A&E Protocol - just turn up? And tomorrow better?

[welleyednevva]

DS (18) is at uni and injured his ankle yesterday (sports injury). He called 111 and it took a while for them to call him back, but they sent him to A&E for an x-ray. He arrived at 11pm and waited until 2am, but then left when they said it would be another 3 hour wait. He has been in lectures today but could go back to A&E this evening. Does he need to phone 111 again, to book in, or will it be better just to turn up? And as there is a nurses strike, would it be better to go tomorrow, or will everyone else be thinking the same?

I suppose it may be worth waiting a few days, but obviously not ideal. The ankle is hopefully just badly sprained but he has spoken to a gp today who confirmed he still needs an xray.

The GP could have referred him for X-ray in which case, in many areas, you can book an appointment to go. Saves waiting for hours in A& E.

If he wasn’t given a time to attend last night from 111 then yes, he could just turn up. He will have to wait though.

You turn up and WAIT.........they don't fit you in when it suits you.
Late at night, you will wait longer as there are fewer staff covering xray and fewer doctors in A & E.
I was in A & E with my father a few months ago and it was 15 hrs before seeing a doctor.

If he was able to abandon the wait and carry on how injured is he? He will go to the back of the A and E queue again though. Agree gp can refer or he could try a minor injuries.

Unecessarily patronising ToastToastTea. He did the right thing going home last night in the circumstances.

@welleyednevva he can book back in at A&E and he will go through triage again. If he’s lucky they MAY have a look at the X-ray but if it’s busy he might end up waiting for as long again.

He needs Urgent Care, not A&E. DH had a suspected broken collar bone. I phoned 111. They got him a timed appointment at Urgent Care. He waited no longer than half an hour to be seen

How did he do the relight thing by leaving last night? He has an injury that needs x rayed and will now have to restart waiting time

Different places have different set ups, so it is probably impossible to advise. Eg when I am, you can get an xray at an out of hours service, however there are no doctors to look and say if its broken, so you then get in a different system for fracture clinic the next day, but they can then look at your xray. (Bonkers really)

Hope your son is ok

Our urgent care doesn't X ray. We have to go to A&E for that.

Minor injuries at my A&E for an injury like that.
Turn up and wait op.
No day is the same so there is never a good time.

In our area minor injuries is the place to
go.

I’m wondering if he needs to be seen if he is able to walk on it.
www.nhs.uk/conditions/sprains-and-strains/

In London, local GPs have access to book urgent X-ray by choose and book system . Otherwise he could attend local Urgent Care/ Walk in Clinic or A&E but it would be better if he turns up early in the morning.

How do you work out he did the right thing going home ?

If he needed an X ray, and that is the wait time, then he needed to wait.
All he has done now is right off the 3 hours he had already waited, so, if it is the same today, he will have waited 9 hours instead of 6

He just needs to take some water, some snacks and food, and something to do whilst he is waiting, and then wait.

@Teeshirt urgent care may well have been more appropriate but not everyone has an Urgent care. Plus he’s had the X-ray at the A&E so in terms of common sense returning to the place where he’s started treatment, that would be a good option.

@itsjustnotok it is not clear that he had actually had an xray or was still waiting for one.

He hasn't had an X-ray

@LIZS sorry just realised that. If he hasn’t, what’s waste of time.