So I’m currently sitting in A & E and it’s been eye opening

[Stressedout150]

I’m sitting with my mother who is in here for chest pains. The wait to be triaged is 2 hours and 5 hours overall to be seen.

Here’s a few things I’ve noticed:

1. it’s sitting on the floor room only, and i happen to be sitting next to check in. So here’s what I’ve seen so far.

2. a lady coming in checking in for pain in her toe

3. a lady who was told it’s a 5 hour wait, and after been told that/ was then asked if the wait still applied to NHS staff- as she works for a hospital. She was told yes of course. The cheek of it

4. a chap who checked in his girlfriend due to a headache.

it goes on and on/ I’ve never seen anything like the cheek of some people and also the ridiculous shit people are here for. And even when told it’s a 5 hour waits, they seem quite happy to wait 5 hours for their toe to be assessed.

What the fuck is going on

I went to a & e. I looked fine. Except I'd just broken my ribs. You wouldn't have known that until I tried moving

I have a relative who is an ambulance worker, and he says NHS 111 is responsible for much of the A&E timewasting. People ring up and mention a symptom and they're told they should get it checked out immediately. Given it now takes about five years to get a GP appointment, they call an ambulance or head off to A&E.

Friend used to do triage, some things people.have wanted emergency weekend appointments for...

Can't get the lid of suncream bottle

Going on holiday tomorrow, had a cough for 3 weeks but wants antibiotics

Wants advice for contraception - not emergency med situation

Sun burn

People use A and E like a chemist shop that's open 24 hours a day. Then they complain when they're waiting hours if they really need it.

My GP service in sw London has now got this new system.
You have to go to their website and fill in a form with your issue.
They will then have a read at their leisure, and get back to you anytime day or night.
After many calls and requests and form filling, I was told I will get a phone call from a GP. I waited all day, then call came at 7.50PM. Yes PM!!!!
I get why people resort to a&e, but Jesus not for a headache or toe pain.

Maybe we need more 24hr pharmacies , gp surgeries and walk in minor injury centres then

I often wonder whether a small co-pay for the initial investigation into any medical problem could help to reduce the misuse of the NHS. Upside: people would think twice about going to ER or GP for minor matters that will resolve on their own, and more money. Downside: people might avoid going to the doctor when they really need to.

We already have 111 and late night pharmacies - in towns and cities granted but they're there.
If you can't get the lid of your bottle of suncream go next door and ask your neighbour.
If you've had a cough for 3 weeks and you're going on holiday take some ruddy throat sweets.

We have this. It can be useful when I've got a non emergency issue but don't need to actually talk to someone and it's not something the pharmacy can advise on (

Honestly, that’s just ridiculous! How do those things get to the point of triage! A&E should have a list of things on a system that they type in, and if it gets past a certain point, then they get to triage. For everything else, advice given to go elsewhere for medical advice!Every time I’ve been to a&e (mainly for my son) I’ve gone after ringing 111 or visiting a GP who had advised me to!

Or in my case, go through all that, they make you an appointment but forget to inform you so that DNA is put on your record. Only when I chased up the lack of appointment was I told it had already (not) happened. It wasn't a serious problem so I assumed I was way down the queue.
I did get a sincerely grovelling phone call and I'm told the DNA has been removed. Hope so. Some people will find navigating all that too much and choose a&e instead.

Im 81 and arthritic with a chronic liver complaint. I would need to be dragged to a hospital because I avoid those places. If I went to A&E for every lttle symptom and headache I would always be there. I just accept that at my age I can expect to have aches and pains. Last time I went I had a letter from my Dr who sent me on the DVT pathway so I was shunted through pretty quickly. There was one woman there with a splinter in her finger and another with a cut hand wrapped in a hanky.

We have an ageing population. Of course it’s a long wait.
Can’t get GP appointments, most likely due to said ageing population needing more regular medical apts.
This isn’t anyone’s fault, it’s years of underfunding and the determination to keep everyone alive for as long as possible. Life expectancy with the NHS is about quantity not quality.

Sorry I should have said she worked in "GP out of hours" at a hospital. So the triage was done over the phone. Some wangled appointments and were given short shrift by said friend, but some of them weren't so went to a&e to try it on there.
They take time away from what health care professionals are supposed to be doing.

Somewhere to go for a bit of attention plus it’s free.

I have a relative like this. Some of the things her and her husband have been to a&e over I resent paying my national insurance for lol! I’m kidding obviously, but I have literally only ever been to a&e after advices given by medical professionals! In one case I was told it would be quicker for me to drive there myself or else the doctor would have to blue light my one year old to panda immediately!!

Last time I took DD to A&E whole families where there, I dont get why one parent doesn't stay home with rest of kids rather than dragging them all our and I get kids in pj's (it was childrens a&e) but think parents should be dressed, especially as had time to put full make up on.

I have had to do this. Because I have a condition that means sometimes I am not well enough to drive. And DH is DS step dad so he could drive me but doesn't have PR so I clearly need to be at the hospital. And as DH was driving me we could hardly leave our other child (a preschooler) home alone

I was at the hospital recently as well (DD had severe allergic reaction and was being kept in for observation)!and there was a family there and it was a mum who started chatting to me and when the dad went out for a smoke she.was chatting to me about how they are divorced and how stressful it is having him there but the child was with him when he got injured . And I know myself as a divorced parent I have gone up when DS dad is already there as I needed to collect DD from him and also wanted to check in on DS.

So you can't know the specifics of someone's situation

I was in A&E last year with DD. We sat in the waiting room for over 24 hours, as there were no beds available. (She eventually got one and stayed for a week).
I lost count of the number of people who checked in, waited a few hours then just went home.
A couple of them had been in the walk-in/out of hours surgery at the same time as us, got fed up and went around to A&E instead, THEN went home.
I think there are a lot of entitled people out there. And much less resilience.

Well you can do what some other countries with universal healthcare do. If someone comes to the an and e with a non emergency there is a walk in clinic on site they are directed to. If they use an ambulance as a taxi for a non emergency reason there is a bill. If they go to an and e they have to present a health card etc etc. other countries get around this and don’t abuse the NHS type system as badly.

SiL is an A&E doctor and says minor injuries is inappropriate for broken and dislocated toe as it would need to be properly assessed and set. Toes are apparently prone to misalignment if not dealt with properly and can cause ongoing chronic pain and balance problems. She would expect anyone showing up at a minor injuries clinic to be referred to A&E.

I nearly went home even though I was at a&e at the request of my GP. I felt so unwell sat on the chairs I just wasn't coping. Thankfully I stayed as I did need to be seen. But you can't known that leaving means they didn't need to be there

This is actually a thing! I can't explain it but seems when people are busy enjoying themselves their problems disappear. I work in maternity care and the hospital is always much quieter when the weather is good, emergency department almost empty, very few admissions to the ward (other than those who give birth obviously). But the kind of day to day worries seem to be way less!

And then you’d have a system similar to the one which gets so much criticism here - receptionists with no medical training effectively triaging patients. The NHS has been micro-managed and starved of resources for years. That’s the real problem. Blaming the people who use A&E because they have little or no access to healthcare when they need it isn’t going to solve it.

I’ve got three boys (youngest is now 17). I’ve had my fair share of a&e visits and now avoid it if at all possible. I’m also pretty good at timing my visits 🤣. Sunday mornings are pretty good but you do need to make sure you’re there before the rugby and football injuries start coming in. Obviously I’d suggest avoiding Saturday nights but I was taken in by ambulance at 11pm one Eurovision night and I was seen and out again within the hour. I did not want to go in but the ambulance crew (sent by 111) insisted.

I did, they operated very quickly
i have some loss of sensation in my right foot and leg but minimal