To the whole family don't need to go to the hospital for a broken arm?

[Herculesfan]

My (adult) niece has broken her arm, quite badly she is having surgery tomorrow. Her sister was supposed to be babysitting for me this evening but has cancelled as the whole family (mum Dad sister brother) are at the hospital with her....

Am I unreasonable to think the whole family don't need to be there and they are probably just driving everyone else in the ward mad?

I think it is different if someone is waiting in a and e, I wouldn't accompany an adult there unless they needed assistance.

But the original op was about someone who has been admitted and is having surgery. In that case I would want to visit a close friend or relative (assuming that I lived local to the hospital) I wouldn't necessarily go through the mental process of thinking 'well who else will be there at that time, will there be more than two of us, what will the other patients think'. I would just find out the visiting hours and go then and assume if my presence was a problem the staff will let me know.

And if I lived at home and my parents said 'we're off to visit your sister in hospital do you want to come' chances are id say yes, not oh no she's an adult she doesn't need me!

I always find it weird when a whole family descends on a hospital en masse, but different strokes for different folks.
I would never judge another.

Plus with hospital car parking charges being extortionate it makes far more sense to pack a car full for one visit than to go separately.

To be brutally honest, it's usually a certain type of family (baseball caps). - why are they always more prone to accidents too?

< go ahead - flame me >

But his isn't an a and e visit is it? Op says she's in hospital and mentions visiting. So the girl is in a hospital bed, injured - we don't know how - and in pain and possibly worried/scared about the treatment plan or surgery , and her parents and sister have chosen to visit her in the ward together, as a family. This is pretty much the norm surely? Just because a person is adult age, albeit a young adult, doesn't mean they don't like the support of their nearest and dearest!
And not all hospitals have a two person visiting rule. Some of our wards have rules of 3 or 4 depending on which ward and the size of those wards. I had a one bed room and could have 4 visitors at a time when I was in hospital. I appreciated having visitors - a hospital room can be a lonely place when your in pain and not sure what's happening next, and I was a fully grown adult.

@KathArtic

Do mean chavvy/council families?
That's what it seems your alluding to....

YABU. If it was my sister of course I would go to the hospital with my parents to see her. It sounds like it was traumatic. Hardly going to say "no thanks" if someone asks you to go with them to the hospital. And some people don't have any family nearby that can babysit the children at short notice in the evening.

Depends on the circumstances. If parent needs support through a scary time meaning other parent or gp is there and no other cc available then sibling comes along until patient is "safe". No excuse for hoards of randoms with no purpose though.

I was taken in by ambulance once. Had to go on my own as Ds woke up as I was leaving so DH stayed with him( instead of the neighbour who was going to sit in the house while he slept.) I had a emergency procedure and spent 2 days in hospital. My DH visited once.

The ones that irritate me are the visitors who turn up who don't even know the child's name! And there are always large groups if them. ( Apparently it's a religious requirement to visit the sick, fair enough. But why would you visit a family you don't know?)

To be brutally honest, it's usually a certain type of family (baseball caps). - why are they always more prone to accidents too

what on the girls as well? So last year.

Please elaborate?

She injured herself playing netball at the weekend. Put off going to the hospital for 3 days and eventually her mum made her go yesterday. They discovered it was a lot more serious then they thought so she was admitted to prep for surgery this morning.

My family just do things differently which was why I was wondering. We would just send one person (probably mum) in and maybe if they were in a private room the rest would FaceTime. If she was in over a long period say a week then obviously more visitors. But the Day admitted when it wasn't a shock incident we wouldn't. Maybe we are arseholes 😂

And because it seems to matter to some of you- they are a very middle class family.

A few years ago I was in hospital for 3 days for an emergency hernia repair operation. On the day I was discharged,I was sitting in the day lounge waiting for my DD to collect me. There was a woman in her 20s in there,who,from what I could make out,was undergoing a routine operation that afternoon. I counted no less than NINE family members accompanying her. Everyone from her mum and dad,2 brothers,aunts,uncles,the lot. Just why?!