What exactly is A&E for?

[AccidentallyOnPurpose]

Inspired by a current thread , but this has been bugging me for a while.

No matter how serious the situation or symptoms, there are always plenty of people telling OP she's a time waster, she's fine,her kid is fine etc. To stop being so silly and just wait for the GP or ask a pharmacist. If they're feeling particularly generous maybe ring 111 but God forbid they take it seriously and send an ambulance. Then you're the reason an old person is lying on the floor for hours waiting for help and a father of 4 died of a heart attack.

Fainting, bleeding, high fevers, sudden or continuous increased pain etc none of them are good enough. I'm surprised no one suggested to put a wet paper towel on it. It works in schools.

So what exactly is the A&E department for ?

So does this mean you shouldn't go if you break a bone?

@Mushypeasandchipstogo

Whilst agreeing that A & E should simply be for emergencies, I was coughing up blood continuously, feeling hideous and was unable to get a GPs appointment for 3 weeks! I was seen within two hours at A &E , assessed and given medication.

Coughing up blood is an emergency. I’m sure your gp surgery would have told you this when you phoned up to make an appointment.

Tbh I am glad that my closest hospital is an urgent and emergency care place. So A&E and UTC in one. Makes life alot easier choosing between hospital and GP.

Generally, if its life or limb threatening, so loosing blood or bone sticking out, or unconsciousness then A&E. Something really painful but you're not going to die from it quickly, UTC. Something kinda painful or you think it might kill you one day, GP.

If you think it's going to kill you before you get to hospital, 999.

@squiddybear a normal broken bone should be an Urgent Treatment/Care Centre. If a bone is sticking out or you're losing feeling in the limb, then A&E.

@bigbluebus

Lost count of how many times I dialled 999 when my DD was alive and she was admitted to resus in A&E each time. She had her first seizure just before her 2nd birthday and lived until she was 22. Sadly medication failed to control her epileptic seizures. But then we never had to queue up and wait as it was an emergency.

I'm so sorry for your loss, glad it was taken seriously, I do think many underestimate just how life threatening epilepsy can be.

My mother had a persistent cough for a few months and breathlessness. Went to the GP. They referred her "urgently" for investigations. The appointment came through for 4 MONTHS later. She went to a private ENT. They had a look and gave her a letter to take to A&E and told her to refuse to leave until she was seen. They admitted her thankfully. But sadly she was dead within 2 months from lung cancer. Sometimes people have no choice as the official procedures take too long.

I don't think it's just life threatening emergencies. There are other sorts of emergencies. For example cauda equinus. Which is to do with nerves. If you get the red flags of that you're supposed to go straight to a and e or you could end up incontinent.

I reckon if in doubt try 111, they don't always refer to a&e often a doctor rings you back or they sen you to a walk in centre

@squiddybear

So does this mean you shouldn't go if you break a bone?

Breaking a bone is an accident. The 'A' for accident does not mean it has to be a 4 car pile up. I went when I broke my foot. Was waiting the longest time, but I was not in any pain.

We’ve got an urgent treatment centre nearby but it shuts at 8pm - so what are you supposed to do if you break a bone at 8.15pm, wait till it opens again at 9am the next day?

@RichardMarxisinnocent, same except I was taken in by ambulance, sometimes every other day. Once there I'd be pumped full of pain meds and antibiotics and my bloods were taken. Each time my liver levels were critically high (12x higher than normal) and frankly I'd have been in full liver failure at 25 if it hadn't been picked up early.

I'll also add , that around here we only have the A&E centre. There's a minor injuries unit three towns over but the services they can offer are limited so you often get sent to the "big" A&E anyways.

IN The particular thread that prompted this(though have been many over the years) OP fainted several times, but apparently that's not concerning or worth wasting A&E time and she should just ring the GP instead.

Our walk in centre closes at nine pm but refuses to register people after 5pm to allow them to clear the backlog.

I think some people are being ridiculous. If I thought someone had a broken leg I'd take them to a and e. I don't even know where an urgent treatment or care centre might be. Minor injuries tends to be shut at night here. And for goodness sake if a broken leg isn't an accident what counts as an accident?

We don't have a minor injuries in our county (nor the next according to the NHS website).

@LIZS

Minor injuries can do straightforwards breaks, cuts and infections. A and E for potentially life threatening conditions, acute medical care, serious accidents, complicated fractures, head injuries etc

The trouble is that not everywhere has a minor injuries unit that’s accessible. My closest is 25 miles away.

But why wouldn't, particularly inexperienced, posters err on the side of caution? There have been threads where OP ended up having sepsis, or other serious conditions needing several days worth hospitalisation

Regardless of what you think about the rights or wrongs of asking online for advice people should remember that their "advice" (more like judgement and sneering) means that someone could die.

I'm not judging or sneering. I said it's what MN thinks, not what I think.

IME, there are people who take the piss and use A&E as a GP service, more so because it's 'free' and they can't get in at their drs, and the other end of the scale, there are people who will umm and ahh about going to A&E because they don't want to be a bother and are constantly hearing stories of how much the NHS is under pressure (in the news and especially if you're a regular on here). I would have thought that in real life most people will fall somewhere down the middle. That said, I do think we've lost a lot of common sense as a nation, especially after hearing some of the stories from my paramedic friend and others who work in the health service.

I've been to A&E 3 times in the last 10 or so years.

1 / car accident and DD aged 8 weeks was in the car. I didn't want to take her out of her seat without getting her checked over

2/ I broke my hand

3/ up all night in excruciating pain and vomiting. Turned out to be gallstones which had lead to a massive gallbladder infection and I was admitted for 6 days which included taking the gallbladder out as emergency surgery

Each time I was in the waiting area I saw people with tiny little cuts they could have self treated with a plaster and other insignificant injuries

I've only ever been twice, once the day after I had my tonsils removed and u woke up coughing up a lot of blood!! And another time after I had major surgery and woke in the night with puss pouring from my wounds. The latter didn't really need a&e in hindsight but after such major facial surgery I was in a bit of a panic. I've only ever taken a child there once when he had a nasty cut between his eyes that needed stitches.

On MNs people tend to think it's only legitimate to go when your dead 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Plus lots of places don't have out of hours or minor injuries places.

@bigbluebus

Shortly. Not like you think you have something that will kill you in a year

Many illnesses could kill you in a year but a lot of them ,if caught early enough , don't mean a death sentence.

3 weeks GP appt, 4 weeks waiting for an xray/ultrasound, a few more weeks for results, then consultant appointment can really make a difference.

Some illnesses might not kill you now, but might in 8 hours, or two days or a week. How can you tell?

A&E is not for high fevers only but if you have had it over a certain amount of days and treating it hasn't worked. Last time went to a&e with a high fever wasn't able to hold down food or water for 4 days was in constant pain. I was given a drip, two antibiotic injections, morphine injection, painkillers up the bum sent home 6hs later with more antibiotics and anti sickness tablets. Then seen as a out patent for 3 weeks as had a serious kidney infection and a prescription wouldn't of worked as even in a&e was not showing blood in my wee so my GP would be powerless. The drs told me they were going to try their best to turn it around even though unsure of what it was and they did. Two days later my wee way full of blood The last time I had a high fever wasn't able to hold water down for two days, no pain and then improved so didn't go to a&e(it was the last of a tooth inflection). But I would say if you can call you gp or 111 in a emergency first it's better than just walking in they should know the timelines for emergency help.

Sometimes a&e can be a bit abrupt I saw one Google reviewer was turned away for a miscarriage but it says on the NHS website only go in if you are bleeding over a certain amount and in my area they have a early pregnancy dept with midwife that with get back to yourself quickly so don't know why they didn't refer her to that. It something people really don't know much about till they go though it.