Needing an ambulance/urgent medical care would terrify me just now - NHS on its knees

[pastypirate]

Anyone else? We don't have complex medical needs in the family but anything just now needing medical care really frightens me due to wait times and ambulances never coming and so on. Not a complaint nhs workers doing their best in terrible circumstances,

Is it as bad as it seems?

My Dh is diabetic and had a hypo last week, I found him non responsive and thought he was dying. The paramedic was here in 10 minutes and th ambulance within 30 minutes. I was terrified about response times from what I had read and this was the first time in my life I ever phoned 999, so grateful to the ambulance service

@AlternativePerspective

Also, the media are loving this. If one hospital has issues the media will report it as the nhs is overrun.

There is a slightly higher absence compared to previous years but it’s only around 7% vs 5% according to what I was reading this morning.

Six hospital Trusts have declared critical so far.

Do you not think that is newsworthy??

The reality is that the NHS has been on its knees for years yet people voted in Tory government who were never going to help fund and improve the system.

Yes Covid made it worse but this was always going to be the outcome,

My father in law aged 83 and housebound waited 10 hours for ambulance after a fall yesterday

That said, my mums cancer treatment has been faultless. Not impacted in any way by any of the current problems

I can't remember a time when the NHS has not been 'on its knees'?

Ok so did a bit of Googling. Derriford - nearest is quite busy BUT it's the regional trauma centre. Treliske in truro looks fine as does rd and e in exeter. Then there are various minor injury units which all look normal as far as I can see.

My mum waited 5 hours for an ambulance in December 2018 so while I don't doubt that there are issues, they are not new.

@likeacoaster

That said, my mums cancer treatment has been faultless. Not impacted in any way by any of the current problems

That's great to hear - the quality of treatment

But of balance. I am in the area of a not particularly well performing trust. I have had to call 5 ambulances in the last two years and also used a and e twice but no ambulance needed. Every time they've come so quickly. Within 5 minutes on Christmas Day just gone. Amazing treatment once there. Some mistakes eg losing blood samples, but incredibly thorough and all scans done quickly and followed up. Discharge typically taking hours. But otherwise incredibly impressive. But yes, you can tell the staff are knackered and spread too thin. And last time a nurse had a panic attack which was very sad to see. They sent her home though.

I'm quite worried too because my daughter is in an out of hospital with asthma...
My husband works for the NHS and he knows first hand how they are on their knees at the moment with staff shortages
I wouldn't dare ever ring an ambulance but luckily we have a car.. my husband would just leave work with his car to drive my daughter to A&E if she was struggling to breathe because theres no way id trust an ambulance to get here in a reasonable time frame

I worry most about people with non urgent medical issues though
For instance my daughter hasn't actually been able to see a gp properly about her asthma, they just won't see her because they arent doing non essential appointments and because she's so young they won't diagnose her, she won't get diagnosed in A&E they just treat her... some have no long term plan for her asthma at all. The most they will do is prescribe her salbutemol over the phone which obv prevents her from dying... but I've know idea what to do long term ina general sense and whether she needs other medication to prevent things
Before the pandemic there would've been an asthma clinic I could take her to

One of the places named above is definitely not fine as I work there. Ambulances being diverted, no beds and nightmare with staff as so many are off. People are at breaking point.

I love that because some places are not completely overwhelmed people are thinking it is not too bad.

I agree with the OP, I would very much like to avoid needing A&E if possible until about April.

Things are clearly very bad in places - and the government is covering it up.

I'm sat in a city hospital in the sw as I type. Paramedic just came into the cafe and said it was quite quiet. On the children's ward it's busy but certainly not heaving!

I've had a couple of requirements for A&E recently. DS suffered a bad head injury via rugby and a couple of weeks later, DH fainted and cracked his head open. Both times, I drove them as I thought it would be faster than waiting for an ambulance. I was concerned about DH as there was significant blood loss and he kept passing out, but once at hospital, both were triaged within minutes and seen by a doctor within the hour. They were fantastic. I'd personally try and get someone to hospital myself at the moment though where at all possible. Completely accept this isn't always possible - I did call 999 for DH and the call handler recommended I try to get him there myself if it was an option, he offered to stay on the phone with me whilst I got DH in the car as I was worried he'd pass out again. I can't begin to imagine how stressful that job must be at the moment.

@rrhuth I didn't mean it's not too bad. As somebody who needs to access the hospital a fair bit these threads can be really really frightening. I just wanted to add balance. It's not all a disaster. (I'm afraid I can't always get my relative into the car safely as he is either unconscious or too confused, and I've been told by consultants to call an ambulance rather than try to drive him),

Obviously I would avoid hospital as much as possible. In fact I turned down an ambulance on Sunday because I knew it wasn't needed. I just needed to speak to a doctor, which I did several hours later.

My neighbour needed an ambulance last night, (suspected heart attack) it was here within 5 minutes, she was at the hospital within 15 and seen immediately. I'm in the south east.

@rrhuth

I love that because some places are not completely overwhelmed people are thinking it is not too bad.

I agree with the OP, I would very much like to avoid needing A&E if possible until about April.

Things are clearly very bad in places - and the government is covering it up.

Come April things will be worse, as NHS staff who have spent two years working through a pandemic suddenly become dispensable at midnight on 31st March because they don't want to be jabbed, as is their right irrespective of views on whether they should be or not.

My advice would be if you think things are bad now it is worth petitioning your MP to have that little gem overturned otherwise we could be in an absolutely diabolical situation with plenty of beds and ambulances but nobody to staff them.

DH is a paramedic, retired but still has his registration. Paramedics on 10 hour shifts are seeing one patient per shift as the rest of the time they are backed up in the hospital car park unable to unload as the hospital has no capacity. 15 ambulances stuck yesterday awash with hazard lights. The ambulance trust have written to DH asking if he would consider working shifts to guard/police/treat these poor peeps in a tent in the carpark so the ambulance paramedics can off load them and get back out on the road. They have offered to match his current salary which is much more than a senior paramedic earns as they are absolutely desperate. He has not worked for them for three years

@BarbedButterfly

One of the places named above is definitely not fine as I work there. Ambulances being diverted, no beds and nightmare with staff as so many are off. People are at breaking point.

I can guess which one. Lots of friends there and on the ambulances quitting left right and centre because the working conditions are dire. I wish you all the best and appreciate everything you do x

Walked past our local A&E this morning and their "waiting time" illuminated display outside was showing 20 minutes, no ambulances parked outside, so it is clearly very variable area by area.

I only hope that if there are further restrictions/lockdowns, etc., they only apply to the areas where the NHS is struggling and not everywhere as a default.

A family member is in hospital. One of her DC rang at 9 am and she was talking nonsense. His sibling is her visitor she is allowed so he told her. She wasn't able to get on until 3pm but they felt at least she was in the right place.

When other DC arrived she waa still talking nonsense and noone had noticed in those 6 hours.

I went to A&E before Christmas..not by ambulance and was waiting 13 hours to be seen. My friend had a heart attack and waited 8 hours on an ambulance and 4 hours in the ambulance at A&E to be seen.

It's on its knees here in Belfast ATM.