A&E/Ambulance experiences

[Bepis]

I've started this thread to share any ambulance and/or A&E experiences due to the crisis within the NHS. Perhaps it will highlight the situation so everyone is aware what is happening.

I have the highest respect for medical staff and they do a tremendous job so I want to reassure people that this is not a dig at them as the situation is not their doing. They are doing an amazing job.

The most scary experience for me was when I was having chest pains and pain down my left arm. I was so scared I was having a heart attack. I was told an ambulance would be up to 6 hours. I genuinely thought I was going to die. I remember response times for similar symptoms 15 years ago was probably about 5 minutes. Thankfully they arrived within 2 hours.

Another time I went up to A&E and I have never in my life seen it so busy. People were sitting on the floor, there were no chairs left and the queue was going out the door.

My FIL had a fall where his body was half in the house and half on the concrete outside. It was night time, very cold and he had banged his head. This was last year and they said an ambulance would be up to 8 hours.

I know people will have far worse stories than me but I just wanted to share.

I think we'll all have different stories.

We're going back 26 years, but on the night my DF died my DM was clearly told there wasn't an ambulance available, and he'd get the ambulance that was currently attending a child. GP was with DF and told DM to get back on the phone again to tell them GP said it was a priority case. GP and DM worked on DF to save his life, sadly the ambulance was too late.

On the other hand, DD started have problems about three years ago, which involved immediate admission to hospital and surgery. The first time, she was 18, we travelled to hospital and they let us in at 10pm at night. Staff were so patient with DD as she was riding around in pain - one nurse apologised to me they hadn't operated sooner, but they'd had to let a five hour op take priority - DD was an adult and they still let her have her parents with her out of hours on the ward. Had to be admitted twice after for same thing that during covid, GP hadn't seen her on those occasions and told her to self admit to hospital. They were brilliant, found her a bed and got her on the emergency ops for the day.

When younger she as admitted for emergency appendectomy and suggested meningitis and we received exactly the same treatment - she was admitted immediately, staff were informative and supportive.

Appreciate these aren't current, but the one involving my DF shows there could be difficulties even then.