To be cynical about empty A&E

[Cinders29]

So my son has to come to A&E / be admitted to children's wards fairly regularly and usually children's A&E is HEAVING , wards are busy etc however came yesterday and completely empty. Literally just us ( big city hospital )

AIBU to think this proves that people totally misuse the NHS and come in when they really don't need to.

On a plus PICU is really quiet due to lack of accidents etc so it's great to see they're not stretched. The staff from PICU are helping out on my sons ward due to lack of work.

[ivykaty44]

I’ve had 2 gp appointments this week & my Dd has had 1. All done by phone which has actually made it so much quicker & easier.

[EffieIsATrinket]

Catwithnohat

I think we might need the public support more in a couple of weeks so in that sense you are right.

I am a GP and work in OOH as well as urgent care. Fewer people are requesting appointments but we are triaging and consulting over the phone. This can take as long as an appointment. Sometimes you have to ask people to go away and measure peak flow (asthma) or their heart rate or respiratory rate. Then you ring them back. It would be quicker and easier for the doctor just to see them but they don't want to go out. You are living with more risk and safety netting lots. Plus with all the usual issues of mobiles going straight to voicemail and having to ring back this model involves a bit of tooing and froing.

Front line workers are trying to get to grips with the science and facts behind this new disease. There are few guidelines as yet so this involves trying to read studies which is time consuming. TBH I'm too anxious to focus on the details of a scientific journal right now. Thankfully a few education companies are doing summaries. There is little in the way of info from hospital trusts. I'm checking my emails constantly for updates about setting up Corona centres, how this is going to work, my role in it, does my indemnity cover it etc. I feel like dealing with CV is a job on top of my job. The science is interesting so I'm not complaining about that side of it. But any quieter moments are spent on this.

It also means a lot of time on social media since this is where the issues about PPE are being discussed and addressed. This is in the evenings or time off. I have been asked to do something by someone in the voluntary sector who probably thinks like you do and sees me on FB or WA lots. I don't really feel like doing much outwith what I've outlined above. It is consuming me. And all the other medical staff I know. A bit if cooking and housework and that's about all I can deal with. The unknowns are huge for me on a personal level. The rest of my life is on hold.

I am glad to have a job and am not complaining but there is a lot of change and adaptations required at present. I'd absolutely rather work a busy shift than all of this!

I

[Novembernickname]

Not just fewer injuries but maybe fewer children are picking up general virus or illnesses because of the isolation and extra hygiene measures.

[FaithInfinity]

LisaSimpsonbff I had to take BIL to A&E (I was the only sober person available to drive him!) during a friendly England match and it was rammed! We watched it on a phone. Bet it’s different in a cup match though.

[LisaSimpsonsbff]

I was heavily pregnant and going in for regular monitoring, which they did in the pregnancy day assessment room, when the world cup was on. I commented on how quiet it was during one monitoring session and the midwife says, 'yeah, weirdly, no one ever has an urgent issue in the middle of an England match...'. She then said it was actually quite upsetting when people would ring right after the match with something that should have been seen asap. Sure as anything, their phones suddenly all started ringing at once within seconds of the final whistle...

[Blackbear19]

If it's raining is it not more likely that fewer people have accidents ie they are all at home in front of the telly rather than doing stuff?

[1300cakes]

You are totally right OP. I've noticed that before now, as Christmas day is the quietest day at the hospital where I work, followed by new years day. So people don't come in if they already have plans. It's also quieter when it's raining heavily - seems like people aren't bothered to leave the house if it's raining, when it's sunny they all decide to have a lovely day out to A&E.

[Blackbear19]

Maybe the answer is we need better education on what things need A&E, what a pharmacy can deal with and what a GP can deal with.

Although that said NHS24 / Direct should give better guidance. I asked where I should take my DC with bruising under the toe nail. They said GP, so I took him there. In turn GP said - A&E as they didn't have tools to deal with it.

[BeyondMyWits]

The emergencies haven't stopped happening - the old folks/kids who slice their leg/finger/hand/forehead open in the garden are coming to the pharmacy -

which is already on its knees due to everyone wanting their regular meds x3 for "lockdown"
on top of wanting extra over the counter meds to shove in a cupboard "just in case",
and advice on whether their symptoms are covid 19 or not (I kid you not!)
and "where can I get a mask", "have you got any hand gel", "toilet roll","antibac soap", "can you reserve me a test kit when they come in ", "have you got any of them test kits from the news", "can you deliver now, we are going into isolation"

One chap waited 40min in the line outside with an injury that had the pharmacist calling an ambulance! FFS.

[Toddlerteaplease]

It's lovely to be able to give proper care though.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Bored.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Our peads A&E is really quiet. We've got more staff than patients on my ward today. It just shows how many people come to A&E who don't need to. I've never seen adults so empty. We've cancelled all our elective surgery. We are so board we are cleaning.

[Blackbear19]

I should say in the current circumstances I totally get the idea of only one parent to accompany a child. I was thinking normal circumstances.

I did see a message circulating on FB the no corona patients would be allowed a visitor including children but I'd find that really hard to accept esp for under 12s.

[NoIDontWatchLoveIsland]

The other reasons it's quiet....
Seasonality DD was in picu in November with bronchiolitis and physios/nurses would turn up and comment "aaah, November, all the bronch cases appear". 10 beds in our bit, 8 occupied by babies with bronch. I asked about what kept them busy other times - and apparently sometimes they are just quieter, and in summer it's accidents.
isolation
Lots of kids not in school, lots of kids not in nursery... bugs cannot circulate the way they usually do. This probably has an even greater effect on vulnerable kids who may get hospitalised for things others shake off.

[SpoonfulofDragon]

I think there should be a rule in A&E that you are not allowed to be accompanied by more than one person. Everyone else has to stay outside (or at home). It really is like a family outing in children's A&E sometimes

I am not sure about this - our local trust have just implemented it - one parent to accompany kids and no one to accompany adults.

A few months ago I was in resus and there was a very poorly baby in the adult resus - actually so poorly that the parent who had been lying holding her on the bed was asked to go out. I was happy that when I was being transferred to HDU that parent and family members outside supporting her.

Now I know that this cannot and must not happen during the COVID situation, but I do think in normal times it is vital parents also have support.

[shrill]

Don't forget that operations along with dental ops are cancelled right now and they can result in people having to go to a&e if some problem arises (infection, etc etc). A very long list adds to the decrease in a&e use.

[Blackbear19]

I think there should be a rule in A&E that you are not allowed to be accompanied by more than one person. Everyone else has to stay outside (or at home). It really is like a family outing in children's A&E sometimes

I've only been in kids A&E 6 times.
Four times for breathing issues.
Once for an injury that required an op to fix.
Once for a minor injury that needed A&E to deal with, GP - sorry I can't deal with that.

The breathing issues every time it was just me and LO I'd have loved the luxury of an adult to be with me. The injury requiring an operation I am grateful that an neighbour was able to accompany us and do the driving. Just somebody else to talk to keep me calm, in turn keeping LO calm.

In my experience very young children do need the comfort of a parent. That parent sometimes needs to go to the loo. Frightened children want nothing more than to be in a parents arms. Having someone else there can reduce your stress levels and an extra set of ears to take in information is no bad thing.

That said I would rather go on my own with LO than to drag Dad and other children.

I do suspect many turn up at A&E for very minor stuff but banning more than one parent / adult is unfair and unnecessary you don't know what those parents are facing.

[Potionqueen]

Goady

[JustHereWithMyPopcorn]

A lot of A&E is sports related injuries too. MY DS is only ever there fore that (and it has been more times than I care to count!). All sports have been cancelled though school and clubs so will mean fewer injuries f that nature.

[Potionqueen]

Don’t forget the nhs was already 40,000 short of nurses. Nurses where telling people, but no one listened. With staff sickness, isolation etc you can bet they are overwhelmed and overworked.

Some nasty goody comments on here. Let’s hope they all volunteer to work on the wards when needed hey.

[ginghamstarfish]

Yes, it's well known that anything free is abused, and the NHS is no different. Amazing that all those 'emergencies' have suddenly stopped happening.

[Oakmaiden]

@NotPawPatrolAgain

If you are in pain, please phone your GP for advice - tell him what has happened. And if he advises you, again, to go to A&E then please do. You could ask him to phone them on your behalf to let them know you are coming in, if you are afraid they will turn you away again....

[Beckyboom]

I do wonder what kind of increase we’ll see in later stage cancer diagnosis after this pandemic as people aren’t going to their GP at the moment as they don’t want to waste resources.

[Didkdt]

You can't get into A&e if you or a member of your family has Covid symptoms and at this time if year that rules out a lot of people.

[SpoonfulofDragon]

ICU teams normally work twelve hours a day in most trusts - it has been proven to be better for families and patients if the care is not swapped during the day. During break times care can be down to 1 nurse to 2 patients. This is level 3 care.

In HDU it's often 1 doctor for several patients, and nursing care is the same.

A military rota is actually usually based on 24/48 hour shift patterns, unless the rotation is an NHS rotation or Community rotation (or base GP etc.)