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Original poster

Robert Crampton in The Times on Saturday: trip to A&E

55 replies

user1493630944 · 15/05/2017 15:04

Anyone else think it was unreasonable for Robert Crampton to take his teenage daughter to A&E because she had a temperature on a Friday night, instead of giving paracetamol and letting her rest at home? He wrote about it in his column in the Times magazine.

OP posts:
LovelyBath77 · 16/05/2017 08:59

Yes, I read this and thought the same to be honest, why not call 111.

hackmum · 16/05/2017 09:01

Here's the link - I was able to read the article in full, so perhaps this is free?

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/the-times-magazine/beta-male-a-trip-to-a-e-b3xndpr27

Various readers below the line have taken him to task.

Oblomov17 · 16/05/2017 09:03

How old is he? You don't need to convert it to know it's not that high. What a tool!!

troodiedoo · 16/05/2017 09:04

I thought exactly the same thing! He also mentioned "hookers" as well! Confused tit.

hackmum · 16/05/2017 09:10

He's 52. So not really that old. You know what? I could have understood it if his daughter was three - I know how overprotective you can get with a small one. But she's 18.

WellErrr · 16/05/2017 09:12

What an idiot.

Vroomster · 16/05/2017 09:13

39.5 is a high temperature but it isn't a reason to run to a&e on its own.

southeastdweller · 16/05/2017 09:14

Only paid up subscribers can read the full article - I just logged out of the website and checked.

I think last week's column was rather misguided but he usually comes across as one of the more down-to-earth and fairer of the Times columnists.

FlyingDuck · 16/05/2017 09:16

Would he have taken her, if he hadn't seen an opportunity to get some copy out of what is currently a significant political and societal concern? I imagine he wouldn't.

Laiste · 16/05/2017 09:22

She would have been triaged to the back of the queue though, and consequently they sat around for 3 hours it seems.

I'm not saying that there were no resources or money wasted, but anyone coming in that night with anything presenting worse than her high temp would have been seen in front of her. A small comfort at least.

Tigerpaws57 · 16/05/2017 09:33

And his 20 year old son has a "bedtime" !!!

Liiinoo · 16/05/2017 09:36

I read it and was Confused. As people have said he normally seems quite down to earth so it made me question myself. Am I a negligent mum because if a teenage DC of mine had a slightly high temperature (assuming normally healthy, no other symptoms) at bedtime my response would be 'Take a paracetamol and see how you feel in the morning.'?

Reading these responses has reassured me that I am in fact quite normal and he massively overreacted.

A&Es round here are awful at the best of times, let alone in the small hours of a Saturday morning. I think part of DC would have had to be detached from their body for me to think a trip to hospital at that time was the best course of action.

DissonantInterval · 16/05/2017 11:59

DD didn't even take 1 year old DGD to A&E with a temp of 40. She tried neurofen which lowered it and only would have taken her if she couldn't get her temp down. I'm older than Robert Crampton and age is no excuse for not googling something if you aren't sure what to do. Especially if you're a journal. He's not exactly going to be unfamiliar with looking for information online or doesn't realise you can phone 111 for advice if you are still unsure. Ah well he got column inches out of it so job done.

harderandharder2breathe · 16/05/2017 12:06

Absolutely ridiculous

I could understand if the daughter was a tiny baby, but not an adult with a very slight fever

I wish the A&E staff were allowed to tell time wasters to fuck off

This isn't worried parents with a small baby, or someone with complicated health problems, or a vulnerable elderly person. Just three healthy adults wasting everyone's time.

TheHauntedFishtank · 16/05/2017 12:12

Fuckwit. My 3yo had a temp of 39 at the weekend so I gave him calpol. Had that not worked I would have phoned 111 etc. Absolute waste of resources unless there was anything more to it.

Notso · 16/05/2017 12:14

Why can't the staff just tell people who do this to go home?

lolalament · 16/05/2017 12:16

If you register you can get 2 articles a week for free - you just need to give them name and email address

DameXanaduBramble · 16/05/2017 12:16

I thought exactly the same! Then I thought, nah, he's made that up, he has to write a column about something interesting every week, surely some of it is artistic licence? Nobody is that dim.

7Days · 16/05/2017 12:17

Can you imagine rhe headlines if they did so and it did turn out to be serious though?

momgusset · 16/05/2017 12:22

Just read it. The man is an idiot and I guess his wife is too as she agreed to the A&E jaunt.

Vroomster · 16/05/2017 12:38

I've read it now, the man is an idiot. Try buying some paracetamol and using it.

Plenty of parents take their children to a&e without having given paracetamol or ibuprofen. Same as they take their children to a&e having vomited, once.

misscph1973 · 16/05/2017 12:46

It's not a newspaper article. It's a tongue-in-cheek column, it's not a report from real life. You are not meant to take it seriously. Taking your grown-up daughter to A & E is obviously stupid, that's the point.

5foot5 · 16/05/2017 12:55

I think I agree with DameXabaduBranble and misscph1973 and maybe there is some artistic license in this.

I didn't read Saturday's Beta male but I normally read his weekday columns in The Times. On the whole I find him one of their better columnists and pretty down to earth. I guess this was either a "blip" or he just made it up.

DameXanaduBramble · 16/05/2017 13:01

I quite like his writing usually, too - everyone's allowed an off week!

ineedabodytransplant · 16/05/2017 16:54

yes, I appreciate it's a column but it's not a good one and I can't believe someone pays him to produce some of the crap he writes.

I get The Times most Saturdays and his is one page I'm not that bothered if I miss.

Bloody hell, I'm sixty and know what temperatures are in Celcius and Fahrenheit. I certainly wouldn't take either of my daughters to A&E for a high temp unless it was ridiculously high. And as for a 20 year old having a set bedtime? yeah, right!