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 couldn’t agree more. It’s plain ignorant and stupid; why expose healthy other people to a variety of nasty germs? I genuinely don’t get it.
I remember when DS1 was 18 months old and broke his leg. An entire family (12 of them) rocked up to A and E. Shouting, eating McDonald’s, on phones etc
It’s plain ignorant.

Where are people’s brains?

There are plenty of reasons why an adult might need another adult with them, or why both parents might be with their child, and therefore potentially other children there too.

Last time we had to go to A&E I guess it would've looked like we had all gone (two parents two children) when it wasn't necessary. But actually we had been on our way home from a day out when DD fell off a bench and cut her head open. Wouldn't have made sense to drive almost two hours home so that just one parent could then drive a further 45 minutes in the other direction to get DD's head glued.

When we took DS to A&E as a baby we both went- OH drove while I sat in the back to keep an eye on him. I was quite shaken up so it probably wouldn't have been sensible for me to drive anyway.

“ell we can certainly tell from this thread which MNers turn every cumbersome activity into a family outing can't we”

Not really lol, recently when i had surgery as a day patient i was the only person in the waiting area who was on my own, even though i was having a GA, i generally much prefer to be on my own when i’m at medical appointments as i can’t be doing with having to make conversation

I just recognise that getting irked at other people when i’m in that situation is down to my own stuff

No one knows other people’s circumstances, it’s best to just focus on your own health and recovery in these situations and try not to stress :)

Lots of different reasons why many family members might go.

When DD2 badly broke her ankle she definitely needed me there with her. I was still breastfeedung her younger brother, so he came too. DH came to look after DS when I went into triage and the X-ray suite with DD2. And DD1 came because it was a winter evening and she was unused to being left at home on her own for more than an hour at a time and was already upset because of the nasty accident that she had witnessed.

So that was our scenario. We were discrete. DH and DD1 stood up when chairs were in short supply. Everyone has their own set of circumstances that inform their decisions.

they;d be the first to put the whole family in the car if something serious happened to the baby

I certainly wouldn't.

What would my older kids need to be there for?

When my DS was taken to a and e with suspected diabetes we all went to start with as DH was worried and wanted to be there too, it was a bank holiday weekend and both of Our families were away which never happens so we literally had no one to have the other two kids. we were seen pretty quickly and then he took the other two home once we knew the prognosis and I stayed. Didn't think of it as being strange at the time tbh but then it was quite serious.

Good question, one family brought granny as well last time I went! The only plus side was that there was no where near as many people waiting as I thought! They have a sign up saying one person accompanying max due to space, which is ignored!

Hmm. We've done this with a&e.

Advised to go in 930pm, told that someone must sit in the back with DC, taxi not ideal as the car seat is bulky & I can't carry it (& wouldn't want to travel without). So DH & other DC came too, dropped us at reception and agreed to come in for half an hour/until triaged so they knew all was ok.

As it turned out I needed them there, DC threw up all over me & the waiting area (everywhere) and we were able to help me clean up. I was pleased they were there (& later on hand to take us home again).

This always baffles me. It's worse when there are a few adults along for the trip. I have been in a and e a few times with my daughter recently and there have been families with one ill person and at least three adults with them. It takes all the seats up and they all sit there having rowdy chats whilst those of us who have brought an ill child and left another with step dad are getting more and more pissed off at them. It genuinely is seen as a little trip out for them all and a race to see who can check in on Facebook first.

Sometimes both parents go to support each other and because they both want to be fully involved in their child's health.

When I was having chemo it was just dh and I, but I remember seeing family groups there, it didn't strike me as anything untoward.

Well we can certainly tell from this thread which MNers turn every cumbersome activity into a family outing can't we
Jeez, I wish that the shite hand healthwise that ds has to deal with, didn't impact on his sisters and that life didn't mean that sometimes they have to come with us on some pretty traumatic hospital trips. We try not to impact on those around us too much, but if you think it's some sort of fun time adventure for all the family, you are very mistaken.

I hope people aren't being obtuse, but there's OBVIOUSLY a clear difference between support during chemo, near death experiences and serious injuries (in which case no one has a problem with family being there) and 6 adults and 4 kids at the walk in over little Johnny's sprained ankle. This thread is about the latter, clearly.

To the posters who are trying to make excuses for it being a family outing and saying this thread is horrible - please grow up!

These places are for people who are unable to wait overnight/weekend for a GP. The more people there means more chance of infection and spreading of general coughs/colds etc

It should be mandatory 1 person per patient unless extreme circumstances. Several times I have had to ask family members to leave triage rooms because lets be honest there is no need for them to be there!

I think it's also worth pointing out that there are good safeguarding reasons for seeing patients alone and not allowing family members on consultation rooms. It's a red flag, for example, for a husband to insist on never leaving his partner alone even though there's no reason for him to be with her.

"It should be mandatory 1 person per patient unless extreme circumstances"

As long as hospital staff are able to understand what those circumstances are. I have been on the receiving end of staff being officious and not listening to carers and it makes life very very stressful.

Yes, us too spikey. It is hard enough to be listened to when you are the carer of a person with complex needs, and we have had ocassions where health care professionals have not listened and it has led to more difficulties.

I wouldn't take other kids but if we have childcare I like to have DH with me (probably because I'm anxious). Neither of us would sit down though if there were a lack of chairs and it meant someone who was unwell standing.

I've only been to a&e once.
It was 4 days after my c section, my feet and legs had ballooned to 10 times their normal size, 111 directed me to a&e.
DH had to drive me because of the c section, DS wasn't being let out of my sight only 4 days after having him.
I didn't and couldn't give a shit if people were judging me, DH was worried about me, I was worried about me.
That's the thing though, it's easy to judge someone as a snap shot, but no one really knows the circumstances for many others.

Drop someone off and collect them later if needs be.

Imo I'd have a system whereby the seat are reserved for those who are injured.

I was probably BU but when I took ds once and most seats were taken up by tag alongs (and I don't exaggerate - there was a family if mum, Dad, injured child and a set of GP) I made my ds a bed on coats and a blanket I bought him in in a most inconvenient spot in everyone's way.
And when asked to move I said happily if they provide me a chair/bed for him. I also pointed out that there were 4 adults occupying chairs with 1 child - who wasn't actually in serious need as he was running around!

Its unnecessary and I wonder why people feel they can't cope along nowadays - especially when most people have a mobile phones so contact is much easier

Perhaps it’s the fault of those medical dramas like holby city and films, the whole family / social group seem to be there for dramatic purposes so dimwits think that’s is “what you do”. In friends for example which just watched with kids the whole gang were there when Rachel had her baby. Imagine rocking up in labour with 5 jolly adults in tow!

Also this thread is talking about walk in centres not a&e. These are not life and death situations. These are suspected tonsillitis or a sprained ankle type situations.
Last type I went to a walk in centre DD had to be admitted for suspected meningitis so DH came and met me at the hospital after she was admitted. Even though the situation was serious there was still no need for him to get there until she’d been seen and moved elsewhere. It would have been pointless for him to have been there for the 4 hour wait prior to the admission. I get anxious too but as a parent you should be able to take a child to the doctors by yourself, how do you think single parents cope.

Depends on circumstances and it isn’t possible to tell from looking at people what they might be. As a general rule, obviously it isn’t ideal for the whole family to go and it also exposes healthy kids to illness but as pp have pointed out, there are many reasons they might need to go. I am amazed we have go this far and nobody has mentioned hidden disabilities. Although I am also a bit amazed when you see extended family- numerous adults and clearly too many people to fit in one car.

When I slipped on the stairs and badly hurt my foot, I left kids with dh and took myself off to hospital to be checked. Drive was easy (auto) but hobbling into triage was no fun. When compared to hauling family there, it was a walk in the park. Don't want to be handling pain and bored kids in a medical environment thanks.

Very few of the posters who have said they have had to haul the whole families in had a justifiable reason for doing so tbh.

DP has dropped me off and collected me later on, it might have been ‘nice’ to have him there for company I suppose but there was no need, I’m a grown adult, with a working phone I can use to update him.