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?

@AffIt

I'm 42 and, while I'm not a health professional myself, have many friends who are doctors/nurses/midwives/paramedics etc.

The NHS has been 'on its knees' for at least a decade, IMO (probably longer), but as far as I can see (and based on input from HCP friends), if you require life-saving care urgently, you will be seen and attended to.

However, in saying this, I - a life-long Left thinker/voter from a family of socialists - took out private healthcare insurance last year. Make of that what you will.

I relate to everything in this post. Every single thing. Also considered taking out a policy. Nice established Nuffield hospital here though they supported the nhs last year...

Well don’t get sick in our area. Ambulances queuing outside A&E for hours (13 queuing ambulances earlier today). Dh is a Consultant he says it’s like working in a third world hospital or a war zone. Critical incidents being declared most weeks (they don’t let it go public though).
Yes it’s been bad for years (thanks Tory voters 🙄) but this is a whole new level of unsafe.

Me too. Just seen a report saying a man had to wait 18 hrs for an ambulance for a fractured pelvis. It's not like you can drive them in yourself with that sort of injury is it.

Breathing problems and chest pain with covid in Dec. Twice called the paramedics, we're at my house within 20 mins and within the hour. Faultless service. Amazing staff. Last time attended A&E waited several hours then got home after 9 hours but with good news. I'm in SE

My 11yr old DS began to struggle with his breathing, wheezing and using accessory muscles in Dec. Phoned 999 who sent an ambulance immediately, arrived within 5 mins. They spent half an hour or so at home with us before blue lighting him in. He spent a week in hospital, very very poorly but the care he received was faultless. I've never been more grateful for our NHS and the nurses and doctors looking after him were beyond amazing. Husband is an NHS nurse, so was I prior to changing career at the end of last year. We must protect the NHS at all costs.

A family member was in a car crash three weeks ago - a bad one.

We had to wait a good while for an ambulance, but once it arrived they were treated well, had radioed through to resus and they were scene and treated immediately upon arrival. Treatment throughout the stay was prompt.

I have no complaints at all about the service.

Well, the great British public voted the Tories in again and this is what we get, surprise, surprise.
It is bloody terrifying - especially the PP with a choking 17 month old child who was quoted an hour for an ambulance

4 years ago when my dad was dying of liver failure he collapsed and had an awful fall one night at 11pm. I couldn't get him off the floor, he was bleeding, hallucinating and in an awful state. I called 999 and the ambulance arrived NINE hours later. I spent the night sitting next to him on the floor as he hallucinated, cried, soiled and wet himself, unable to move him at all and expecting him to die at any moment. He died a couple of days later.

Two years ago DH (fit and well) keeled over at home. Shaking, slurring his words and apparently (so it seemed) having a stroke. I called 999 and was told that the wait for ambulance would be 4 hours. I had to call my sister and we dragged him out to the car together then I drove him the 25 minutes to A&E. Luckily he came around in hospital and fully recovered - it wasn't a stroke but they did initially think it was when we arrived.

I'm not particularly 'more' concerned about the state of emergency response right now. In my experience it was woefully inadequate long before corona and seems no different now.

I called an ambulance for my dm two days ago as she was very puffy, sleepy and her breathing wasn’t right and had purple lips. The ambulance came in about 7 minutes.
She has blood clots, not sure what else as cannot get through to the hospital easily to talk to anyone, but that’s nothing new. She had a double heart bypass three years ago. She’s been in and out about 6 times within the year with various infections too. Ambulances all came quite quickly.

My granddaughter (21 months) had a febrile fit and had inhaled vomit Monday evening. She was breathing very quickly, very sleepy/floppy and was not waking up when roused. She had shown no signs of illness until 9pm - when mum went to check on her.

Was told that the ambulance would be an hour and a half and could she be taken in by car/taxi.

She was treated promptly after arriving (thankfully safely as her parents were in full panic mode).

Granddaughter is currently being taken to hospital daily and then back home after receiving antibiotics through a cannula as there is a lack of beds.

All family tested negative for corona.

She is being treated for an upper respiratory tract infection.

The children's ward was extremely busy.

Seen numerous gps and nurses.
Numerous blood tests, ECG’s,
Numerous investigations
Four 2WW
Numerous procedures , including a GA

But people in my area are saying they cant even get a call with the GP

I haven't rtft. But you're right.

I rang 999 overnight, a resident in my care home ward had fallen, obtained a head injury. Frail and very elderly. I waited 10 minutes in a queue to get through to ambulance emergency number. Resident was an emergency call, within 2 hours they said.
The ambulance took 7 hours to arrived.

They're just so stretched. It's awful for them, and for the people left in pain or unwell or injured waiting.

@1WeekTillChristmas

Seen numerous gps and nurses. Numerous blood tests, ECG’s, Numerous investigations Four 2WW Numerous procedures , including a GA

But people in my area are saying they cant even get a call with the GP

My OH can't even get a blood test at the moment. He's struggled for months to get one booked, but usually could find somewhere that would do one, but not this time. It's a regular monthly test needed for Chemo. GP surgery refuse to give an appt (as usual, they've not done blood tests for chemo for over a year). There's apparently a "mobile" service going round local surgeries/health centres, but they only do certain days each week, which don't fit with the oncologist's part time hours. The oncology dept will do it, but it's two hours' drive away (each way), so going for chemo is bad enough but going all that way just for a blood test is crazy.

In 2020, in the winter lockdown we called an ambulance and it was there within minutes, despite living quite rurally. There ended up being three ambulance crews and despite their best efforts my mum died. Couldn't fault them.

twitter.com/June_Roche/status/1478662707138416646?t=RnbGUOJip9HTj-tiXIaPwA&s=19

this is a devastating story from an A and E

DW needed an ambulance (999 call) just before Xmas. It took just under an hour to get to us, but once they were here they dealt with her with no sense of panic or rush. Our local ambulance service had declared a "critical incident" the month before.