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 recently because I thought I dislocated my knee , turned out it was a fractured tibia which they misdiagnosed til 5 days later .. anyway the guy they bought through to triage at the same time as me had broke a finger , all they did was xray it and tape it up , there’s nothing more you can do for fingers … even I know that and I ain’t a medic ! I heard the whole conversation , he was in and out in no time .

The minor injuries that closed in our town? That one?

But I think there is an assumption of medical knowledge which people might not have? So the woman who has broken her little toe will be seen by someone who says, “yep it’s broken” and sends her away with advice to wear flat protective shoes - but when you break something you assume you do need medical intervention. I wouldn’t know there’s nothing to be done for little toes if I didn’t know someone who broke theirs (went to GP tbf but still).

I hate these threads.

What a twatty thing to do, sit there eavesdropping and judging whether people deserve to be there.

Grim behaviour

BTW There is nothing they can do for the toe that you could not do yourself at home, whether it's broken or not (unless there is a penetrating wound). So she really is wasting her time!

It's a problem everywhere. Not UK, but we've now got non-emergency 'minor injuries clinics' to deal with the non life threatening emergencies and non emergencies.

The reason is that the doctors offering the free GP appointments have disappeared unless you have a govt health card & it's extremely expensive to see a GP, so people go to the free emergency department.

I agree. Rest seems like it could wait but a horrendous headache can be a massive red flag

I’ve accompanied people to a few different A&Es over the years. Appreciate this may not apply to all hospitals but for the most part when I was looking at it from an operational perspective, they seem to have two to three ‘lanes’ so to say for people with varying issues and one of them is what I would perceive as minor injuries. They will be triaged and seen by a nurse for instance as opposed to a doctor. I do think A&Es have learned to adapt to the fact that they will see things that may be smaller injuries because they do require treatment in the moment and out of hours there is nowhere for you to go.

Absolute yawn at the people who seemingly feel qualified to lecture OP on what could be wrong with some of the people she's seen and heard while simultaneously judging her for having an opinion.

Stop being so disingenuous. People take the piss, they decide they have an emergency for no other reason than they were too lazy to get up and call for the non-urgent appointment they needed from the GP. Amongst other things.

I don't know what the answer is, but it's not chastising a woman who's worried about her mother while she waits in hospital.

It’s crazy, I went a few months ago and one woman was there because she had a sty on her eyelid. I also noticed how filthy it was, the cleaners were around but they weren’t cleaning properly, the skirting and toilets were gross.

I’ve never been to a&e touch wood so reading out of interest .
did I read someone say there is no longer a triage system unless ambulanced in?
i guess there will always be a pot of people who don’t need to be there, although is the problem the doctors are GPs ie general but not experts in anything so can’t support with everything and therefore a&e is the next step? Or is there something between a&e and GPs?
ps I did go to maternity triage the other eve and was impressed with it. I was there 3 hours in the end but seen within 15 mins which is what the signs said that they tried to see everyone in 15 mins to discuss the problem.
pps not sure why op is getting hate she’s said a few times she’s perhaps being judhemental on reflection on one or two of her initial comments (understandable if tired and fed up)

honestly I would much rather not be here, and I don’t mean to eavesdrop I just cent help it! I’m sat right next to check in as nowhere else.

im glad I started this thread though - as its been a very interesting read on both sides

Not one of those anywhere near here. If you need urgent treatment it is A&E.

Thank you- i am doing this as much to distract myself as it is very worrying

ecg/ blood tests/ chest x ray all done- now awaiting results

Unless you sneezed three times, just to be safe.

I’ve only ever been to A&E in a real emergency (acute pancreatitis) on 3 occasions. I was thankfully triaged in 20mins, and never went back out as I seriously thought I was dying of pain (and i’ve given birth without pain meds). In the 20 mins I was there I saw people show up for the same kind of ridiculous reasons. Thankfully at my local hospital there’s an out of hrs GP too, so all the pointless cases go there.

Hope your mum is ok.

Omg a sty? Thats bonkers

I was just thinking of that Gavin and Stacey line! I use it all the time. And yes you are absolutely right about how it's deserted when there's a big match on. Funny that isn't it?

I hate these threads and MN attitude of NEVER go to A&E unless you are on deaths door. Do you know what would really help? Access to GPs and face to face appointments, good mental health care in the community, support for young parents so they aren't overly anxious and excellent social care for the elderly so they can be discharged from the hospital.

Whilst I'm sure there are genuine time wasters, no one is going to sit in A&E for hours just because they need a plaster or paracetamol - they are genuinely in pain and do not know what to do. We need to invest in services in the community and stop the ever bloating NHS get fatter and more inefficient.

Fuck sorry about your hearing!

Yes when someone mentioned ear infection I was thinking you’ve never had a proper ear infection have you! That is THE worst pain.

Would absolutely go to A&E for that.

I’m a doctor who has worked in A&E and is now a GP. Inappropriate attendances are only a very small part of the problem - the real issue is the lack of capacity at every level of the health service. It’s a cynical ploy on the part of successive governments to try to put the blame on the general public for misusing facilities, rather than tackling the actual problem.

When I lived in England I used to get so annoyed by that NHS campaign that said something like “ Only attend A&E if you’re suffering from one of these five symptoms”, and completely omitted things like symptoms of stroke or severe abdominal pain, both of which are potentially life-threatening emergencies.

Also, the ambulance waiting times in the UK are genuinely frightening.

That's not available for a lot of people and a lot of minor injuries clinics don't have x-ray facilities. You sound really judgey. No one signs up to a night of a&e for no reason.
I took DD in to a&e for ongoing headaches the GP wasn't taking seriously and that started the ball rolling with her tumour and encephalitis diagnosis. I promised myself after that that I'd never judge anyone for going to a&e. Even the triage nurse looked like she wanted to roll her eyes at me.

Are you in Scotland or Wales now?

Trust me I couldn't strap up my own toe - don't have the dexterity to do it. Maybe place the MUI centrally. Our A+E is in the city centre where a) most areas have direct buses to b) most people can get to on one bus c) buses from most areas run until 10/11pm d) most people would only need to pay for a taxi journey of a few miles. Our MIU is in the middle of a suburb which doesn't have good buses to it. Most people would need to a) take two buses, potentially walking between stops in town b) would need to get back to town and then on to their suburb before the buses stopped c) buses may run later side, but you have TWO routes to consider, d) a taxi from A to the centre of the city and back, will be half the price of a taxi from A to the centre then out to B and back!

Perhaps some public service adverts might help people realise when it's inappropriate to go to a & e? It's an education thing I think.