Do some people not understand how A&E works?

[YouFilthyAnimal]

I’m in A&E with DS and this isn’t the first time that we’ve been taken straight through from triage and put on a nebuliser only to hear people kicking off about it in the waiting room because ‘they were here first’
Do people not realise that A&E is based on need and urgency and not what order you came in at?! Would they expect someone having a heart attack to get behind a broken toe because they were there first
Baffles me every time 🤦🏻‍♀️

A big problem is a lot of the walk in centres are now closed. In Birmingham there was one in the city centre. It closed during covid and now you have to call 111 to get an appointment at a “near” urgent care centre.
getting a gp appointment is nearly impossible, i called 50 times before getting through last week and was no 17 in the queue. By that time all appointments were gone- this was for my child. Drs advised us to go a&e if he got worse. This seems to be a scripted answer now.

everyone is frustrated.

My dc is epileptic and when they have had a bad seizure and an ambulance has to be called they will get taken straight through to a bed. This is not so that they are seen immediately its so that they don't have a fit in a packed waiting room in front of everyone! They are not seen by a doctor any quicker than anyone else!

I do agree OP. Happened to us last week - got to A&E and as DS had breathing difficulties we were taken straight through after being triaged. DH said there was a huge kick off after we were taken in.

It was an 11 hour wait to see a doctor so I do understand people were frustrated, but it is dealt with accordance to clinical need and more urgent cases take priority.

I have very much been on the other end of waiting for hours and hours and having people who show up go straight in - and whilst mildly disappointed it’s another person ahead of me, I am always more genuinely concerned about the health of that child.

My partner did that and we were in a and e a lot over the years. He would be so loud with the ‘we were here before them’ to the point I dreaded going with him, the amount of times we sat for hours only for him to throw a tantrum and leave 😣

Yeah, in an ideal world this would be the case in all hospitals. In my (pretty recent) experience, medical staff were openly discussing diagnoses and treatment plans with patients sitting in communal waiting areas, as there just wasn't enough beds / rooms / cubicles available. I got to know a fair amount about my fellow waiters that night, and them about me, too. I thought about complaining but in the end I concluded that there wasn't much point. The staff were doing their best with overstretched and inadequate resources.

@YouFilthyAnimal sadly I don’t think many care. I’m used to be an A& E receptionist and I remember a guy coming in saying he didn’t feel right. I asked if he was in pain and he said no he just didn’t feel right. So I booked him in. 15 minutes later he collapsed and we had to put out a crash call. He was placed onto a trolley and the was actively being given CPR. Another guy queued up and said he wanted to complain because he was here first and that we should see patients in order of arrival. I honestly thought he was joking. He placed a complaint despite me telling him that A&E is a
priority service and the CPR was keeping this man alive. He literally didn’t care. I’ve had so many people with similar attitudes, one or two have left me having to leave the office because they are so vile and I don’t want to lose my temper. Honestly it makes you see the nasty side of people.

During my first pregnancy (so unfortunately things weren't even as bad as they are now) I had HG and couldn't keep anything down at all at 6 weeks pregnant. It was a really hot summer and I got sent by my GP to A&E because I was very dehydrated and becoming delirious. I remember being in the waiting area, vomiting up brown god-knows-what into a cardboard bowl the whole time, but then when I was triaged I was pretty much taken to be put on an IV right away as I'd deteriorated.

I was young (mid 20s) and didn't look visibly pregnant at that point, no one waiting there had a clue what was wrong with me - I think a few suspected I was drunk because of the vomiting and how out of it I was. According to my now DH, two women kicked off when I went in because "they'd been there before me". He was furious with them but I understand they weren't being deliberately malicious - they had been waiting a while so they were frustrated, possibly in pain. Was it particularly thoughtful of them? No. But I can understand why waiting for hours and feeling ignored while you're struggling and wanting care would bring out that in someone.

I apologise if I am being thick but I thought they'd be taken to a bed to avoid the risk of injury during a fit?

this isn’t the first time that we’ve been taken straight through from triage

I've reread your OP. And you must know. Yes there are people who aren't happy that your child is taken in first. But they are not experts, they are equally worried about their kids as you do.
Maybe be thankful that your child gets priority, and not others. It's really mean to think less of the people who are there, worrying about their child.

I've actually been in the same position as you, that some people complaining why my dc was seen before theirs. I never though about coming on MN and complain about how stupid they are to complain. I, as a parent know what they feel.

Maybe be thankful that your child gets priority, and not others
I'd much rather be thankful for the wait. Having priority means your child is very, very unwell.

Yep, some people seem to think it is like McDonalds and you get seen in order of arrival/queuing.
I spent hours waiting for my broken foot. No biggy.. I was not in pain. Waiting room was empty. When I went through to triage, through A&E, it was manic. People in every cubicle, people on trolleys in the corridors. An empty waiting room does not mean they are not busy. When I was there, a lady approached the desk and said she was fed up of not getting through to GP so was going to A&E instead.

I agree with you, OP, especially as a fellow asthma sufferer who has been blue lighted in this year and put on to oxygen immediately. But I do have sympathy for those waiting in A&E at the moment.

My poor dad fell in the ice putting some rubbish out into the bins on Saturday. He spent 11 hours in A&E on Saturday and still wasn't seen. He's too polite to complain or ask how long it would be, but left in the end as he'd run out of medication (he didn't think he'd need to take so much, and even if he did have more with him, it has to be taken with a substantial meal). He went back very early the following morning to begin the wait again and eventually got an x-ray to confirm he'd broken his arm and shoulder and needs surgery. So whilst I do agree that life threatening illnesses should be treated first, I do see why people can end up frustrated after waiting so long.

I absolutely understand that everyone is worried about their child, I’ve been there, more times than I’d like to have been!
But have I ever got up shouting and swearing about it? No. Would I ever? No. I inwardly sigh and think ‘eurgh that means we’re going to be waiting even longer now’ and yes I would be secretly grateful that my child wasn’t quite so sick that their bum didn’t even touch a waiting room seat.
This isn’t just exclusive to today either, DS & I spend a few nights each winter in hospital on nebs & oxygen and this has happened more than once over the years.

Some of the stories on here about recent hospital visits are truly frightening, thankfully DS has had nothing but fabulous care tonight, but the NHS is really in a scary state atm isn’t it.

Thank you all for well wishes, DS is fine and sleeping atm, I’m wondering whether to sneak off for a cup of tea 🤔

I've been in A&E with a child so very ill other people waiting went up to the desk to try and get someone to help us. A doctor walked through to call someone and visibly winced after looking at her. Still not seen as we were on the A&E list and that Doctor was a GP with a different list. When we eventually saw the triage nurse he shouted at me as I didn't have calpol! I'd picked her up from school like it and she had collapsed on the way to the car. After much more terrified waiting the ward sister from children's ward walked through and scooped us up and took us straight up to the ward. DD had pneumonia and was poorly for quite a while after bless her.