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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To wonder why adult a&e and children's A&E share doctors?

49 replies

lisad123 · 25/02/2012 19:26

Stuck in children's A&E with dd1. The thing is childrens A&E share doctors with adult A&E next door. It sounds completely daft and often we have ended up with a doctor who has little clue about kids.
Why do they do this?
I also don't understand why on the weekend there is alot less doctors, certainly no specialist in over weekend. Why is this?
Surely NHS should get upto date and understand people get sick in the weekend too and do with doctors what they do with nurses and have Rita.
Happy for anyone to enlighten me on why this doesn't happen.

OP posts:

SydSaid · 25/02/2012 19:29

YABU. Biologically there's not a huge difference - one vet can treat cats and snakes and cows and parrots, so I think a doctor can cope with a child.

ednurse · 25/02/2012 19:31

Yep....they both share doctors as children under 1 get seen directly by the paediatrician. If a adult or child needs to see a more specialist doctor then they will get referred to that team. For example, an appendicitis adult or child will get referred to the the surgeons not necessarily paediatrics. However when in the paeds ward and under the surgical tea, the paediatricians will have input.

LindyHemming · 25/02/2012 19:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

raspberrylemoncheesecake · 25/02/2012 19:32

YABU

We don't even have a separate A & E, just a children's room.

Original poster

lisad123 · 25/02/2012 19:33

Rota damn spell check on my phone.
Main A&E is manic tonight as is children's, wouldn't like to be those doctors tonight

OP posts:

SydSaid · 25/02/2012 19:36

We just have one A&E too, and we don't have a children's room. I could add that one time when i went to A&E with my daughter she was seen by the anaesthetist. Who was utterly brilliant.

In an emergency I just want someone qualified and competent, I don't care what their job title is!

GavisconJunkie · 25/02/2012 19:36

We have one A&E and some megabloks.

YABU

GavisconJunkie · 25/02/2012 19:38

Sorry, and another thing! At least your way your DC don't have to see the drunks with gashed faces, my poor DD had to gawp at a compound fracture on a drunken arse for 20 mins (well a drunken arse's arm).

mercibucket · 25/02/2012 19:44

Try not to get admitted on a weekend - deaths rise then cos all the specialists are on their weekend break. Is stupid - I agree
Also a few docs with a clue about anything would be nice - we usually end up either relying on the nurses, who seem to know more, or google. Oh the stories I could tell! Be v wary with the new registrars

sodapops · 25/02/2012 19:45

YABU.

There a lot less doctors on duty at the weekend because clinics and operations aren't scheduled. Could you imagine how many doctors would be needed to cover this , not to mention nurses, beds, support staff and money!

sodapops · 25/02/2012 19:45

YABU.

ReallyTired · 25/02/2012 19:50

YABU. There might be times that there are lots of adults who need life saving treatment and no kids waiting. I think the system needs flexiblity and A and E never know who is going to turn up. All doctors have some paediatric training as part of their degree.

Imagine a senario where a young family is involved in a hideous car crash. There are three small children with hideous burns fighting for their lives. There is only one specialised children's doctor. Surely in that kind of circumstances any doctor is better than no doctor.

Conversely if you have several adults needing life saving treatment and then its sense to make a child with a minor accident wait.

sodapops · 25/02/2012 19:50

all the specialists are on their weekend break

Not true, there is always a consultant on call, even on Christmas day!

takethecraproad · 25/02/2012 19:56

there are less doctors on at the weekend because the government/ health board whatever don't pay for any more. Simple.
Hence the doctors have to manage a high workload with say two doctors per specialty, so for examlple in adult medicine, that would be covering all acute referrals from a&E, all sick patients on the medical wards and on the admssions unit, all sick patients on other wards and ITU, HDU, all cardiac and medical team emergency calls . If one sick patient is very unstable, that can take an hour or two to sort out..get the idea ?
Be sympathetic to the doctors as they don't get enough time to eat and drink over a 13 hour shift. The doctors do not control how many doctors are on.. it is an administrative thing.
In A&E the casualty drs see everyone and refer on as needed.

mercibucket · 25/02/2012 19:59

Bbc report on death rates over weekend - lack of senior staff - 7 day week cover advocated
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16868428

mercibucket · 25/02/2012 19:59

Bbc report on death rates over weekend - lack of senior staff - 7 day week cover advocated
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16868428

takethecraproad · 25/02/2012 20:02

so for example, the same no of patients who are normally looked after by about 21 junior doctors in the daytime are looked after by 2 doctors over the weekend.. and on top of that the same 2 doctors deal with every single new patient admitted to the hospital say about 25 per 24 hours, all of whom need about an hour spent with them each. unless they are sick, when they need an unspecified time.

sodapops · 25/02/2012 20:02

There might be a lack of senior staff, but that is not the same as "all the specialists are on their weekend break"!

takethecraproad · 25/02/2012 20:04

there will be one consultant on to help the 2 juniors , at home apart from the ward round and if called in for advice

ShowOfHands · 25/02/2012 20:05

Hope dd1's ok?

Our paed dept shares docs but has its own nurses which works v well.

Original poster

lisad123 · 25/02/2012 20:06

i know its not the doctors fault, and yes your right, its properly not worth having childrens specialist, if a normal doctor is there. I guess it feels very :( that the doctors have to run between the two teams.

Scarcy, my mum was addmitted with a stroke last year over the weekend, she was admitted to a ward with little care plan, under the on call doctor who had little knowledge of strokes and therefore missed the massive blockage and she waited 48 hours for treatment. :(

I seriously think they need to look at the weekend staff, its clearly not working.

OP posts:

IamMummyhearmeROAR · 25/02/2012 20:08

YABU

Also it's a myth there are no doctors around. My dh is a consultant and has just come in the door after being in from 8am. He is now on call all night.He will do the same tomorrow as will his registrar. He will then be on call all night again. He will get a day off next Saturday - 13 days since his last one.

I think the NHS gets its pound of flesh from us.

Original poster

lisad123 · 25/02/2012 20:09

DD1 is fine, she has ingrown eyelashes that the GP couldnt remove, so she sent us to A&E , because she said they needed to be done asap to prevent further damage (feel very bad for such a small thing)

OP posts:

takethecraproad · 25/02/2012 20:12

its a huge workload for the medical team.. not fair on anyone really hopefully they will be forced to increase staff if there is enough public awareness. Its not about clinics at the weekend, there is no need for that, its about acute out of hours care.
when you say the nhs needs to get up to date that pretty much nails it.. just because the on call system has always worked likethis definitely doesn't make it right.

2rebecca · 25/02/2012 21:20

I'd have thought in that case she'd be seeing an eye doc not a paediatrician anyway, although A&E may have more nurses to control a wriggling child. Our DGH just has A&E with triage and kids area, but all one team seeing the patients. I'm surprised the GP sent her on a weekend though.

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