What is the waiting time in your local A&E?

[lemmein]

Just seen this on my local FB - how is this even acceptable? My DD has a chronic condition which means we often end up in a&e; it's always bad, but never been 19 hours

My sister fell off her bike today. Broken wrist in 3 places and badly cut leg. She was in local a&e for 8 hours. She said lots of people waiting were desperate to see a Dr after failing to get a GP appointment.

@lemmein but people do turn up with a 'broken fingernail'. I saw it at this hospital myself in the last few weeks!
We were unlucky enough to be in paeds and i could not fault a single doctor in there. My child was sent straight to paeds from the main a&e reception (minutes after arriving), triaged immediately and then into a room for further checks/treatment. We did not spend 1 minute in the waiting room!

There were kids in there with minor grazes, small cuts, some appearing to have nothing wrong with them at all (and causing chaos running around). I suspect every one of those parents are complaining they were sat in the waiting room for ages but the reality is they didn't need to be there and as such were (rightly so) pushed to the back of the queue.

I would be all for a minimal fee for those who are in a&e when they do not need to be (and a bit of savlon is the only treatment they need)

North Tees a&e has always been a bit shit. I'd just present at James Cook instead.

DF had a serious accident at home 3 weeks ago, he was knocked unconscious DM dialled 999 and was told 40 minutes for an ambulance! DF is 80 and fell from height onto concrete. I wasn't there at the time and drove 150 miles to reach my family who were still in A & E with my DF when I got there. I have never seen such a crowded waiting room, the wait on average was apparently 15 hours to see a Dr. DF had his accident around 11am he was still in A&E at 7pm when we left as he was waiting for admission. DF was then discharged a week later as despite him still being extremely ill I was told they needed the bed. I dont think my DF will ever recover. This hospital was in Essex

Last time I went was September. (111 advised they'd normally send an ambulance but wait time was 9 hours, so DH drove me after getting MIL to come over and watch DD).

Agonising abdominal pain. Triaged after about an hour and given paracetamol. Cannulated for morphine and bloods taken after another hour - but couldn't have the morphine until I'd seen the Dr.

Saw the Dr after 8 hours, the first six of which I spent curled up crying and occasionally hyperventilating from pain and fear, with other patients trying to comfort me, at the point I saw the Dr I no longer needed the morphine. She wasn't sure what it was but referred me for a scan in case it was gallstones (it was). Also almost discharged me with the cannula still in. I had to ask for it removing.

People I was in with had been in over 24 hours waiting for a ward bed.

20 years ago I had pneumonia (parents drove me in) and I was literally seen straight away. Morphine and oxygen after 10 mins in the building. At the time other things seemed awful (the emergency 'ward' was short staffed, there was a scramble to find me an overnight bed, etc), but it would be much worse now.

Around the same time my mum fractured her wrist - in and out in an hour.

25 years ago I fainted on a school trip. The ambulance the teacher insisted on calling took 10 minutes to arrive. Again, I was seen straight away. (Dr was very thorough and I was very embarrassed, even at 14 I knew I was wasting their time).

This week in my area someone waited 24 hours outside A&E in the back of an ambulance. That ambulance then can't attend emergencies. Apparently 50% of ambulance in the area are waiting at A&E at any given moment. People will die because of this.

The app says 45 mins for the nearest urgent treatment centre and 3.5 hours for the nearest A&E.

Try the app "waitless"

I know a nurse in Switzerland and she says that patients there start complaining if they have to wait more than an hour. They have the right to go to A and E for any issue at all (not just urgent ones), and if they don't like the advice they get, they have the right to go to any other A and E department for a second opinion. If treatment is needed, it's started very soon.

15 hours

I had to bring 18 yo DD a few weeks ago after being sent in by the GP who suspected she had a spinal infection from recent surgery. It was appalling - we spent 9 hours there only to be told there was nothing they could do to assess her and just to get in contact with her consultant the next morning. Left feeling very glad that we have private health insurance

@HelloAllll undoubtedly there are people who abuse the system, but those people have always existed. I don't believe the nhs is at the brink of collapse because people are misusing it - in fact, I would say the majority of people are reluctant to 'bother' a&e, so delay going - you've only got to look through some threads on here to see that.

I took my elderly dad in about a month ago. He was seen within 2 hours and out in about 3 to 3 and half. This was Surrey. I was pleasantly surprised it was so quick tbh

In fact I've just had a call from my mum to say my dad had a fall and cut his head. We're monitoring him for concussion but a&e is off putting. But he's just the age that should be seen to 🤷🏻‍♀️ what to do?

People don't seem to understand the levels of care available to them from the NHS.... And most annoyingly people expect to see a doctor regardless of their symptoms and the ability of other medical staff.

I was at a minor injury centre today, one last had brought he son with a graze to his elbow, someone was there for sun burn.... It was a 5 hour wait!!

People call ambulances because they think they will be seen fast or a long term issue will get resolved instead of agreeing to phone or video calls with gp and allowing them to escalate where necessary.

NHS are over worked, under paid for the job they do and not appreciated.

Was blue lighted a couple of weeks ago and checked in at A&E straight away. Then waited 12 hours to be seen by a doctor. Had hourly checks from a nurse. The following day I was told there were only 2 docs on night shift and that’s why there was such a delay.

2 hours tonight. Greater Manchester area.

12 hour wait for an ambulance to get there, though.

This morning my adult son arrived and was triaged, x-rays taken, arm put in full cast and was out within 1hr 30mins. This is on the South Coast.

I was very surprised!

10 years ago my elderly father was sent to A&E with a letter from the GP. He spent ten hours in a wheelchair in A&E with no food or drink and no communication after having a brain scan. I was at home waiting for news and it was only because my cousin begged for help that a doctor gave any idea of what was wrong.

Last year I was sent to A&E by 111. I waited 6 hours but there were others who were there before me and still there when I left. If it had not been for 111 who insisted that I went I would have waited to see if the symptoms passed. I would say that I was someone who didn't really need to be there but the system said I should be. If I had spoken to someone medically qualified on the phone I would probably not have needed to go.

Last month I called an ambulance for a neighbour who had collapsed. She was semi conscious, sweating, struggling to breath. We waited four hours for the ambulance and she passed away 36 hours later without having been admitted to a ward. The paramedics said that she was the first sick patient they had seen that shift - every other one had been drunk, drugged or fighting.

So why at triage do they not send the people away that don’t need to be there? I do not believe that it’s time wasters that are extending the time to see a Dr. They are not going to be seeing someone with a broken nail when stroke victims are left in chairs waiting for hours.

6/8 hours in ours longer at weekends

4 hours with a double fracture to my hand before anything like X-ray/triage …a random week night at about 2 in morning with about 2-3 others in waiting area…I’ve given birth to a nearly 11 lbder and this was f*cking hallucinating type pain
it felt like just wait until the cutoff point and then deal with…I had an airway so it was cool

I took teenage DS to children's A and E a couple of months ago with chest pains. Sort of expected more urgency but we waited 3 hours to be triaged. He had pericarditis.

Took one of mine once with a severe non blanching rash and we were whisked from reception to triage to a bay within 5 mins and had seen consultant within 5 more mins. They started sepsis protocol within the hour as a precaution. Was very impressive. (Turned out to be a blood condition causing severe low platelets).

Really quick last time I was there (as in, not hours) but was extremely ill so prioritised. Always take a book.

Just before covid it was about 15 mins (France). Nothing life threatening.