What on earth is wrong with some people that they think they need to go to A&E over this???

[MemooMerrilyOnHigh]

Just been reading our local paper. There is an article interviewing staff from the local A&E department about the stupid reasons people attend.

One woman took her child because he had stepped in dog poo and she wanted staff to clean his shoe!!!

Another woman turned up asking staff to remove her false nails, and a man went one evening because he was locked out of his house

What is wrong with some people!?

[MemooMerrilyOnHigh]

I agree Gigantaur, they should be billed.

I hate the attitude some people have that the NHS is 'free'. I don't begrudge the taxes we pay to fund it, but it pisses me off when people abuse it. Some just have no shame.

[LadyBiscuit]

There was a woman who called 999 this morning because someone had nicked her snowman

[KittyBump]

I once had a job filing old ambulance reports, one said - 'call from young girl reporting she had found three dead bodies in her house, when we attended the scene we discovered the girl had actually said budgies'!!

amused me no end :)

[Grumpla]

Any Kindle owners on this thread - [[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Sweat-Tea-Adventures-Inner-city/dp/B002SDGLTG/ref=kinw_dp_ke?ie=UTF8&m=A3TVV12T0I6NSM&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 this] is a free blog-turned-book on the subject, written by a London Ambulance Service paramedic.

Some of the cases are kind of astonishing. Well worth a read!

Is it Nottingham where they've had over 200 calls to the police to complain about people throwing snowballs?

[Grumpla]

Oops

trying again

[mumbar]

I don't use it or ambulances if I can avoid it. Closest was last weekend when DS had sever allergic reaction but managed to speak to OOH GP who gave advice.

ivykaty Think you had valid reasons with all your DD's and dad broken bones.

It does make me laugh tho when aunt/ uncles/ grandparents/ neighbours/ friends all turn up when little Johnny needs 3 stitches.

[mamatomany]

I suppose it does depend where he needs those three stitches though.

[ivykaty44]

yes - broken bones or suspect broken bones are worth going to a&e for - but it is a pain in the neck going.

i will say that the last time I went was for dd2 as school called an ambuelence and dd2 arrived at hospital at 4.30 and was taken to theatre at 7.30 after having had two rounds of e rays and plaster put on, then down on the chidlrens ward by 9pm - I couldn't have asked for better service

but if lots of people go with silly ailments - then times will be strechted and people in real pain will have to wait and nursing staff will be streched

perhaps having out of hours gp's and a&e together would help - then patients can be directed one way or the other

[USoRight]

My son called an ambulance because he felt momentarily dizzy when he bent over to look in the oven.

[USoRight]

I used to work in A&E and a mum called an ambulance for her little girl with a cut on her finger we needed a magnifying glass to see. She also wanted transport home!

I could go on and on.......

[KnittingisbetterthanTherapy]

It is a massive problem. My brother is an A&E charge nurse and gets this all the time - and those with the smallest injuries tend to be the most abusive/unpleasant if not seen within ten mins .

I was in A&E with suspected ectopic and the guy in the next cubicle had come in cos "he'd been feeling ill for a week". The doctor tore a strip off him, quite rightly!

[maighdlin]

does anybody else watch nurse jackie? its set in an a&e. my favourite thing they did about people wasting time was the rich woman who took her children there because they had lice. she took them there instead of her posh hospital because she didn't want any one finding out. she even asked the nurse to go to the chemist to buy the nit shampoo in case any one saw her. after she had gone jackie ordered a crate of it to be delivered unwrapped to her apartment building with her name printed on it large letters and it was to be left in full view in the lobby until she picked it up. i wonder how many non fictional a&e nurses try to get back at the time wasters?

[cumfy]

YABU
Someone stole my snowman.
I'm sure I now have PTSD.

[ragged]

Was it Manchester Police who put online all their calls received in a single 24 hour period... fascinating but so many time wasters.

[A1980]

People have an over inflated sense of entitlement these days. They think the NHS is there for their convenience whenever they want it and not on need basis. If people had to pay for medical treatment they'd realise that they could put up with a hell of a lot more by themselves instead of running to a doctor.

I'm not saying that I think we should pay for medical treatment but i think people who have clearly wasted time should be fined.

I once heard of a GP call out by woman had run our of tampons. Ummm IMPROVISE. Cotton wool, loo paper, cloth, etc. Make your own pads and buy some tampons in the morning. But that woul require a brain cell.

[BonniePrinceBilly]

If you has to pay ?120 a time to walk into a&e you'd soon find a lot of these twats just disappear.
Apart from the ones with medical cards, they can go when they like.

[FeelingOld]

Slightly off at a tangent but my ex-h was a firefighter and they get stupid calls too, one night he got called out to someone whose boiler pilot light had gone out and they needed it relighting cos they were cold!!

[Frazzledmumwithsmudgedmascara]

Am I the only one laughing my head off about some of these? Especially the woman phoning the out of hours GP because she'd run out of tampons!!

[SlartyBartFast]

we are so lucky we have a minor injuries unit where they are lovely. tis still quite a long wait, well it feels like it, but not even half as long as a & e

[Timeforanap]

I was taken to A&E once as a child (broken bone), when I went back to the same hospital for an antenatal appt, they mentioned it was on my record!!! Just imagine how embarassing if ther's been loads of ridiculous trips...

[coodles]

Had someone come into A and E once with an ingrowing toenail.

At 4am.

[BelleDeChocChipCookieMonster]

Worst one I've ever seen is a mother bring her daughter in because she had a 'spot' which was the indent of her tights! I had another mother rush her child in because she didn't agree with the GP's diagnosis of viral conjunctivitis and wanted a second opinion. She was told there was a wait when she arrived and then walked out after waiting an hour. I could go on. Ok you say?
One mother called 999 because her child was sick.

[USoRight]

We had a regular who got drunk on a friday night some distance from his home. He would call an ambulance saying he had chest pain. The ambulance brought him to us. He promptly discharged himself and walked a couple of streets home!

One Friday he did this and they took him to an A&E department 20 miles away. He never called again!!!

(Ex A&E nurse)