Walked out of A and E after 9 hours and only triage completed !!

[bumblebee1000]

Don't consider myself at all naive but haven't been anywhere near a hospital for any urgent treatment in over 30 years. Rang 111 yesterday due to constant headaches for almost a week, was advised to attend local hospital [london]. Queue out the door, after 7 hours was seen by a doctor for appx 1 minute who said they will want to do blood tests and possibly an mri scan, was told blood tests could be a further 5 hours, a scan possibly a further 7 to 9 hours so in total basically 24 hours. I couldn't wait so told nurse I was leaving and will follow up with GP and a wealthy old friend has offered to pay the £300 for the mri scan which is lovely. I was stunned to see so many people sleeping on floor and who had been there for hours before me. Then a man went beserk and grabbed a fire extinguisher and smashed in the windows of the reception area, coffe machine and a door, police already on site as were with a chap in hancuffs.....awful. I did notice that many names were called and nobody responded so assume they just left without informing anyone, I felt informing them of my departure, was the least I could do so time isn't wasted on no shows etc.

I'm suprised 111 suggested A&E for headaches you must have triggered one of their alerts or something. Yes A&E is awful but if 111 are directing people there instead or urgent care, walk ins or GPS then its no suprise the understaffed and underfunded department cant cope

That’s odd to be directed to A&E for a persistent headache over a number of days. You’d be far better going to your gp and getting a referral than sitting in A&E. if you’re well enough to walk out and wait a few days then it’s not the right place for you. I don’t mean to be unkind. I think lots of people don’t realise that A&E rarely gives you answers and is more there to save lives or patch you up until you can get a specialty referral.

If you're in any fit state to make a rational decision to not queue and leave, then A&E isn't where you need to be....

Blame chronic underfunding/Brexit/the Boogie.

Don't blame those at the coal face.

111 told them to go.

Why didn’t you just book to see your GP? from the information you have provided you have only had a headache for nearly a week, I’m not surprised you were there for so long as I presume there were far more urgent cases needing medical attention.

Some gp services are so overrun that you can't get an appointment

If you're in any fit state to make a rational decision to not queue and leave, then A&E isn't where you need to be

This

You say that but I pull people out of our waiting room after 10 hours who need urgent surgery. “If you can wait you don’t need to be there” just isn’t true anymore.
Having said that I agree a GP would be fine for a headache for a week unless there was something going on but you would have to be able to get in to your GP right?

not true

I rang 111 and was TOLD to attend the A and E, not my choice, I followed the advice of my local pharmicist who told me to call them to check the situation. Doctor who I did see briefly, said any headaches for around a week need looking into, he didnt tell me to go home or see my gp, he said i need the blood tests first. There was a lot of people sitting around who didn't seem to be in urgent need of care, only 2 people with broken arms etc, But i dont know why they were they, didnt ask them. And people do just turn up as cant get the gp slots now.

well they would seem to apply to about 90% of people there, on phones, eating, popping out to smoke etc !

I replied above to wrong poster, most of the people seemed to be fine, on phones, eating, out for a smoke etc, only saw 2 people with a broken arm, obvious.

I agree the system is broken and 111 sending most to ED doesn't help. Equally people need to start taking more responsibility for their own health and thinking before they vote.

I spoke to local pharmacist, that is the advice given out, she said to call 111, I did call and was told to attend A and E !!...I only followed the advice given out all over internet, did i really want to spend 9 hours sitting in a room with a crazed man who then smashed things up !!

The next government (I’ve given up on this one doing anything) needs to sort out primary care. OP should have been able to see a GP within a few days - and A&E shouldn’t be an endurance test where you get seen if you have endless time and patience.

Given you had a long wait for an MRI machine I can understand the wait . It is a life saving machine , you were going to get that use the same night . You are a bit unreasonable .
I was in a ward in hospital waiting for an MRI machine I still had to wait . It's a life saving piece of equipment .

No, the mri wasnt agreed etc, it was blood tests first to see if they showed anything abnormal.

111 ALWAYS tell me to get an ambulance when I call ooh about seizures. You just say no I don’t need one can I have a call back from a dr? And they’ll sort it out.

If I know I’m in trouble with my epilepsy I call an ambulance.

This is a gp and referral job, not a&e. Even if you were told.

Where do you get an MRI scan for £300?

So you just threw that in about the MRI scan then ? It wasn't agreed that were going in for an MRI ?

No. the 111 operator said they might need to do one !....crikey i only followed advice given out by the nhs and now getting told i shouldnt have gone, should i have asked the local lady who walks dogs for advice !!

I have copd, asthma and have had part of lung removed.

I'm in my mind 70s and I would not, under any circumstances, go to A&E. At at the moment. A cold, for me, can quickly turn into A chest infection. A chest infection can quickly turn into an exasibation where I struggle to breathe.it's hard to accept that I'm too frightened to go to hospital.

this is what we have, as a country, have been reduced to.have

I'm ashamed

There seems to be a lot of medically trained folk on MN tonight. Perhaps you should have posted here first before attending!