Why is a trip to the walk-in centre a family outing?

[freeAnneBoleyn]

For some?

I went yesterday. Looked full to bursting when I came in, not a single free chair. Looked to be a lot of families with one sick/injured member, with both parents and other children in attendance. Why? If you have two parents why in God’s name would you drag your other child to sit amongst lurgy ridden patients for four hours and have to worry about keeping them amused as well?!

I eventually got a chair when someone else got called up- I had a fractured shoulder it turned out so not desperately ill obviously but still in pain and was anticipating, correctly as it turned out, a very very long wait.

Worst was family of five opposite- one feverish looking child asleep on mum’s lap, two older children and a dad. He’d brought sweets and sandwiches for everyone but the kids were bored shitless which led to the inevitable handing over of a phone to mess around on with the horrible pingy sounds of the game they played audible to everyone. Another toddler was left to just roam about, and started running up and down.

It made for an even more unpleasant waiting experience for people who are in pain and sick, exposing healthy children to germs, and bloody boring for them too.

I am NOT judging any parent that had no choice to bring other children along, but if there are two of you...why do it??

I wouldn't judge why they all had to go as I don't know their family set up, transport arrangements or anything else. The ones that I find slightly irritating are the ones who 'check in' to the hospital on FB.

I noticed this at my hospital antenatal appointments too. There was one lady I kept seeing who always had her husband and 4 kids every time for the routine consultant appts, they were very well behaved but often the wait was over an hour at our clinic so I did think the dad could have just stayed home or taken the kids to the park. Others used to bring grandad, the next door neighbor, you name it. It was a family outing. I always thought I was odd but quite sweet in a way.

We had to do this a few months ago. I’d been unwell I thought it was flu by the early hours I couldn’t cope with light. I had meningitis. My OH was asked to drive me to a and e as ambulances were so busy and I was conscious.
We had no choice but to bring the baby as no family were awake at that time. A and e escorted oh and baby to the children’s waiting room which was thankfully empty and as soon as I was diagnosed and sorted they were sent home to keep exposure to anything minimal. They couldn’t send them home until they were certain that it was on via public health due to the risk to baby of meningitis too.

If it's a very poorly baby they wouldn't even be in the main area as they get rushed through to a different section straight away. not true in the hospital closest to me. A lady was waiting with her baby. She went up to reception a few times. Then shouted for help as her baby couldn't breathe. The receptionist looked at her and slowly walked off muttering about finding a dr. I had to run to a nearby ward to get help for the poor baby whilst another lady tried to help the mother. It was absolutely awful and one of the worst things I've seen in a&e. No sense of urgency whatsoever. Even when my son had suspected meningitis they kept us there for 20 hours in and out of treatment rooms then back into the waiting area.

@GunpowderGelatine sorry not sure you’ll see this but if you do - one doctor and four nurses last night (family dinner) said that over here (we are not in UK), 5-supporters *in the case I described in my last post would be okay.

In the UK, would health workers be fine with that or pack a couple off home?

we have no shortage of waiting room space! I’ve seen junior doctors spread out fast asleep in there with plenty of empty chairs all around.

MrsBonbastic sorry not sure which post of mine you are referring to, I have posted quite a bit but not for a while.

Also what does take a seat mean?

I like that op has now gone off on one about people at the cinema...

Other people are such a Pita aren't they!

By the way I did just take a seat on my commute on the tube so if it was your wishes that secured that for me, thank you!

You lot would've gone mad got on at bank there were 3 sets of parent and child having day out presumably, kids aged about 2 all with own seat not in lap. Fortunately I was able to take my own advice as was prepared with comfy shoes and headphones 😁

Then I got a seat but had to stand up for pg woman after one stop, thems the breaks!,

Sadly Other People are everywhere and it's better for the blood pressure to understand that and get on a best you can. IMO.

Yeah, the tube isn’t really the same as a medical setting though, with people feeling ill and fractious though is it

Not sure if you’re unable to help bring obtuse as its a personality trait or if it’s something you put on. Either way, it’s quite irritating.

I think if the extended family insists on coming e.g. aunts, gps etc then they should budge up and make sure the actual patients can sit down.

I understand if you need your OH to come with you with your dc especially with parking and being unwell

We have one car so when my daughter needed to go to the walk in centre (about 2 hours away by public transport) we all had to go as DH needed a lift to work straight afterward. I would never take my cgildren into a walk in centre or A&E etc unless I had to. I don't want the to catch anything or give anyone anything.sometimes though you have no choice.

@Spikeyball yes thank you that’s what I was trying to say!

Lots of health workers in my family so I asked them (but we are not in UK).

Sometimes a very elderly patient can require the support, this lady was not mobile. Without the granddaughters, she would have needed nurses to help with bathroom trips (I don’t think anyone other than OP would expect a lady of that age to have two men help her use the loo!).

They’ve had cases of elderly patients not making the loo - because they need assistance but don’t want to bother a nurse. If two granddaughters prevents an accident (and the distress), they should come!

I should say there does not seem to be any shortage of space in waiting rooms here, always some empty chairs but if needed, of course younger three would stand

In your case three adults in optimal for your son so if anyone gave you side eye (surely they can’t, I hope?) just give it right back! 💃🏻

If the two granddaughters were needed they should come.

Why were the others there?

freeAnne the cinema is also not like hospital but you felt it relevant share a little anecdote about how awful Other People are there as well!

The supermarket is also not like hospital and yet many other posters have raised queries about the need of families to go there together as well.

Bottom line is, when services are stretched, queues are long, resources are short, this causes stress and some poeple react to this stress by looking around and "blaming" Other People for some or all of what they are experiencing.

Perfectly normal human behaviour.

Of course, as this thread and any thread about public transport shows, even worse than Other People are Other People's Children who while fine in theory, in practice can be noisy and take up space and so actually really should not be there at all and what are their parents even thinking etc and so on.

Many parallels between this and "seats on a bus" threads actually.

It makes for a happier life to not sit and watch and guess and judge, TBH. Or maybe be in a near constant strop about how awful Other People are, makes some people happy? Who knows.

Nothing

You do you, ok?

Personally I think people are selfish and entitled more and more these days but if you’re okay with that, more power to you.

Oh by the way

Lots of people feel ill and fractious on the tube! Maybe not A&E ill,
But certainly I've seen people keel over plenty of times
I always stand up for pg women if I see them as even though my own mobility is a bit crap, it's not as bad and very few people stand for pg women (IME > can be dependent on line and time)

I mean yes it's not lihe the hosp obv but the idea that peopel don't feel "ill and fractious" when on the tube at rush hour is hilarious

Oh also wanted to say

To anyone reading whose mental health may not be what it could be and based on what happened to an acquaintance

If you need to go to the hosp just fucking go, dont' let reading this sort of stuff make you feel like you are imposing or taking up resource or anything like that.

Wanted to say that due to previous experience with someone who tooka thread like this WAY too much to heart (she wasn't very well) and it was not great.

Which is also why I have kept posting, to avoid this thread being a cosy love-in for people who really think Other People and Other People's Children and vile and shouldn't be allowed.

You’re starting to sound a bit unhinged

Totally agree girl!!

I think the “starting” ship sailed some time ago.

It isn’t a case of “other people’s children” it a case of towing a bloody entourage along behind you to a place where that’s just not always necessary.

And the attempt at drawing a parallel with the Tube is bonkers. Unless you’re travelling with 6 kids during rush hour, in which case god help you.

But the people who have mentioned supermarkets, hospital wards, and teh OPs little cinema anecdote are all on point?

I was just chatting > it came up as a PP told me to "take a seat" (I still don't know what that means) and I had just got one. Just chatting really, that's what MN is for

Why are you saying "you are a little unhinged"? Is it about my post to any lurkers who may not be in a good place and may take this to heart - as happened to an acquaintance and as I mention the consequences were not great - not your problem obviously but it's always good to remember that lots more poeple are reading than posting.

I'm not sure it's great to use mental illness as a put down anyway to be honest.

@QwertyLou you can't really tell people to leave unless they're causing disruption or distress, but I h ave been known to ask people to leave a consulting room when there's too many of them in there. And no I wouldn't think for a moment that an adult, even an elderly and frail one, needs more than 2 people max to accompany them.

Gunpoweder fo you wish at least 50 times a week that you could? I’d have a whole narrative running in my head. If you could see it, it would be:

“Fuck off, fuck off, you and you and you and you FUCK OFF FUCK OFF FUCK OFF”

I can't get over 13 people accompanying 1 person with a mild injury.
The truth is some people do like the drama of hospital sadly.

Can only get through the first page of this thread because the judgemental attitudes of some is ridiculous!!!
It’s got nothing to do with anyone what one family decides to do. There could be a good reason for it for all you know.
Mind your own business 🙄