged him to support tax rises of 5p in the pound to fund it more. Only when people feel the pain in their pockets will they bray for modernisation and the introduction of a European system with social insurance as in France and Germany.

The poor nurses have told us they were/are overworked since the 1960s. It would be helpful to pinpoint when they became overworked but regardless of the date the care and standards of nursing have declined disastrously.

In 1994 when ds was born and I was the only person in labour, midwives were complaining about cuts and overwork. In 1997 under New Labour our local hospital closed. More recent experiences has been utterly dire and dire because of the people working in the system and managers using bad policies and poor data to CV build their way to promotion.

The mismanagement of resources is catastrophic. Example. Where we live a broken bone, requiring surgery is taken to the nearest A&E. It doesn't have any orthopaedic cover for emergencies or 24/7. Those patients then sit on a trolley for 12-14 hours, sometimes in pain (because they aren't great or overly bothered about managing it) until they can be transferred to the next hospital (4 miles away) that has emergency orthopaedic facilities using another ambulance. The excuse culture and compounded failures have to stop. It isn't rocket science and for as long as services piss resources up the wall due to the aforementioned then my sympathy for the poor nhs staff is worn a little thin.

And yes, I have an ample supply of grips but whilst the public allows this to happen again and again without complaint, the non complaining, grateful public will continue to receive sub optimal services.

@RosesAndHellebores so you were the only woman in labour and the nurses in the ward were telling you they were overworked?
Okaaayyy.

I have a rare chronic health issue. I used to get admitted to hospital under Blair at a lower level of illness than I do now. I also used to see a consultant back then far more often, whereas it is now a nurse. I used to get free unlimited incontinence pads. The difference is very stark. My concern isn't about complaining staff etc. I know objectively my treatment has got worse over the last 10 years.

As the pandemic has gone on it's got harder and harder. I regularly end up in A&E due to medical condition and always have to be admitted. Wait times are extremely long at the moment. The last time I was there they gave me morpheme whilst I waited in the waiting area. I ended up with a nurse holding me upright on a chair as I was so weak and kept passing out. They did eventually find me a temporary bed in a surgical assessment ward before moving me to another ward. It wasn't a great experience though. As I was by myself I had no support and was too poorly to catch someone's attention. The staff on the ward were horrified I'd been left for so long but it couldn't be helped.

Even when I was admitted, things were missed due to me being on the wrong ward. The surgical team, who would normally deal with me, weren't able to see me. Vital things were missed because they didn't have the experience of my condition although they obviously knew enough about it, just not as much as the dedicated ward.

I watched them struggle everyday, literally ran off their feet. There were staff who had been on shift almost 24 hours because they had so many call in sick. The wards are left with skeleton staff, all trying to do their best but just not physically having the time. It's just a terrible situation all round.

Yes @Julieca Christmas Eve/Christmas Day morning 1994. Large London teaching hospital. I object greatly to the tone of your dismissal and disbelief to be honest.

@RosesAndHellebores Yes sorry I am kind of disbelieving that nurses were rushed off their feet if you were the only woman in labour. Perhaps they did say that to you though.

@RosesAndHellebores

The NHS started being a shambles in 1947. Blair helped it by fundung a huge additional layer of bureaucracy called Primary Care Trusts and allowing the exponential growth of CCGs.

I have written to my MP and urged him to support tax rises of 5p in the pound to fund it more. Only when people feel the pain in their pockets will they bray for modernisation and the introduction of a European system with social insurance as in France and Germany.

The poor nurses have told us they were/are overworked since the 1960s. It would be helpful to pinpoint when they became overworked but regardless of the date the care and standards of nursing have declined disastrously.

In 1994 when ds was born and I was the only person in labour, midwives were complaining about cuts and overwork. In 1997 under New Labour our local hospital closed. More recent experiences has been utterly dire and dire because of the people working in the system and managers using bad policies and poor data to CV build their way to promotion.

The mismanagement of resources is catastrophic. Example. Where we live a broken bone, requiring surgery is taken to the nearest A&E. It doesn't have any orthopaedic cover for emergencies or 24/7. Those patients then sit on a trolley for 12-14 hours, sometimes in pain (because they aren't great or overly bothered about managing it) until they can be transferred to the next hospital (4 miles away) that has emergency orthopaedic facilities using another ambulance. The excuse culture and compounded failures have to stop. It isn't rocket science and for as long as services piss resources up the wall due to the aforementioned then my sympathy for the poor nhs staff is worn a little thin.

And yes, I have an ample supply of grips but whilst the public allows this to happen again and again without complaint, the non complaining, grateful public will continue to receive sub optimal services.

And how is the complaining working out?

They most certainly did. It was when I asked for help and 4 of them were having a jolly banter at the nurses station. I'd had ds back from SCBU for about an hour, he was screaming inconsolably and I couldn't get him to latch. And frankly they couldn't be bovvered.

Another thread running simultaneously - “I’m fed up because I might have to wear a mask again”. Posters on this thread saying complain.

Can you not put two and two together?! Those crowing for feeedom day and shouting about the possibility of having to wear a mask in shops.... welcome to the world you wanted. The breakdown of health with education to follow.

@RosesAndHellebores so there were lots of staff, they just weren't very good. In any service they are brilliant and not so good staff.
These days there would be unlikely to be anyone available to ask.

[quote julieca]@RosesAndHellebores so there were lots of staff, they just weren't very good. In any service they are brilliant and not so good staff.
These days there would be unlikely to be anyone available to ask.[/quote]
I agree. The times I have been able to be with DH this week I have watched the staff scurrying about like blue arsed flies, there is seldom anyone at the nurses stations chatting.