to think something has got to be done about a&e waiting times

[McHappyPants2012]

in the last few days i have been to the hospital with my DD (aged 2) tuesday night was 5 hours and last night close to 6 hours.

Alpine we were told that the first point of call was always your doctor. None of our local hospitals had walk in A&E departments. I am sure that they would have had emergency departments but where we were you couldnt just rock up as there was nowhere to rock up to.

BackforGood where I live now (midlands UK, not NL) you are most definitely palmed off!

Where we were in NL our local doctor's surgery served a small town. There was more than one doctor at the surgery but out of hours was handled by the surgery locally.

One thing I have seen is a lack of flexibility in the system. Could one approach be to offer a system of prescription for things like stitching and anti-tet injections? Patients could then take these off to private clinics if they didnt want to wait. This could be useful for people who need to get off to other things quickly. The patient wouldnt be opting out of NHS totally just having simple procedures dealt with privately then back into the NHS for subsequent appointments.

Perhaps it depends on where you live. I live in a rural county with few choices in terms of healthcare.

but isn't it silly that for a minor cut (that any gp or even nurse) should be able to stitch or glue you are sent to hospital.

Nothing is going to happen unless people learn what is an emergency and what isn't.

Like you; the stupid bitch who was screaming her face off at the admittance nurse while I was suffering from a suspected ectopic pregnancy. If you treat people like shit then people will treat you like one. So listen the fuck up: YOU ARE NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF A FUCKING ASTHMA ATTACK.

Or you; the complete twat who brought his 14-year-old daughter in while I was sitting there, sobbing in pain due to (what was later discovered to be) a torn ligament in my ankle. SHE HAS A FUCKING SPLINTER IN HER FINGER. YOU STUPID FUCKING SON OF A BITCH.

Or you; the pair of cunts complaining about why you haven't been seen yet and claiming that every single Doctor and Nurse in the hospital must be having a cup of tea and a sit-down. So let me get this straight: there have been three ambulances screeching through here tonight while I've been with my mother who has a kidney stone and is in so much pain she can't breathe, and yet you feel you deserve to go first because YOUR FINGER HURTS A BIT?! I heard you! You even said that it didn't hurt that badly and can probably wait until morning. SO WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU?!

FUCKING WANKERS!

Penguin & Mouse this was what I meant upstream about the Dutch robustness towards health.

When we've had proper emergencies (baby with broken limb and in shock, me in advanced asthma trouble) the waiting time has been none at all.

With less serious things, it's been longer, but the triage has always been correct IME.

Penguin, I'm an A&E nurse, and I think I love you.

To all of you saying that GPs aren't open all the time, there is a GP Out of Hours Service. You access it by phone - your GP surgery or NHS direct will have the number. There's no need to clog up A&E with problems that would be better sorted by a GP.

penguin breathe or you might need to go to A&E

Yes, there is an OOH service, but it's only open outside of surgery hours. Which isn't helpful if you would like to see someone at, say, 2pm, and you phone the surgery to be told that all afternoon appointments are gone. Which is fine if you are able to wait until the next day, but if you want to see someone sooner than that then A&E is sometimes the only option. So A&E gets clogged up with non life threatening, but perhaps urgent, perhaps not urgent depending on the person in question, cases. More walk in centres would be an idea, but there isn't one anywhere near here, although there is a poorly publicised minor injuries unit from 8-8.

yabu, I think the times are fine.

If you're stupid enough to go to a&e when you have a splinter/ sore foot / headache /other minor ailment that could be treated by a gp, then you deserve all you get. Hours and hours of waiting should teach you that you only go there when you really need to.

When you have a real emergency, there is no wait. I ran into A&E carrying my unconscious ds who had been run over. I have never seen human beings move so fast, be so efficient and take total control of a very scary situation.

To all who work in A&E, you are legends! Thank you!

Sorry, but I do think yabu a bit. There have been times when I've been to a&e and not had to wait long as it's been quiet, at other times I've waited eight hours. But they don't have the money to afford staff to be waiting about, ready for the next patient.

Our town has now got an out of hours walk in clinic which I think is a good idea.

Also agree that some peole go to a&e when perhaps they didn't need to. Saying that last time I went the receptionist told me she thought I wasn't I'll enough to warrant been seen. Luckily I insisted as I was admitted for a week.

Another thing which doesn't help a&e is if the wards are full and a gp decides someone needs admitting to hospital then they have to go to a&e rather than the admissions ward. This happened to my dad when he was very sick, gp said he needed admitting straight away. He rang the hospital who had no beds so we were told to go to a&e And given a letter to take. We still had to wait over 5 hours to be seen by a dr. Even though he'd already seen his gp.

can someone answer please why gp surgeries and walkin clinics do not do stitches/glueing?

Is it possible to add an extra outcome in triage (quatrage?): you will be seen when there is no one else left to be seen and please dont occupy a seat, there is a bench outside!

I think because they prefer someone from plastics or maxillofacial to assess it first if possible. To minimise scarring. I could be wrong though, it's not my area.

gordyslovesheep i was told if he temputure spiked(which it did to 39 degress) or the burn was spreading to go back....which i did

FredFredGeorge, there isn't any walk in centres where i live.

sorry i am late responding, but been down the hospital (appoinment) again to get the dressing redone

They don't get funded by the government for stitching/glueing any more, so don't do it.

I love the NHS, when dd1 was 2 weeks she was admited immediately with RSV same for dd2 at 10 months, when ds2 broke his wrist at 4 yrs old, he was seen straight away..if you are there for a geniune reason that needs immediate attention ime they deal with you pdq !

Oh to add if I went on a friday or saturday night I would expect to wait longer !

GP surgeries don't do usually do stitching or gluing because if you need these you have generally had an accident (ie this is one thing that A&E is for), although admittedly you may have a bit of a wait on your hands if there are emergencies (which obviously need to be seen quickly) or other people clogging up the system.

I think the need for stitching does also depend on the individual. My DH does tend to simply gaffer tape the loose digit back on and carry on as before. Admittedly his hands do look like he has put them through a shredder.

I do think there are genuine issues with people abusing A&E, i have a cousin who is always racing there with one or other of her three boys, for petty reasons

as stealth penguin said really...if you have got yourself there under your own steam it's highly unlike to be A or E

and I do think that on the whole we could have a more robust Minor Injuries/Walk In clinics system which would help take the pressure off casualty depts and be a far more appropriate access point for the worried well like my idiot cousin

I've three children (eldest is 19) we have been to A&E the grand sum of three times in all these years. ;)

FeatherBag - my mother was an NHS nurse and she did rotations in A&E. She'd come home absolutely furious andvent at me about all the shit she used to get. You are doing the best job in the world and people should not take you for granted!

Seriously though - why the fuck do people think that going to A&E is a good idea?!?!?! Just look here for more stupidity!

People need to be slapped if they think things like blisters and shaving cuts are an "emergency" situation!

Ds is 2 and has been to a and e about 10 times. Never have we had to wait more than 10 minutes to be taken through because everytime he has gone in its been breathing difficulties. Without fail everytime I have heard at least one person say "but we have been here an hour and still waiting" normally with a child with an injured arm/leg so sore but not life threatening. I do wonder why some people struggle with what the triage process is for.

Going to a and e should be a last resort not your first port of call. Unless you are pretty sure that none of the other services can help then use them first!

I have to disagree that if you've got there under your own steam it's unlikely to be an accident or emergency.

I broke my back and walked into a&e, more stupidly I knew I'd broken my back as I heard it snap when I hit the ground. Didn't want the fuss of an ambulance though. Then another time I slipped a disc and could barely walk and more importantly couldn't wee.

Mmmm also broke a toe once.

Then there was the Friday night my coil came half out and got wedged. Believe me that was an emergency!

I've also taken dd to hospital with broken bones before but got there ourselves.

Oh and I took my dad to a&e when he was admitted from there to icu and stayed in hospital for six months with a very rare and dangerous illness that we hadn't known he'd had before that day.

I've spent enough time in A&E to realize when something is an emergency and when something isn't.

My DP is very accident-prone and has recently, on more than one occasion, hurt himself. But not badly enough to warrant A&E! When he was younger he was in and out so much the nurses knew him by name. Broken arms, burns, stitches, bike accident, frying his hand on a McDonalds grill by accident.....

It's been drummed into me from a very early age that if you walk into an A&E you can tell who is serious and who isn't. If you're a wanker, blustering about and screaming about how much excruciating pain you're being put through - the chances are you're full of shit. Because the genuinely ill or seriously injured don't have the energy to be wankers. They just curl up and hope it goes away.