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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be annoyed with the hospital?

43 replies

ANormalOne · 10/07/2013 09:00

Ended up walking out of hospital last night with my 5 month old DD - poor thing was exhausted and had been refusing feeds all day with a high temperature - there was only one other family in the A and E waiting room with us as it was around 3 in the morning, so it wasn't heaving, and we were made to wait for over three hours, we didn't even see a triage nurse. Managed to get a doctors appointment for her today and she seems to be picking up, thankfully.

I get that there's issues with staffing, but surely that's a ridiculous amount of time to have to wait with a sick baby?

OP posts:

Original poster

ANormalOne · 10/07/2013 09:44

Yeah, we have one but she just wasn't settling. She's strggled to feed since she was born, she continuously gags and chokes on liquids. Doctors have told me it's likely she'll grow out of it but it makes it difficult to keep her hydrated sometimes.

OP posts:

SalaciousBCrumb · 10/07/2013 09:47

Well done for taking YABU so well, by the way!

LunaticFringe · 10/07/2013 09:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsHoarder · 10/07/2013 09:49

Glad she's OK, and NHS direct sending people to A&E who should see the GP/GP when they should get something OTC at the pharmacy is another rant entirely.

ovenbun · 10/07/2013 09:52

just as a heads up, although there may be very few peole in the waiting room, the emergency/ambulance cases will go straight to the stabilisation areas so you would not see them.
It is unusual that you didnt see a triage nurse, however if there are several cardiac arrests or a road traffic accident involving a few people all hands may be on deck. Hope that helps explain.

Hope DD is feeling better and you have seen the gp, if you havent been gien one already i would ask for a speech and language referal or feeding clinic referal..i know this sounds strange but the SALT specialists look at feeding and feed aversion issues such as gagging etc and may be able to help you with different strategies to keep little one feeding xx

mrsminiverscharlady · 10/07/2013 09:52

I think not even seeing a triage nurse within 3 hours is pretty disgraceful actually. There may have been issues with staffing, emergencies, etc but it's still very poor to not even assess a sick baby in that time. The op's child was OK but what if she'd been more seriously ill?

Original poster

ANormalOne · 10/07/2013 09:56

Thanks OvenBun, I'll look into that.

OP posts:

HandMini · 10/07/2013 10:41

I think it's odd that a baby was brought in and no triage was carried out for three hours.

Has anyone else ever experienced that?

I've been to A&E twice in my life, once for myself, once for DD. Both times we were seen and assessed within half an hour, then waited probably one hour for the treatment element.

Mia4 · 10/07/2013 13:08

Get some syringes OP, they're good for giving medicine and other liquids if needed. It's strange you ddn't see anyone but you don't know what's going on behind the scenes. When my DS had appendicitis as emergency we taken through AAU, not A&E. A lot of people get bumped from there and other places and don't seem to go through A&E because they are in a critical situation.

Mia4 · 10/07/2013 13:09

Also did you ask back at reception? Surely you would have after a while, not just left? Did they not say anything?

Original poster

ANormalOne · 10/07/2013 13:12

I did ask at the reception several times, she just kept telling me that someone would see me soon then kept disappearing. Which I guess now was her probably trying to find someone to see me.

OP posts:

fasterthanthewind · 10/07/2013 13:18

IME it can take AGES to see a triage nurse, even with a baby...

Receptionists don't appear to triage at all, though maybe they do something magical that I don't know about (without asking for ANY information about the patient). And we've waited at least an hour every time - apart from when I went to Addenbrookes with acute acute eye problems, where they seemed to have a triage nurse at reception who asked what my problem was, and I was seen in 2 minutes...

Justforlaughs · 10/07/2013 13:19

I am also very surprised that you didn't get to see a triage nurse at all in 3 hours with a young baby. That is very bad. I don't think YABU to expect to see someone in that time. At the very least, the receptionist should have explained that there was a problem behind the scenes and there would be a longer than average wait, but you would be seen asap. I'm glad to hear that your baby seems better now.

Nanny0gg · 10/07/2013 14:22

Blimey! Do people ever RTFT??

The OP was told to go to A&E, she didn't just fancy a midnight visit!

And (possible)emergency or no, she should have been seen by a triage nurse. If people aren't seen, how do you judge whose problem is the more serious. Whole point of triage.

Also, presumably the receptionist could have advised that there was something going on, so the OP could make an informed decision.

If her baby had been really sick (and who would have known?) this could have been a very different AIBU with very different responses.

So actually, OP< YANBU at all.

Idocrazythings · 10/07/2013 14:25

I too think its odd you didn't see any nurse at all for three hours and that is wrong. The hospital has a duty of care to all patients that walk through the door and no matter what is going on "out back" they should be at the very least assessed and triaged. If no staff are available then surely it should fall to the hospital nurse manager to help out. It is dangerous.

BoysRule · 10/07/2013 14:30

Glad she is OK. Just to add, whenever we have called NHS Direct about DS (only a couple of times!) they have told us to go to A&E and IMO he didn't need to. We called once when he had croup (neither of us had ever heard of it or knew the symptoms) and they got a paramedic out who then told us to go to A&E. This was the middle of the night, we weren't seen in A&E for 2 hours by which time he was fine.

We are now very cautious of ringing NHS Direct but it is very hard with your first.

3littlefrogs · 10/07/2013 14:35

You do need a proper referral to investigate the swallowing issues.

proudmum74 · 10/07/2013 14:57

DD has sadly had lots of experience of A&E, usually via blue lighted ambulances that take her straight to a trauma room, so agree with others who say you don't tend to see the real emergencies in A&E

Having said that, I thought I'd share my first A&E experience with you to make the OP better- when DD was about 6 weeks old (& being a PFB), we took DD to A&E in the middle of the night with breathing problems, at the time she had quite a serious heart conditions so was seen fairly quickly by a junior doctor, who promptly summoned the consultant. As soon as the Consultant arrived to examine her she let out an almighty fart, after which she was absolutely fine! To say I was mortified doesn't really cover it...

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