A&E is much calmer and a better place now that patients can’t have visitors with them

[Sharpandshineyteeth]

I do understand some people really do need a family member. I’m pretty sure the staff wouldn’t turn away an essential family member.

But generally, it’s a much better place without tons of family members and friends all sitting with patients. Taking up seats and Sometimes kicking up an unnecessary fuss.

Surely it’s better for infection control in general.

I’m sitting here right now waiting to be seen and for a Saturday night it’s so calm. The staff seem calmer and the patients seem calmer as well.

I say keep this rule!!

Just reading through a few pages of this thread, it's clear that a policy of
allowing one essential friend or family member per patient for support in A&E would be sensible, and would surely make life easier for doctors/nurses/otherHCPs trying to manage the department. Because that said essential friend COULD then advocate/support/go in search of food and drink on behalf of the patient and so on and so on.

I have been in A&E personally several times over the years and it made all the difference in the world to be able to have DH there.

But.

Having said that, I would LOVE to see hospitals be able to come down a lot tougher on the ridiculous disruptive group scenarios. So many stories on this thread alone. I have seen a few classic 'family day out' examples myself in packed fracture clinics (God alone knows why, fracture clinics are generally pretty grim, so why the fuck would you want to inflict the experience on your entire family?). It's always the rudest, roughest, most entitled and most obnoxious people who do it, too.