Health Anxiety clogging up A&E

[Influencerofcrap]

Im really pleased that finally someone within the NHS has come out and said this.

Having been treated myself in A&E, in the corridor (outside triage) due to lack of cubicles, I was genuinely shocked at the amount of patients that attended who shouldn’t have been there. I’m not talking about those that were genuinely ill and couldn’t see the GP and had no other choice but the ones that were clearly anxious about their health and symptoms that didn’t warrant an A&E visit. They were all sent on their way but it still was time that was taken away from those patients that genuinely needed help. I wonder what the answer is to this, because something has to change.

Health anxiety not emergencies clogging-up A&E

My adult DD had a bad reaction to a Covid vaccination and I stayed up all night giving her ice/duvets/hot drinks/ice/blankets/TLC as requested. At one point she suggested I call 111 and I said there was nothing they would suggest that I wasn’t already doing. I’m not a nurse. DD was fine by the morning.

But most people have forgotten the old basic remedies for simple ailments. A salt water gargle is very effective against coughs and sore throats and helps prevent it getting worse at least, or limits the spread down the respiratory tract at best. A steam inhalation under a towel eases sinus problems, and either can be repeated as frequently as needed for relief without any risk. If it doesn't improve in 24 hours, then consider the pharmacy and then asking the GP or nurse practitioner.

Old fashioned home remedies work for minor ailments, but every house should have paracetamol, hydrogen peroxide (for ear infections), menthol crystals for steam inhalation, and salt for bathing wounds and gargles. Before we had antibiotics, these were the mainstays for treating minor injuries. People did not seek medical help unless there was a fever over 39C for more than 24 hours, unless a very small baby or an already sick person.

Sorry, that’s really not funny but WTF!

DS became ill, with a very high temperature thanks to an ear infection in a remote location in a third world country. We sought help from the local cottage hospital, who bathed him with cool flannels until the fever broke. No medication could be offered because they did not treat tourists (or Christians).

Ive just seen an article header on the guardian website..."Sharp rise in cancer patients in England waiting months for treatment"....this fuels health anxiety for people like me..

You do wonder what goes through some peoples hesds. That reminds me of when my dad died and my mum wrote to take his name off something they both had in joint names. The company wrote back that they could only do that if they received a letter from my deceased father confirming that he was actually dead.

Yes thank you, are you? 🙂

Why? These are diagnosed cancer patients who are waiting for their chemo rounds to start and other treatments. Do you have cancer and are you waiting for treatment and this is worrying you?

It's terrifying.

The continual messaging is that you need to catch cancer as early as possible, but you can't get into the GP when you have any worrying symptoms

The 2 week pathway is fast becoming the 4 week pathway, GPs are overworked and miss things, you can't get into hospitals etc etc.

We're heading towards a private system, but it'll be a US style system where healthcare is only for the rich.

Absolutely agree with you.
What is wrong with people when they are visiting A&E for minor things.

It really should be for serious things only, not the ''worried well''.

@ssd, I don't think that is a foregone conclusion. Most of Europe has better healthcare and outcomes than the UK, and funds its health insurance programmes via employer/employee mutually shared risk/responsibility, with a lot more private (and efficient) services like lab tests that the patient can initiate.

A sensible Turkish woman when our Mother {84 yrs} was dashed against rocks by a rough sea and cut her arm {a C shaped flap of skin about 10 cms long} bathed her arm, put steristrips on it and then Mum went to a local casualty- the staff there said the Turkish woman had done a superb job of first aid, and to leave it as it was.

No actual sutures needed as the strips were strong enough to hold the skin in place.
Mum had a tetanus jab, and now has just has a fine scar to remind her of the holiday.
First aid can treat a lot of things.

Or maybe train medical staff better as everytime they miss something, nearly kill you or blatantly lie to your face you lose trust which heightens anxiety and makes you question everything

Hibiscrub {Pink wash} should be in every medicine cabinet- so useful for human and animal cuts and grazes-
Neil Med saline rinse was recommended by my GP when I has a really stinking sinus infection {It smelled like a dead mouse was in my nose}

He said buffered saline sachets that come with Neil Med destroy bacteria that cause sinusitis.

He imitated using the spray by actually doing a 'head stand' in the surgery so the saline gets into all the crannies of one's sinuses.

Took a few days, but it worked...no more stink, no more pain, and no side effects like upset stomach or thrush that can happen with antibiotics.

Here...{Possibly available cheaper elsewhere}

https://www.boots.com/neilmed-sinus-rinse-kit-10077009

We have friends who live near our nearest A and E . She has health anxiety and literally treats it as a drop in health centre. I called round the other night and he came out to look at the car. 10 minutes later she appears with her bag and car keys and says she is driving round the corner to A and E because she has bumped her head on a kitchen door and can feel a bit of a bump appearing in her hair. He didn't even question it, just said 'OK. Give me a ring when they've seen you' and off she went.
I asked why she'd gone and he said 'She gets really worried about anything health-related.'
He then fiddled on with my car boot shelf- which was why I'd called because we couldn't get it back into place having removed it about 6 weeks ago. Then he made us a cup of tea. We were sitting in the kitchen and he rang her and she said it was really busy and she thought she'd be hours. He just said again for her to ring once she'd been seen.
I couldn't believe it. Her head wasn't cut, she'd just bumped it on the edge of the kitchen door.
He told DH the next day it was after midnight when she got home - I was there about 5pm so she waited 7 hours (ish). They hadn't done anything after triaging her but that was ok because she felt ok.
It's mad- she should have been sent home straight away.

She probably gets off on the attention, as well.

Surely they must write something on the notes of ''frequent fliers'' like this?

Bless her she must be really struggling. Health anxiety is completely debilitating and takes over your life. Since it's a pattern a&e should really be getting mhls to step in and help her. As mental illness is also a serious medical condition just like a physical one. People need to get out of the eye rolling and oh here she is again wasting everyone's time and actually help this poor woman. Judging people without truly understanding something is not helpful to anyone.

I really hope you don't work in healthcare

They should triage and send home time wasters stop prioritising them

The problem with the NHS is not any of its users,

And what's your definition of time wasters like the time I had a pulmonary embolism and they told me it was anxiety or the time I had a bleed on my brain and they thought I was just a drunk as I'd had a drink

But if we blame each other the government can hide away in the background quietly running the nhs into the ground while taking no responsibility

Going to A&E for a bumped head as described is ludicrous.

Seems American doctors DO write stuff on notes.

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5216135/The-secret-codes-doctors-use-INSULT-patients.html#:~:text=Doctors%20use%20this%20cruel%20acronym,doctor%20told%20Daily%20Mail%20Online.

Not if you have health anxiety it isn't that's the whole point of the condition and the drs should know this if she's a regular and actually help her. They have mh teams working in a&e and referrals can be made by them plus her gp should be calling her in for medication and help. Why would you blame a vulnerable person with a serious illness and not the trained and qualified medical staff who keep repeatedly letting her down