To think that the NHS cause part of the problem with the A&E?

[LadyRainicorn]

I got bashed in the face across my eye with a float at the pool earlier today. I have a banging headache that isn't shifting (tried a nap and mild painkillers) so used the symptom checker to double on things I need to watch out for in case I've properly damaged myself (probably haven't but nice to think errrrrr horrtible head eeeerrrrrr phew at least xyz isnt happening, then I'd need assistance). Bloody thing says I should go to A&E. It ALWAYS says go to feckin A&E. I think it's cos I ssid I was irritable. Of course I'm fucking irritable MY HEAD REALLY FUCKING HURTS. Plus I'm doing a cake decorating 3yr old birthday activity thing. And it went well. Hah.

But anyway. Everytime I fancy checking out things on NHS choices it says A&E. Bloody 111 called an ambulance on me before. AIBU?

Hmmm. Bit of an italics fail there and now I just look deranged

I know what you mean, 111 or whatever it was back in the day once called an ambulance for my dd and told me I couldnt refuse it.

It is called the "arse covering position" because somebody somewhere who has chopped their leg off with a rusty spoon who has injured themselves, will do these questions and it will say stay at home and they will die and sue the nhs....

They can't win though. If they said don't go to A&E and someone's Granny died from an undisclosed something the Daily Fail would be delighted.

You should definitely go to a and e, if your post if anything to go by ??

I agree with you. My friends dh is a paramedic and he says when he's called out, they have to give the patient a choice of whether to go to a&e or not to get checked even if they're fine. It's a dream for hypochondriacs.

Emoticon fail there. Not being snippy OP, it was a Just joking.

Surely it takes some common sense though, if you're irritable for other reasons, you would generally say 'no'.

No YANBU. I agree. Better walk-in surgeries wd solve the problem to some extent. Ideally you'd like to know that you could pop along locally if it didn't get much better and they'd have a quick look.

Hope you feel better op horrible having a headache and dealing with small kids, however the NHS can't really win, if they give the wrong advice and something goes wrong they get sued and all the tabloids go on for weeks, they encourage someone to seek advice and they are inviting trouble.

Nowadays people are so impatient for an answer/diagnosis/reassurance that common sense goes out the window, sadly with your symptoms the checker was only ever going to recommend one course of action. You hit your head and have a headache, you could have a serious injury but, statistically you probably don't.

The NHS has to cater for all those who have knowledge and common sense and those who don't.

The NHS is an amazing place but not fit for the current demand, I should know I work there. It's trying to survive in a climate that demands more than it can give.

Hah, no worries. Those question mark things are odd aren't they?

I wasn't allowed to refuse the ambulance either - gave in as I needed a nebuliser and there's none at my local surgery. But dh could've driven me to a&e, no problem.

I'm really confused why did you need a nebuliser if you hit your head? Surely your GP practice is closed now so how is any of this relevant.

Sorry if I missed something I just don't understand how what you described happened relates to your post!

Yanbu, but because of today's litigation culture, the nhs have no choice.
Media would have a field day if someone died whom they'd advised not to go to a&e.

Had a similar thing with DP - also needing a nebuliser. He used to go to the minor injuries unit 5 min away, but that's closed, as has the walk in centre which was a bit further away. All I wanted to know was where to take him, I was perfectly able to drive him but I didn't know where to go with the 2 appropriate centres being shut down. He ended up being blue lighted to A&E 30 miles away. Our local ambulance station has also been closed so it was possibly a 60 mile round trip for the ambulance.

I don't think it's so much the NHS's fault, as the governments for shutting everything down and contracting out 111 to numpties.

Arrrr, but how do you distinguish between irritability? And I am exceedlingly close to flying into a rage for no good reason....but then I am under a lot of stress. It is difficult. Plus I wanted to see if it would suggest calling OOH. I have achieved my main goal, which is leaking blood/fluid fainting fit or swelling then I pop over to a healthcare professional.

It would be useful if you could access this without the assessment screen bit - head injuries? Here's what you should watch out for. And do that for all thpose conditions they make click through those endless screens. A bit like those meningitis posters.

I loved walk in centres. I was gutted whenthey started closing those down. Was there any clinical evidence they were ineffective or was it just idelogically driven?

Oh, sorry, nebuliser was for a different incident. In 2013.

If you are ill enough to need a nebuliser, they recommend an ambulance because it's a potentially life threatening situation and you could suddenly get much worse on the journey to hospital. If you do the paramedics will have the training and equipment to be able to deal with that.

Hmmmm. So posdible I was BU. Let me distract you with cake

111 sent us to A&E with toddler DS having bumped his head. No visible injury, eating and drinking and been fine for a couple of hours, playing normally. Only rang them for some advice because he'd woken up and been sick.

But we had to go because they said we did and no one wants 'ignored medical advice for child' on their record.

Triage nurse was I was and it was a total waste of everyone's time at 1 in the morning. They kept an eye on him for an hour and sent us home again.

If your child vomits after a head injury you should seek urgent advice Mand

The problem is that 111 does refer everyone.
Bring back real people who know what they are talking about, walk in centres and get GPs to provide OOH care .

I thought the premise with 111 was that you actually spoke with a nurse and got phone triaged. I've only ever once spoken to a nurse (who was very helpful and gave useful advice). Every other time it's someone who's had some training and then gets put through the what seems like a souped up version of the screens you get on the sympton checker for NHS choices.

111 told 18 year old DD to go to A&E at 9pm on a Saturday evening - she'd had what was probably a mild asthma attack on top of the tail end of a cold, but by the time she rang them was completely fine, talked to the woman on the phone for several minutes not breathless at all. Really just needed some reassurance.

We discussed whether she really wanted to spend 6 hours sat there before they told her she was fine and sent her home, and she didn't go. She was fine. Went to the GP on the Monday who said "yup, sounds like asthma" and gave her an inhaler.

I think they've got risk averse recently - the only other time I've rung them was a couple of years ago. Same DD was shaking and vomiting on the bathroom floor but improved during the phonecall. They said "sounds like an allergic reaction to her antibiotics, bring her to the walkin centre and they'll give her different ones." A&E was never mentioned, even though she was far more unwell (I almost called 999).

The thing with being triaged by a nurse is , if it was their own family member on the end of the phone , they would be like ' has it dropped off ? No ? take some bloody paracetamol and quit whining , I have to look after properly sick people'

Lol frumpet

Aren't health professionals notorious for not taking their own health seriously?

on another note, does anyone want to kill me for 48hrs? I could do with being dead for a little bit. I hurt. I'm not sure if it's where i banged it, or if where I'm going to get a migraine. Not got the horrible cconfusion yet. Did have a leg n arm jerk and feel nauseous after it but I'm already waiting for my appointment with my neurologist for them.

Its actually quite 'funny' about tge nebuliser.
Twice now we've gone to hospital where family needed a nebuliser. Under our own steam as maybe 5min walk or drive there.
Both times kept waiting ages. Up to an hour. Then once the dr says Dsis is really ill you should have got an ambulance, well she wouldnt have got there quicker. But probably seen quicker.

Sadly will end up calling ambulance for 5min journey to avoid the wait at the other end. As it means they just dont take you seriously.
It also concerns me how they use how someone looks to diagnose them. Everytime i go in with other people drs /nurses are like are you ok you dont look well - im naturally pale. Whilst ignoring the person next to me almost expiring. Probably due to tan/rosy cheeks.
Unfortunately this doesnt work as well when im ill, or in pain like in labour - oh youre not in that much pain , yes i am. Maybe its because when you dont feel well you cant argue- say it.

Op it would surprise me if a float did concuss you - arent they sort of soft? Otoh if it was the side of the pool.

Nah, you're right shouldn't be concussed. They were those firm rubbery (?) Ones sort of rectangular shaped that are about 4cm thick and the shape almost of a clipboard? Just whinging. And now while I might feel like my brain is 3 sizes too big I know I'm alright and can the nagging worry monster to shut it with the list of proper symptoms.