To print off this definition and staple it to peoples foreheads?

[RedButtonhole]

ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY - ^A hospital dept. Concerned with the provision of treatment for those who have been seriously injured in an accident, or who have suddenly taken seriously ill.
^
Seriously. Yet another tube posting on facebook about going to A&E for something trivial, that they've had all week and could have gone before the weekend, or indeed could wait until tomorrow.

We are not even in an area where it's difficult to get a GP appointment.

SoDiana, that sounds horrific. In your shoes, I would go to A&E. Bleeding that much isn't normal or safe, especially when you don't know the cause.

This is what I meant when I said trivial. What you describe certainly doesn't sound trivial at all, I was referring to people who show up with things they've had a while that don't need some sort of urgent attention.

I'm feeling too weak to go bizarrely!

You can refuse an ambulance from 111: I did when I had chest pain and they put me through to an OOH GP instead

tried that, they told me they had a duty of care to report me to social services if i refused so i said send the ambulance then in there eyes i could have been refusing treatment for a child at risk of dying because he had "meningitis" in reality we were stuck waiting till the early hours of the morning waiting to be told he had tonsilitis

Im im Ireland though. Our health system is almost third world compared to the nhs

if its been happening for months why haven't you been to a doctor sweetie its not normal

I got a tampon stuck inside me once, I went to the GP and they sent me to A&E as there was no speculum in the surgery or some other lame excuse. I was waiting for three hours for what was a 10-minute procedure. i fail to see why anyone would endure the hell of an A&E wait unless absolutely necessary.

Me too fairy I suppose we are lucky in that we live in a rural area, waiting times aren't as horrific as they seem to be in other parts of the country, so people don't sem put off.

You do have to travel a fair bit to get to the hospital though, they treat it like a day out.

There was a thread recently for A&E workers to post the most trivial / time wasting cases they had seen, and it was shocking.

Almost all of them had a story about someone who thought a broken nail was an emergency - I hope it's the same woman and she gets about. Surely there can't be 2?

Yes there are people who go inappropriately. My dad went because he had a cut to his head that wouldn't stop bleeding. They put a strip over it. He could have went to a pharmacy instead.

My serial NHS-abuser relative went last night with a perfectly well 8 year old who had a leg rash. Advised it was some sort of allergy, go to GP in week and was told she was right to have had it checked

We had an ambulance sent by 111/NHS direct for tonsillitis too. We didn't know it was tonsillitis but didn't think it was that urgent. We also live within walking distance of A&E but they insisted. She had a high temp and lips were turning blue. We've been in for breathing problems a few times for another child as croup seems to get worse at night, GP is able to treat but only during weekdays. Luckily it's a minor injuries as well as A&E so I don't feel too guilty for going for minor things, especially if they turn out to be a broken leg or needing admitting for croup. I suspect most parents sensibly err on the side of caution to the right degree and the people abusing the services are a minority of repeat offenders.

If its something you've had all week its a GP trip not a&e!

Tbh If I can avoid it I wont go into a&e because of the long waits and weekend trips to a&e are a nightmare. To the point I waited until 8am rather than go in the evening before when I broke my foot. I don't recommend it to anyone but when you have a SEN/SN child the last thing you want to do is go to a&e at 6:30pm knowing full well it will be full of people, mostly with drink related accidents and a wait of several hours. waiting I was in and out within an hour (love the NHS when it is allowed to work seamlessly because no one is around with daft 'emergencies' )

I'd be more pissed off about people drinking recklessly and ending up in a&e though OP than someone with an actual injury regardless of how long they've had it. Drunks who do a stupid and need emergency care rile me up

Slightly off topic but my DP used to be a paramedic. He left because of the shit state of affairs the trust he worked for was in. Although I'm sure the same problems are nationwide. They were already stretched to breaking point, and yet he was being sent out to people with d&v, flu, stomach pains etc.....very rarely actual emergencies. Unfortunately the operators on 111 rarely have the experience to allow for common sense based decisions.

The thing that used to piss him off the most were the calls which did require a&e but not an ambulance, such as someone calling for an ambulance because their partner has a minor fracture when they could have just driven them to hospital themselves. Apparently there's also a misconception that if you arrive at a&e in an ambulance you queue jump! So an ambulance gets taken off the road for something trivial and isn't available for the next call which is life & death.

Lots of people post on here at the weekends, worrying about their child who sounds too ill to wait until Monday but nothing they say screams "emergency". Unfortunately, they are inappropriately encouraged to go to A&E, completely bypassing the out of hours GP service.

I appreciate that people have had bad experiences but some people don't even try to attempt to get an OOH GP appt.

It amazes me sometimes what people on MN are encouraged to go to A&E with.

It is absolutely ridiculous the stupid things people go to A&E with. However, I am a wait and see person which has landed both me and DH in hospital. Him, an infected horsefly bite on Easter Sunday, it was fine then his leg swelled like a balloon and he could walk,cue IV antibiotics. Me, a skin abscess, GP couldn't see me, went to walk in centre in town in my lunch break, blue lighted to hospital after passing out, ended up being operated on the next day and off work for a month :(

We had an ambulance for tonsillitis too. We knew it was tonsillitis and wanted an ooh appointment. The paramedic gave some neurofen and managed to get us an ooh appointment about an hour later than if they'd just made us one in the first place.

Luckily we know how to answer the questions now and 11 months and 9 cases later we finally have a referral with no more ambulances!

SoDiana - it isn't in the slightest bit bizarre that you're feeling too weak to go. It's a SYMPTOM ffs. Call the GP!

I am a wait and see person, twice recently it nearly killed me! First time non stop vomiting, I said wait, flatmate called 111, blues and twos, blocked bowel. Came home fine for 10 days lucid, fine I thought, woke up 5 days later in intensive care...seems I went into a coma with septicaemia! Thank God for my alert mate and ooh doctor sent by 111!

Posts like this never inhibit arseholes from going to A&E, only people who don't like making a fuss. Those are the people who probably need to go. So on that basis YABU.

SoDiana - we had a thread about excessive bleeding in the Feminism: chat forum recently. You are not alone! It is very, very hard to get that symptom taken seriously.

Got an appointment for scan Wednesday Morning

Thank goodness for that - I hope that it's something easily fixed (and they do a full blood count etc. on you as well)