NHS stitch up

[Notmycircusnotmyotter]

disclaimer: very obviously not a doctor / nurse.

when I was a kid, I fell over a few times, cut open my face and when taken to A&E was stitched up. The scars are very small now.

My daughter is insanely accident prone, like I was: and we've been in A&E twice this summer. Both times my untrained eye thought she needed stitches or at least glue; both times we waited for > 5h for steri strips.

Is this policy, down to lack of money / resource? Or just what medicine reckons is right these days.

I also wish there was an insurance model. I would so much prefer to pay for a decent, timely service.

medicine has moved on - it’s great that we have options other than stitches. Far lower intervention and nothing to do with money.

The wait is unavoidable - it’s prioritised by need. A cut requiring steri strips or glue is low priority.

I'm all for progress but the poor kid has a fairly deep cut and what's basically a plaster. Is it really the best they can do?

Did steel strips do the job for your dd? If so, what’s your problem?

Why are you assuming that stitches or glue are the superior choice just because they may have been when You were a child?

I would happily pay to not wait hours for a plaster and a lot more to have proper care, potentially plastics to minimise scarring

Steri strips are great - less scarring, no pain to apply, lower infection risk, and no need to have them taken out. When appropriate they’re absolutely the first choice.

She still has a very obvious mark and I worry her beautiful face will be scarred

You’ve said it yourself. You’re not a doctor or a nurse. Who are you to insist she needs glue or stitches? If theyve deemed her well enough to wait 5+ hours, I’m sure they’ve also deemed steri-strips to be enough.

She has a very obvious mark because she injured herself, not because of the steri strips.

That’s what happens when people get injured though lol. Medicine can’t change biology. The nhs can’t totally prevent scarring. You might be able to buy products to reduce the appearance of scarring over time.

Fair enough. I'm not here for a fight. I just wanted to know if the care my DD received was right.

Steri-Strips are generally considered better for minor wounds as they carry less risk of infection, avoid potential additional scarring from needle puncture, don’t require local anaesthetic and can be removed at home. They’re not suitable over a joint or where the skin is under tension, but in most other situations they’re the better option. They’re obviously cheaper as well, which isn’t irrelevant in a public health system. But they genuinely are preferred medically as well.

No shit but when I did similar as a 5 year old (30y ago) my mother requested a plastic surgeon and it was stitched up beautifully, you can only see if you know where to look.

Thank you for such a clear factual answer, appreciate it