What happens when rush into A&E with a life threatening illness?

[TrayBakers]

It seems silly to ask the question because presumably most people presenting at A&E are there because they feel they might have a life threatening problem, hence the word 'emergency' in the name of the department.

But I've always wondered how the reception staff deal with or spot genuinely time sensitive emergencies. I know it's not their job and that's what triage is for. But triage in my local hospital can take an hour, by which time anyone who is suffering a genuine medical emergency could be beyond help.

If someone were to run inside the department with a loved one and start calling out for help, would the reception staff immediately call for the doctors?

I remember one particular night that I found myself in A&E, a gentleman arrived crying out because of severe chest pain. They just asked him to wait in the waiting room. He continued crying out loudly whilst waiting to be triaged. He could've been in the throes of a heart attack.

Incidentally that same hospital has been named recently because someone died whilst waiting to be seen.

Does the TV version of bursting through the doors and being greeted by doctors thing ever happen? Or does that only really happen if you've called an ambulance to get there?

It's just something I've always wondered.

I walked in with an unconscious toddler and was taken straight through to a doctor.

The only times (twice) I took dd to a and e she was seen within a minute of getting there (we took her by car so not by ambulance) the first time she was unconscious and I ran in carrying her they took her off me and went to resus (she had diabetes diagnosed) a few years later she couldn’t breathe one day due to an asthma attack they took one look at her and again into resus (and told me off that I should have come in sooner) so I think they really do know when someone needs immediate help

i walked in whilst having a heart attack, the receptionist called a nurse as i was stood at the desk, i was in a room wired to the ECG machine within 3 minutes of walking into the hospital. I had a stent fitted and was sitting up in bed on the ward within the hour.

About twenty years ago I rocked up unable to breathe properly to give my name to the receptionist (was a severe cat allergy as it turned out).

They took me straight through to a cubicle, past a load of disgruntled people waiting their turn.

So I guess the receptionists act as first point of triage.

I've always wondered this too. Once I took an 11 month old to A&E due to being excessively drowsy/difficult to rouse with bronchiolitis. Had to wait around 30 minutes for triage (which I accept is not very long!). Nurse got the pulse ox on him and immediately we got moved to a cubicle and to start oxygen therapy before they even did any other obs etc. He was clearly really poorly and I was so worried in that half hour wait. And that still doesn't compare to acute life threatening emergencies like strokes or heart attacks or whatever.

Hardly think it's MNHQ fault..

When my DD was hurt she was taken by ambulance to A&E, they thought it was just shock so no blue lights. Thankfully it was quiet so she didn’t wait long to go for an x-ray but when she came back though she fainted. The consultant did an ultrasound on her abdomen and found it was full of fluid which looked like blood coming from her liver. All hell let loose at that point and within 5 mins she was in the back of a fast ambulance with the dr and paramedic from the air ambulance pouring blood into her en route to the nearest major trauma centre. No idea why not the helicopter. When we got there she went straight into resus and it was like those 24 hrs in A&E progs where more than a dozen specialist doctors and nurses are literally standing waiting for you to arrive. It was hellish, but they saved her despite the odds.

I worked in a boarding school. I took a child up who was struggling to breathe due to the severity of her tonsillitis (throat closed) and reception told me they had put us to the top of the list but also to flag down the first doctor that came out of a consult room.

Dc broke a bone on Friday evening. We were seen in two hours but a girl brought in bleeding badly from a deep cut across the back of her thigh was into triage in less than 5 mins.

Dh was taken in by a friend. He had sepsis. It took a few minutes of arriving for him to be checked, 20 mins more for him to be in a cubical on an IV and within an hour he was in a bed on a ward. That was turning up cold as a walk in. GP had said I wouldn't need to escalate him. Very glad I ignored them. But that was 10y ago.

When df has been admitted by ambulance, they have done hourly obs to monitor him. Once a bay has become free he's been moved into the ambulance receiving area and the crew go off for the next patient. One visit we were outside for 5hrs and the crew had to go off shift so we got bumped to the next free ambulance until their shift finished... We ended up with a crew who had done one job then picked up 4 patients from crews who needed to clock off so spent almost all of their shift sitting outside a&e babysitting patients.

But the toilets were clean, staff have usually managed to wangle me a cuppa every few hours and were generally kind.

I had exactly the same treatment during the juniors doctor strike. I was called in before I even had the chance to sit down and was given an immediate cardio version (after ecg)

I feel very lucky that we've always been seen fairly quickly. Usually seems balanced in relation to severity of illness /urgency. I'm sorry for all those who've lost loved ones due to not being seen in time. I also really appreciate all the positive tales. It's rare I read threads from start to finish but this one has been nice to take the time to appreciate our NHS, despite all its challenges, I'm thankful for it (though have also suffered at times due to staffing /resources /funding).

I went in last week, broken leg.
There was a doctor at the first reception 'desk' who came to the car and advised/helped me to get out. After I was in a wheelchair he pointed down the corridor to the long line of people waiting to log in formally with reception.
I can only assume in an absolute moment of life and death, the front team would take over and skip the formal queuing to the receptionist.
The NHS is on its knees, I haven't been for years and didn't realise how bad it really was until I was stuck in the system over the last week. It's very very scary to see.

Often all depends on the other patients. I was checked in A&E, on my way for a scan to see what was causing extreme pain when a bunch of people came in with fight & stab wounds. I was left on a gurney and then admitted without seeing a Dr, overnight for scan the next morning. The elderly woman next bed, same, we just lying on gurneys In curtained off area listening to the screams and pandemonium for hours and hours it it progressed from Friday afternoon stabbing to Friday night fights. (Urban area)

If there hadn’t been the stabbing … would had had the scan 4pm on Friday instead of 11am Saturday.

They stab people risk of dying, me, clearly not.

I once attended a&e - I was triage by nurse and immediately taken in to be seen - my heart rate was too high.

When I took my 10 year old in with an obvious non blanching petechial rash we were seen in triage within 2 mins, put straight in a bay and had seen the consultant within another 3 mins. She ruled out meningococcal septicemia because he wasn't "ill" and had no fever - but they started the meningitis protocol of IV antibiotics anyway. We then saw the less senior doctor after about an hour for bloods.

Another time we waited 3 hours for a chest pain triage for my 16 year old. Turned out to be pericarditis so it actually was his heart. Lucky it wasn't myocarditis I guess.

Have just spent 24 hours in a and e with someone who was blue lighted in with potential life threatening situation. Initial assessment and then straight out to the corridor for 12 hours on oxygen but no monitor. No privacy, no dignity. Some extremely elderly and alone. If you're not ill when you went in you sure will be by the time you get out.

There is a sign by reception in ours that if you have chest pain or difficulty breathing, you should move to the head of the queue.

I had to take DH in a couple of months ago after he had 'uncomfortable' feeling in his chest. I dropped him off and went to park the car and by the time I got in to the waiting room (5 mins or so) they were calling him in to see the medical staff.

I was in an accident with a severely broken leg and was met at the doors by the trauma team (ambulanced in). I was whisked to the trauma unit and had a team of people around me while my leg was pulled back into place and I was ‘stabilised’.

I mean properly losing consciousness or having bad breathing issues not just wheezing/feeling faint etc. They can't ignore someone who is unconscious that would need monitors on immediately, and if they ignored severe breathing complications the person would need resuscitation after a bit and then have to get attention anyway.

When DH had pericarditis (presenting with bad chest pain), we walked straight into a cubicle for an ECG - just spoke to reception and were taken straight through. Once they established it wasn’t immediately life threatening we were then sent back to the waiting room and seen a couple of hours later.

I called 111 and went straight into resus so in a dire situation suspected dire / worse case I'd try to ring 111 or 999. If I'd walked in I'd have been there for hours,as I looked fine. Walking, talking, feeling great. Symptoms of a stroke. Resus,was waiting for me.

My friends dp went to another hospital with heart attack Symptoms and waited 7 hours and sent him. Aortic direction. They didn't tell him until a follow up months later.

The nhs is a lottery. Your get a quite night in good hospital your safe. Busy night, wrong hospital people do die waiting

If someone goes unconscious it's going to be noticed by patients due to how crowded it is in most waiting areas. Breathing is apparent by speech when checking in, though if it worsened while waiting that could be missed.

I think it differs with each hospital.

I've had pancreatitis as was placed on a bed in majors. I've presented on foot before and sat in the waiting room, presented whilst on chemotherapy and isolated in majors.

Rushed in with a massive internal bleed and obviously went straight to resus.

I've watched people present on foot and be pushed through to majors/resus fast because of how they are presenting etc

I've never seen anyone who looks like their life is in danger sitting in the waiting room just left to it, but totally know this happens in other hospitals and probably even on different shifts.

I don't know. My mum took my dad to a&e unable to walk, his coordination was off, he couldn't speak, he wasn't making any sense when trying to talk, breaking into random song. They sent him home with antibiotics for a chest infection 🤔. I rang an ambulance, and they took him back in. They told us not to leave as we could probably take him home. We said no way and walked out. The next day, only because of my instance something was really wrong, did they think to scan him. He actually spent the next 2 weeks in hospital, really unwell with encephalitis. Thankfully, I'm a nurse, and I knew something was really wrong, and it wasn't a flipping chest infection. He could have had serious lifelong complications because of their quickness to get rid of him and diagnosis him with a chest infection.