How to get my OH to go to A&E?

[Mummyto1little1]

Posting for traffic sorry!

Earlier me and OH took LO out and somehow he managed to trip over and hit his hand. He didn't complain it hurts he was just laughing.

I touched the hand earlier not knowing it hurt and he told me to stop because it hurt.

He can bend his fingers but only slightly.

I've told him to go the A&E but he said no he will be fine and he doesn't want to waste there time.

Also he Hates hospitals anyway.

How do I get him to go?

Doesn't sound like an A&E case. He's an adult, he doesn't want to go and doesn't need to. Go to bed.

Are his fingers pink and warm

Can he feel a pin prick or light touch all over the front and back of his hand and along each finger

Is there any visible deformity

If the answers are yes yes and no, then ice it every 20 mins and elevate it above his heart level on a pillow, give him 600mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours and take him to minor injuries in the morning
If any one of the answers is not as I wrote, then A and E tonight as he has a risk of loosing the use of his hand/fingers

I broke my wrist 2 years ago emptying the tumble dryer. I ignored the pain for 5 weeks but mentioned it to my GP during an appointment for something else. He sent me for an X-ray which showed that I'd broken it. It was put in a splint for a month and that was that.

I do get a twinge from it now and again but I've had a previous displaced fracture in that wrist and I use crutches to walk so it's abused quite a bit.

If he thinks he's in need of medical attention I'm sure he's capable of seeking it.

Is it an emergency?

If not, he does not need to go to accident and emergency.

There's a clue in the title.

Accident is also part of the title!

He had an accident, so could go to A&E (especially if the nearest minor injuries unit is 33 miles away!). That's what triage is for; to prioritise more urgent cases.

It shouldn't be too bad on a Wed night; it's not like it's a weekend.

All you can do is point out that if he does need medical attention (which he probably does), it's better that he receives it promptly, rather than delaying and making things worse for himself, and more difficult for the staff.

He tripped. It's not exactly a major collision and if it was he would know and take himself off there.

f the nearest minor injuries unit is 33 miles away
It’s 33 minutes not 33 miles.

If you're quibbling about attending minor injuries because of a small distance, I think it would be fair to say you're really not that concerned

Minor injuries is over 10 miles away.

But things tend to move faster, so you'll probably be in and out and back at home before you've even been seen at A&E.

Practice nurse at your GP surgery is MORE than capable of dealing with this!

Honestly I'm usually the first to say it's not easy for patients but really this does not sound that urgent.

Is the skin broken? Bruised? Can he move his fingers? (Albeit with pain)

If no, not much and yes then really practice nurse can deal.

He shouldn't be in A & E with that. No wonder the NHS is in such a bad state. Give it a few days & it will be fine. He is right.

Although he has had an accident, it doesn't sound like an emergency so he should go to your minor injuries hospital in the morning. Pain killers if needed should get him through the night.

I hope it eases soon OP.

Our nearest Minor Injuries doesn’t have access to xray (despite there being a dept in the hospital) and send you to A&E at another hospital. There’s actually a sign on the entrance saying that if you think you need an X-ray, you should bypass this dept and just go straight to A&E, the nearest being 15 miles away.

Before people start saying it’s because of government cuts, the policy was the same when we went with our son in 2004.

I fell and landed in my hand. Minor injuries is closest for us (30 min drive) and I got told off, albeit nicely, as I should have gone to A&E (another 40mins drive) as needed a Dr to look at the X-ray as I had broken my wrist. Our lovely minor injuries is only staffed by nurses, though they are amazing at what they do, they can only do so much. I wouldn’t have guessed I had broken anything by the pain I was in. I only went anywhere because I had fallen at work and they wanted me to get it checked out. Still in a cast 5w later and unable to work due to its physical nature. Get it check out somewhere where he can have an X-ray.

How did you get home from the day out? Just wondering if he was able to drive then? See how it is in the morning and accept he is an adult who makes his own choices and arrangements for his own child too. Stop mummying him.

I'd wait till morning.

BTW, do English hospitals not publish wait-times for A&E? When I was deathly ill with flu, and wondered if I should go to the hospital, a look at the wait-times convinced me to go to bed instead. I survived the night.

www.wrh.on.ca/EmergencyWaitTimes

When I took dd to the gp with a sore hand he sent us straight to A&E.

If minor injuries is 33 minutes away it will still be quicker than A&E.
When I broke my fingers I was assessed, x-rayed and splinted and back out in the car park in 30 minutes at minor injuries (18 miles away) - they were fantastic! I'd have been waiting at least a couple of hours at A&E (5 miles away). It's worth the extra distance!

If you minor injuries doesn’t have a x ray machine they’ll just send you to A&E anyway. It sounds like it’s a least fractured. I would check whether your minor injuries has a X-ray. If they do go there. 33 miles is close and you can drop him off. No need to sort out childcare. If they don’t then take him to A&E in the morning.

How did you get home from the day out?

Some women can drive in these modern times unlike OPs partner who she said yesterday doesn't drive anyway.

My dd broke his finger and the GP dealt with it. She told us not to even go to the hospital as there was nothing they would do differently from her.

Minor injuries doesn't have access to an xray. He said he's doesn't want to go because it will be a waste of time and he doesn't want to wait a long time.

He still can't move his fingers much but it's his hand not his fingers.

It'll either get better,or it won't and then he can decide for himself. Can't he see the GP with an emergency appt?

It always amazes me how people demand people go to Minor injuries rather than waste time at A&E based on their local services.

I live in outer London, have fantastic local GP, a walk in, a MIU and A&E all within a 15 min drive. For something like this I would have to go to A&E as it is the only place that does X rays. How else can you diagnose a break without X rays?

Ring 111 and ask where the best place to go is in your local area.

For what it’s worth I’ve found our A&E (7 miles away, we don’t have walk in centres around here), are quietest in the morning. I fell a few months ago, hobbled on my foot, until it was twice the size and black and went to A&E at 9am. By 9:40am, I’d been triaged by the nurse, seen a doctor, had an x-ray on my foot and wrist, confirmed 2 breaks of my foot, got booted (it was on the top of my foot), and splint for my wrist, and was back out of the hospital. 40 minutes!!!