To think some people waste the ambulance service time

[hannah1992]

So last night I drove my dd who's 19 months to the out of hours doctor which is located at our hospital. You have to wait at a&e reception and speak to reception etc. Anyway three ambulances came in and obviously they get first priority in booking people in. We had been waiting in line for 25 minutes while these ambulances were sorted and my dd was screaming the whole time (she has an ear infection). In the three ambulances was a man that was sent to the gp part so didn't even need a hospital doctor. Another had a teenage boy and his mum. He had a bandage around his hand/wrist BUT his dad had followed the ambulance in the car. He was walking around didn't seem to be in very much pain aibu in the fact that his dad had drove behind the ambulance, why couldn't he have just drove him in the car?

I was just stood there thinking the ambulance certainly in my area (not sure about others) are very stretched and people should stop calling ambulances when a) they can go to hospital in the car ie: it's not a life threatening emergency and let the ambulance service deal with people who are seriously ill. I just kept thinking while they have been dealing with someone who needed a gp rather than the hospital and someone who's parents could have drove him to hospital somebody could have been dying of a heart attack.

My grandson suffers from croup attacks, so badly that he always needs a nebuliser, adrenaline and steroids. The last attack was so bad that they sent 2 crews, and one of the paramedics admitted afterwards that he hates seeing kids in respiratory distress as things can change so quickly. A 1st responder always arrives very quickly, and can start to administer the drugs he needs but because he's then had them, you can't transport him yourself and he has to go in an ambulance, and that can involve a very long wait at times. The one time, the crew arrived after 45 minutes and were really cross that they'd been called to a child with norovirus and a panicking mum. It does need addressing, and I think regular abusers should be fined or banned from being able to call them out. It costs hundreds of pounds, and is a very precious and finite resource.

Under Gosh that is shocking and very sad

I just felt bad because we had the car sat right there but I just panicked and remembered on TV they say not to move the patient, obviously with a clear head I know this is for potential spinal injuries!

I assume if an ambulance gets as far as the hospital, then it was probably necessary. Ambulance personnel have the skills to triage and treat, so surely PP's example of a splinter would have been dealt with at the scene.

A few years back I accidentally slightly overdosed on my pain meds and rang 111 for advice as it was a Sunday and we have no walk-in clinic in the area. They were going to send an ambulance for me (I guess overdose is a trigger word) but thankfully I averted it by saying my DH would drive me straight to A&E. However, as I'm disabled and don't drive, if he'd been away for work, I would have had to have the ambulance, even though I looked like I was absolutely fine.

Also, my mother asked for me to be taken to the hospital where my surgery was scheduled because they had all my notes and were a specialist centre for neurosurgery.

My local A&E is two miles away, this one is five miles away. The 999 operator said that was the best idea and arranged it, even though they'd have been short of a local ambulance for the hour or so it took to get me there and then for them to get back. This was not a problem either.

I suppose I could have gone on the tube so as not to be a burden . It didn't occur to me. More importantly, it didn't occur to any of the NHS staff who were the ones who actually knew what they were doing, as opposed to random busy bodies who try a bit of amateur diagnosis to while away the time in A&E .

@13Bastards as I say on every single one of these threads, not everyone has access to anything other than A&E.

The MIU in the next town is basically open office hours. We live one hour away in three different directions from 3 big hospitals. After hours and at weekends, they are our only option. It seems to be beyond some people's comprehension that not everyone lives in a big city with amazing 24/7 facilities.

I do think some people misuse the service. However, we called NHS direct when our baby had a bad sickness bug for advice and they sent an ambulance despite us telling them that it was not necessary. We were hoping to speak to a GP or get an out of hours appointment. The NHS direct operator insisted on sending an ambulance. We were very apologetic to the paramedics when they arrived, they told us it was not our fault and they felt that NHS direct are responsible for not using the resources correctly.

Ill repeat again

WHY is 999 sending an ambulance to a child with norovirus if it's that obvious that the ambulance crew will know about it within minutes?
It's not the service users who are making the ambulance comes.
Surely 999 is the one who decides what is or isn't an emergency and will also decide whether they actually need an ambulance.

As far as I am concerned, it's THEM who are making a mistake and should be telling the overanxious mum 'this is another an ambulance energenecy. Please go to ooh/take your car to A&E/whatever is relevant in that area'.

If someone is having chest pains or any symptoms of a possible heart problem or asthma type issue they should always go to hospital by ambulance regardless of whether a taxi / car would get them there quicker or in the same time. Paramedics can begin treatment and potentially save them. (To those saying if you can get to hospital another way then you should do...).

Undoubtedly people do misuse the 999 service. 111 have trigger points for sending an ambulance too.
However as pp say, you don't know what was the real reason someone has arrived in an ambulance. The paramedics might be able to go to the front of the queue to give admin details but treatment is usually medically prioritised.
And when I was blue lighted to hospital in an ambulance, DH was told to follow in the car. There wasnt really enough room for him, me and both paramedics to work plus he'd need to get home with or without me. Admittedly I didn't skip into A&E though! Had we tried to go in the car I'd be dead.

You have no idea what treatment the people who arrived by ambulance received on the way.

BravebutShaking if your DS had another seizure in the back of the car then you would have been in a very difficult situation.
I cannot tell you how many times I've called an ambulance this year!!!
I have a DS with severe disabilities and epilepsy. He has pribkens regulating his temperature.
I've also waited 90 minutes for an ambulance while DS is having a clonic Tonic seizures and the buccal midazolam hasn't worked... My child was blue !!!
Yes people do misuse the system ...most of the time it is amazing ...sometimes you wait and wait. I only live 5 miles from the hospital do a 3-4 minute drive away ...but you cannot take a fitting child in the back of a car without extra support !!!!

Vin could you take a taxi? Not because I don't think you need an ambulance but because it would mean your DS was seen quicker?

Totally agree. I had vasa praevia and went into labour on a Friday night. Bleeding like a pig, couldn't move (too much pain and blood pouring with every shuffle - blood even came through the downstairs ceiling) and could not feel DS moving. DH called an ambulance and it took 45 minutes even for the first responder to arrive. He was unable to find a heartbeat and tried to speed up the call but we still waited another 30 minutes for an actual ambulance. Very apologetic crew - they had been called out to a teenager who had the same cough for 3 weeks (reported by the mother as "unable to breathe").

Damn right I judge her and so did the paramedics.

Vin The paramedics were happy for me to do so. They had been with him for about an hour doing his SATS three times.

They wanted me to call my GP to make an appt before they left, which I did. The GP then called me and advised me to take him to A&E.

I did not go against their advice.

Our neighbour walked into the ambulance and I assumenput at the other end but she was having a severe asthma attack. Don't judge.

OP I'm glad you have x-ray vision and can read minds as you seem to know what is wrong with these patients.

People do misuse the service yes. You have absolutely no idea however if these people have or not.

Oh and for what it's worth my DNephew was rushed to hospital with a life threatening illness and my DParents followed in a car so not sure what your point is.

I work in a and e and op you are spot on! The things people call an ambulance for is unbelievable - and yes the crews that bring them in complain when there's usually at least 1 car, sometimes 3 or 4 that follow them in. These patients are usually the ones who complain the most that they have to sit in the waiting room (cos there's bugger all wrong with you ) "but I came in by ambulance!" They end up going home because they say they shouldn't have to wait - making it a complete waste of the ambulance in the first place. Don't get me started on the 'regulars' who always call for a big yellow taxi up to 3 or 4 times a day sometimes

Genuine emergencies are one thing Piglet, but a lot of it doesn't need to come in full stop

I understand that 111 send ambulances out sometimes unnecessarily especially for young children. In our hospital ambulances come in and get seen first regardless of anyone the waiting in the queue. I was there with my mum once waiting in the queue and a woman was stood in front of us they were seeing ambulances first and the woman collapsed! So they do in our hospital sort the ambulances out before anyone else.

The first man was sent to see the gps. We have the a&e waiting area for the a&e doctors. We have the resus where obviously seriously ill are taken straight away and then the out of hours gp which is just round the corner from a&e waiting.

The teenager had burnt his hand on the cooker. The paramedic said applied cold compress straight away etc now bandaged but just a surface burn. Family requested to be checked at hospital. So in that case seen as the dad had followed in the car they could have just drove in!

The third was an elderly patient on oxygen so obviously that needed an ambulance but the other two didn't. The first was sent to see a gp and the second had a surface burn and his parents could have drove him to hospital!

I just think that some people could think twice in assessing the situation before they call an ambulance. Young children are different because you always panic etc same with chest pains etc but a minor burn?

All those saying paramedics won't take you into to a&e unless you need to go have obviously not been stuck in a patients house (usually with something stupid like period pains, a persistent but not debilitating cough or D&V) 11 hours into their shift being shouted at and abused. Several Family members have told me they just give up in the end and take them in to stop the abuse/give themselves a chance to get back on the road.
The NHS is in trouble and it is people's sense of entitlement that is going to kill it. At a conservative estimate I've been told 60% of the jobs paramedics go to are not ambulance worthy and due to a lack of staff and vehicles and an overtime ban and reliance on "private crews" charging the earth they are getting to the important cases later and later. People are already dying and it will get worse unless the public are educated.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=riNhqXCr-0g

111 tried to send an ambulance out for ds over CHICKENPOX

It was so ridiculous I laughed. I only wanted advice on using ibuprofen

That video is spot on they should only be used for an actual emergency. I had to call on with for my dh last year. He's been to rugby training on Thursday evening he walked through the door and looked drunk! He then went into the bathroom threw up numerous times and collapsed in the bathroom eyes rolling and everything. I knew at that point he wasn't drunk, couldn't smell alcohol etc. I couldn't wake him although he was breathing ok I called an ambulance turns out he had a blow to the head severe concussion and a minor bleed on the brain. He didn't gain consciousness until we had reached the hospital but he was still very confused very scary time!

YABU for thinking you can sit there and diagnose people by looking and decide that is what they are doing. You can't possibly tell how much pain there is or what have befallen these people, and it's none of your business to try. It's unreasonable to sit in judgement and second guess people's medical problems

Agree with PurpleTraitor on this

To be fair OP some could ask why you were in a&e reception with an ear infection. Some could say a gp appointment was all that was necessary. A lot of people take our hospitals for granted.