Anyone at A&E this evening? What’s it like where you are?

[O2HaveALittleHouse]

My OH called 111 because DC sustained a sports injury and was told to go to A&E Urgent Treatment Centre at the very specific time of 6pm for an appointment. They’ve seen no-one yet as at 8.30pm, nor has anyone in the UTC waiting room moved.
The UTC shuts at 10pm. They’re going to send them home without seeing anyone despite a suspected broken limb, aren’t they? DC is sore, miserable and begging to come home despite the pain.
What’s it like where you are?

If they hadn’t been given a time, they’d have tried to eat something first. So they’ve eaten nothing since lunch.
A small thing in the great scheme of things I know.

They would see everyone booked in before a certain time (basically when they see they may be at full capacity for the day they stop booking and people who arrive later go to the main A&E queue). If for some reason there’s absolutely no way to see them in UCC tonight they will be sent to main A&E. They won’t be just sent home. No denying though that A&E waiting times can be ridiculous these days.

@ohmysense that gives me some hope.. The system is a right mess where we are with doctor’s appointments like gold dust and a man we know waited 12 hours in A&E with a suspected heart attack.

I’d go private if there was such an option but then we’d end up like the US via the back door.

My FIL was taken in by ambulance this afternoon after us finding him collapsed on his bathroom floor as a suspect sepsis case. Ambulance came quickly, they left his house with him at 3.20pm….by 8pm he hadn’t even been seen by a doctor….and that’s with possible sepsis. Drunk people shouting and screaming all over the place, an absolute shambles 😞

I was booked in urgently for a 4pm appointment and saw a doctor at 10.30..

I was on an ambulance for 7 hours this week. Was taken into resus so it was 'serious' and not time-wasting. The lady in the ambulance next to me had been there 2hrs already and had had a stroke. I can't imagine her outcomes were good at 9+hours to admission.

Having said that, the ambulance got to me within 15 minutes which I was very impressed and relieved by and the care whilst sat in the ambulance outside hospital could not have been better. So well done SW ambulance service.

<Waves>
I’m sitting in A and E right now. They have been brilliant actually. I waited 6 hours to be assessed in urgent care before being transferred here. I was assessed in A and E within 10 mins. I’ve had multiple tests and seen lots of staff including a doctor. Yes I’ve been here 3 hours now, I’m hungry and a bit bored but just have to lie back and MN until my results come in.

@Allsizes8to14 That’s awful. Is he just sitting out in A&E waiting? It’s no wonder so many get up and walk out.

This is what worries me as the UTC closes sharp at 10pm. Does anyone know if X-rays are manned through the night?

I wonder why more people aren’t suing if they’re missing the “golden hour” for strokes @October2020 ? Maybe these patients have no advocates or aren’t well enough to do so..

We have an app for our hospital. This is the current state of affairs, though I think it’s probably optimistic.

@CaptainCaveMum waves back though technically it’s my OH who is there with DC while I’m at home with other DC. Glad you’ve been treated well tonight and yours really does sound like a good service. 👏

Hospital x Ray depts work nights, dh has had chest films at 2am when he was an inpatient.

My Mum (75, severe asthmatic in the midst of a major attack) said to me yesterday evening (through a desperate struggle to inhale air) “I’d rather die here than face A&E”. She didn’t - we have stashed a truck load of mega steroids for these moments…one day it won’t work😩

I did think that about the golden hour but tbh I was too busy with my own (thankfully awful but not time-is-of-the-essence urgent) shit. I really hope things turned out okay for her.

And I hope your son gets seen soon. They won't xray overnight unless it's horrendous so I would potentially go home and return v early.

@ThisIsAddiction I can’t find the waiting time for our hospital. It’s actually good to see something factual like how many are there.

Good to know that, thank you.

@O2HaveALittleHouse he is in a cubicle thankfully, on oxygen and has a cannula in so things are happening. I’m assuming because the call handler identified him as possible sepsis and put it as a category 1 call this has helped. Am just hoping he’s seen a Dr now and they have a bed for him 😳

I think it’s something that was trialled here but never seemed to be rolled out further. Shame as it is useful, especially when the walk ins are open.

m hope all goes well.

That’s utterly awful.

I can’t help thinking that the government want the NHS to get so bad that we accept paying for services or opting to go private over the current state of affairs. That’s not meant to be a political point but we need to have a grown up discussion about how we find the NHS if we want it to exist in 10 years.

Our local one Is 2hrs 40 mins but the main hospital is 9hrs.
If possible I go to minor injuries rather than a and e although things always seem to happen on a weekend/evening when they aren't always open.
If you have an app/website it's really useful if you do have a choice where to go, worth looking into.

My daughter was taken to a and e by ambulance after a serious RTA recently. She was treated in the ambulance for an hour at the scene - I think they were basically triaging her in the scene, then we got a radio message that resus was ready for her.

we went to a and e and she was treated right away - X-rays, scans etc.

luckily she was fit for discharge and recovery at home rather than being kept in, but from time of crash to home again was eighth hours - I was hugely impressed.

I am so so glad especially in might of the awful Guardian article about a teenager in septic shock.

My child is not happy but at worst has one or more broken bones. I know we are lucky.

@CormoranStrike that’s hugely impressive indeed and I hope your daughter has made a strong recovery from quite the ordeal.

@O2HaveALittleHouse dont apologise for making a political point - the future of our health service IS a political point. This is what makes me scream when friends say “oh I’m not interested in politics”! That’s why we’re in the mess we’re in 😢.