To think this is why our A and E are failing?!

[DaisyLilyFlower]

Currently in A and E with suspected ectopic pregnancy (told to come here from 111) and current wait is around 4 hours, already been here two.

I’ve been sat by triage next to the reception desk, so not deliberately being nosy but in the last hour two patients have come in with

One with an ear infection
And another with a ingrown toenail

Cannot believe it! Reception asked them both if they’d been to see GP or rang 111, tried overnight pharmacy etc and both said no!
I do not doubt that both of those conditions are extremely painful, but I sort of can’t believe that people turn up to A and E without trying other methods first?

I’m probably just being wingy as I’m in pain and the wait is long and ABU, but I guess my question is,

What’s the worst thing you’ve seen at a and e?

Also Name change as don’t want this linked to my other posts but reg poster.

@DaisyLilyFlower so sorry, hope you get some rest and home soon fir some tlc.

The thing is going to the pharmacy for a potential ear infection is pointless. We aren't trained or equip to check your ear and can't give antibiotics out without a prescription for this condition. Same goes for ingrown toenails, they would probably be better looked at by a nurse. In some areas there are out of hours clinics specifically for minor ailment conditions but they are few and far between so people end up at a &e.

@DaisyLilyFlower - I'm glad to hear you're sorted out, but very sorry to hear you've lost your left tube. I hope you recover soon and don't have any lasting issues from this.
(Most people are just chatting away, please don't see disagreement about reasons to attend as anyone taking offence, anyone who did is not thinking straight.)

@DaisyLilyFlower take care of yourself x

@ChloeCrocodile

The NHS needs to put more Minor Injury units in place to take the pressure off A&E’s.

Our minor injury unit are brilliant. They have an x-ray machine and I have avoided a&e a few times over the last couple of years by going there for problems which needed to be seen by a HCP. Not usually a crazy wait either - a couple of hours each time to be seen, x rayed and treated.

I agree. Our nearest minor injury clinic is further away than 3 different hospitals with a&e departments, but DS has been seen, x-rayed, and out the door (needed crutches and a clinic appointment) in an hour vs 6 hours with a broken arm at a&e. You also don't have to sit for hours surrounded by people with possibly infectious illnesses either.

OP, sorry to hear that. Hope you feel better soon

To answer your original question, yes one of the difficulties of healthcare which is free at point of service is that people don’t properly value it.

Very sorry to read your update, OP, but glad that you have been treated and are OK. Hope that you will make a good recovery both physically and emotionally Take it easy on yourself over the next few weeks and months.

@WrongWayApricot

My neighbour told me his a & e story a few years ago. He had twisted his ankle and 3 days later thought he should get it x rayed. I was sympathetic but I feel if you've walked on it for 3 days it's probably not an emergency. Although I did know someone that broke their ankle and didn't know until later in the evening, so I could be wrong.

Ear infections can be really bad though so I wouldn't think that was strange or time wasting. And the ingrown toe might have been stubbed today and got really bad?

My sister was told she had twisted her ankle by a doctor in A&E and was sent home Three days later she went back as it was so painful . She was seen by the same student doctor who rolled his eyes at her, though he did at least agree to do an x-ray which he had refused to do 3 days before, saying 80% of falls did not result in a break in young people.

There was a lot less eye rolling when he returned with the x- rays and it turned out my sister's an it was so badly broken (her using it in the last 3 days had exacerbated the break) that she needed an operation to fit pins, 3 weeks in traction , 6 months in plaster and has walked with a limp because of it for the last almost 20 years

Take it easy, OP!

My dad was In A&E last week. I was really impressed that he's been seen by the consultant and a plan made, by the time he was transferred to the ward. This was in a district general hospital. In my own hospital, (major teaching hospital) he'd have been in A&E for hours and almost certainly wouldn't have seen a consultant there and then.

We have just had probably the best experience with A&E that we have ever had. We found my Dad on the floor almost 5 weeks ago. He had little to no speech, but all of the FAST that you look for in a stroke were not present. Ambulance arrived within 10 minutes, blue lighted him to hospital, alone due to COVID, within 4 hours he had a CT scan, fluids on a drip, assessed and a massive stroke diagnosed and was safely in a bed on the stroke unit. They had also given him the clot bursting drug. We then had a phone call from the Dr that had treated him, full feedback and the time to ask any questions we had. He was a real emergency and was treated as such.

We have all spent hours waiting, pre COVID we all saw family outings, leaving ill people either standing or sitting on the floor.

I have a condition that means I often have huge abscess’ the size of tennis balls sometimes. Huge risk of sepsis, which is the main killer of people with this condition, but to look at me you may well think I have nothing wrong. It is a rare condition, and many Dr’s don’t know what it is, I’ve sent a few to google before they palm me off with antibiotics.

It is time the GP’s began to resume face to face appointments. If people can now go to pubs and hug etc, it’s time people are able to see their own GP

I think the most shocking thing really is the lack of confidentiality in A+E, going by this thread.
Having other people in the waiting room overhearing why you are there (and judging you for it!) is pretty bad.
What the over hearers may not realise is that for some people, mild symptoms can be signs of an impending serious illness. The booking in isn't a triage so they won't tell the whole story.

@Frazzledfranny

Well yes and in turn not everyone’s experience is the same as yours - obviously EPUs aren’t open all day and some don’t have any near by - and even when that’s not the case NHS 111 and many gps will advise you to go to A and E. So why suggest A and E isn’t the place for them when they have a possibly life threatening condition?

As much as I agree that some people take the piss when it comes to going to A and E for silly reasons - I also feel concerned about how people are made to feel like they shouldn’t go because their condition might not warrant it - I know of at least one person who would be alive today had they gone to A and E instead of trying to get help through their gp. I know many more people who have avoided A and E or doctors (including myself) for fear of wasting NHS time, than I do people who go and seek medical advice at a drop of a hat. There are currently thousands of undiagnosed cancer patients and it’s pretty clear the ‘stay at home and don’t bother your gp and hospital’ message has some responsibility in this.

Also, I agree re: minor injuries. They need to be open 24 hours, too IMO. Ours is 9-6 and closed on Sundays. It's also not on a bus route, so unless you drive or can get a taxi it's hard to get to.

That doesn’t mean A&E is the wrong place to go - it’s likely your GP was able
to determine where in the hospital you need to go and hence you weren’t triaged, you can’t walk in off the street to EPU. You need to be referred. If EPU is open and you can be seen then yes, you might go there or gynaecology which is an emergency dept. If you follow the link I posted you’ll see that’s confirmed by the NHS website.

I’m just concerned that misinformation is being shared - OP wasn’t wrong to attend A&E on the basis of her post.

@DaisyLilyFlower

Thought I’d come on with an update, had emergency surgery at half 7 this morning to remove the left tube 😞 thanks to everyone for their well wishes, now recovering but unable to sleep on the Gynae ward but loving the oramorph!

For those suggesting I should’ve gone to EPU, I live in a town where there isn’t an EPU and out nearest would be about 30 miles so A and E was the best option at the time.

I realise my judgement may have been cloudy this morning in a fit of pain and apologies to anyone who was offended.

I’m so sorry for your loss OP. I’m also glad you got the help you needed and wish you a speedy physical recovery. Xxx

My GP told me off for not going to A&E once with a huge throbbing abscess. I’d worked in the NHS for so long it never occurred to me to go for something so trivial. It ended up with post operative grade antibiotics because I had sepsis.

I had an ear infection once which turned into a burst ear drum which oozed blood and which has led to permanent damage. The pain was one of the worst I have ever experienced. I rang my GP for an urgent appointment, but may well have gone to A&E if the GP was unavailable.

A chiropodist is the person for toenail issues, but for all we know the person is a diabetic for whom problems with feet can be serious.

What I’m trying to say is that we have no idea about other people’s lives and should try not to judge. What seems trivial on the surface may be potentially serious.

Sorry to hear that news, Daisy

OP sorry to hear that and hope you’re better soon.

Has anyone stopped to think why you can’t get an appointment with your GP though? So many of those time wasters clogging up A&E are also on the phone to their GP! You honestly wouldn’t believe some of the calls we take.

Covid has actually helped in this respect - people can’t make their own appointments for dross and so have to be triaged, which can usually be dealt with over the phone and leave GPs to see the truly ill, elderly and dying.

As for “not open long enough” - we are open 0800-1830 Monday to Friday. Staff are working 0800-2000 Saturday on a rotational basis to staff the Covid vaccination clinics. GPs working 2-3 days a week are potentially doing 25-35 hour weeks, not counting Covid vaccine clinics. There just aren’t enough GPs to offer a seven day week service.

@WrongWayApricot

My neighbour told me his a & e story a few years ago. He had twisted his ankle and 3 days later thought he should get it x rayed. I was sympathetic but I feel if you've walked on it for 3 days it's probably not an emergency. Although I did know someone that broke their ankle and didn't know until later in the evening, so I could be wrong.

Ear infections can be really bad though so I wouldn't think that was strange or time wasting. And the ingrown toe might have been stubbed today and got really bad?

I thought I just had a sprain, left it three days then gave in and went to A&E I’d ripped ligaments. I left what I was a sore throat a week, turned out to be tonsillitis on the verge of sepsis, everyone if different and they are all entitled to care.

[quote WrongWayApricot]@Moondust001 you were referred to a & e by a doctor... I was under the impression that this thread was about people that had not been referred to a & e, at least that's what OP said. Obviously people should go to a & e if they have been referred. The a & e department were not pleased to see my neighbour's twisted ankle and didn't x-ray him, they told him to go to the pharmacy. I'm surprised at how many people read my post as me saying people shouldn't be treated at all. I was saying that personally I would, like you, go through the other non-emergency channels first. If I couldn't do that then of course I would go to a & e...[/quote]
Someone I know went to A&E last September because of chest pains and got sent home with a lecture about drinking too much. He was sent back again by his GP a week later with chest pains again. And sent home. His GP referred him for specialist attention, but due to Covid that simply went on a long waiting list. He went to A&E again with chest pains. Was sent three more times with chest pains. Fortunately, when he collapsed two months later he was in a different health trust area - he was told that had he not been fit, young and otherwise healthy the HEART ATTACK that he had had in September should have killed him, never mind the ones he had subsequently had. BTW - when the specialist pulled all his tests and records from the previous A&E visits, the problem with his heart and the damage were all clearly visible. He is currently instructing solicitors. The point about A&E is that it should not need a referral and it isn't up to other patients to decide who really needs to be there and who shouldn't. Just as it isn't up to other posters to decide on what the point of the thread is. I responded to a poster. If you don't like the response, jog on by.

The problem is people are frustrated. I have only ever gone with injuries that needed to be seen but I now have a DD who is struggling with 'something' and no one is helping, or they are but the cardiologist won't see her until at least July. She is sitting in GCSEs almost collapsing and can't cope. I am starting to feel like I want to go to a and e every day to make a bother of my self so someone will have to help us

We went to A&E when I thought I was having a cardiac episode. There were five police cars outside and ten policemen with 5 young men who were clearly in no distress. In fact they all seemed to be having a jolly good laugh with their escorts. I wasn’t just upset by the abuse of A & E facilities but also the waste of police time. They could have been out dealing with crime instead of pandering to their prisoners.

I think we need more drop in medical centres for non-emergencies, perhaps at hospitals so people can be easily diverted from A&E. Where you can just turn up and take a number and wait, like minor injuries.