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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be really sick of various posters advising others not to use A&E?

111 replies

QuestionableMouse · 07/10/2022 22:35

Seen it so much lately. A poster with concerning symptoms will post and there'll be a rush of posters telling them not to use A&E because it's "for emergencies only"

This is when the NHS advises using A&E.

People advising others not to go is going to end up killing someone and I'm genuinely getting sick of seeing it. Part of me wishes MN would ban these threads.

To be really sick of various posters advising others not to use A&E?
OP posts:
AnneLovesGilbert · 07/10/2022 22:37

When has anyone ever posted with the above symptoms and been told not to go to a&e? Not once that I’ve seen.

JayPritchet · 07/10/2022 22:38

I agree. I asked on a thread earlier this year about my foot and everyone said it looked fine so I asked the doctors who took my bp(really really low), heart rate(really really high) and sent me to hospital where I got transferred to a bigger ones and was kept in for 4 days because of an infection in my foot.

Original poster
QuestionableMouse · 07/10/2022 22:39

I don't want to make this a thread about a thread but there's two recent medical posts in which the op has been told not to go to A&E.

OP posts:
luxxlisbon · 07/10/2022 22:39

Tbf I’m sick of seeing grown adults as randos on mumsnet if they should go to A&E!
The posts shouldn’t be allowed, if someone wants emergency medical advice then 111 or 999 should be their only avenues.

XenoBitch · 07/10/2022 22:40

luxxlisbon · 07/10/2022 22:39

Tbf I’m sick of seeing grown adults as randos on mumsnet if they should go to A&E!
The posts shouldn’t be allowed, if someone wants emergency medical advice then 111 or 999 should be their only avenues.

This.

Call 111.

CellarBellaatemycoal · 07/10/2022 22:42

It’s tricky.
Telling people not to use A&E is surely based on the assumption that there is a good slightly lower tier option available. Increasingly, there isn’t.

catandcoffee · 07/10/2022 22:43

The trouble is people can't seem to be responsible for themselves.

I certainly wouldn't be asking anyone on MN if they think I should go to A+E.

Why do they do it ?

Untitledsquatboulder · 07/10/2022 22:50

On the fence on this one. Spent 6 hours in a&e with my son last week (he ended up bring admitted). A good quarter of the children clearly, clearly didn't need to be there (I'm not including any parents of small children in that number cause its really hard to judge when they are tiny and they deteriorate fast.). My favourites were the child who couldn't stop vomiting (no vomiting in 6 hours, ate a packet of crisps and a chocolate bar in that time, ran around a lot, started begging to go home at midnight ) and the girl with a "broken" wrist who was doing handstands. Some people really have no common sense.

On the other hand some people on here will tell you not to go to a&e for anything short of decapitation. Even in cases that are clearly a medical emergency.

Elieza · 07/10/2022 22:57

It was explained in a thread that we should phone 111 because they will refer you to a&e if you need to be seen and know which one is in a position to see you quickest if there are different ones within your area etc.

It does seem sensible to phone first rather than turn up.

Elieza · 07/10/2022 22:58

Unless you’re dying of course! I’m talking about the ones who aren’t that I’ll.

Justcallmebebes · 07/10/2022 23:05

I agree. We had 2 recent incidents with kids. 1 had a broken wrist and 1 a respiratory condition. We initially debated between a&e, 111 or 999. Not once we did consider asking randoms on tinternat

SandyY2K · 07/10/2022 23:07

@catandcoffee

The trouble is people can't seem to be responsible for themselves.

I certainly wouldn't be asking anyone on MN if they think I should go to A+E.

Why do they do it ?

I agree.

It's quite silly to seek medical advice from anonymous people online.

Puppers · 07/10/2022 23:11

Untitledsquatboulder · 07/10/2022 22:50

On the fence on this one. Spent 6 hours in a&e with my son last week (he ended up bring admitted). A good quarter of the children clearly, clearly didn't need to be there (I'm not including any parents of small children in that number cause its really hard to judge when they are tiny and they deteriorate fast.). My favourites were the child who couldn't stop vomiting (no vomiting in 6 hours, ate a packet of crisps and a chocolate bar in that time, ran around a lot, started begging to go home at midnight ) and the girl with a "broken" wrist who was doing handstands. Some people really have no common sense.

On the other hand some people on here will tell you not to go to a&e for anything short of decapitation. Even in cases that are clearly a medical emergency.

But if the boy's condition had only changed within the time he was waiting to be seen, having been very ill beforehand from the sounds of it, it's understandable that parents would want to stay and be seen and get professional medical advice. You also won't have been privy to every tiny detail of his condition in the lead up. And the girl doing handstands was presumably not doing them when she was initially injured. Perhaps having waited a while to be seen already, they still preferred to get her checked out because they saw the injury occur and had concerns that you wouldn't have a clue about. Best not to judge really. You're not qualified to decide whether these strangers "deserved" to be in A&E.

mytearsricochet · 07/10/2022 23:12

I think people doubt themselves a lot. I downplay illness in myself quite a lot and never feel that I really deserve to go to A&E no matter what’s wrong with me. I’ve never asked online tbf but I have rang 111 and still felt really bad for turning up at A&E on their advice. I’m guessing people like me with childhoods where no illness was ever taken seriously are the type to ask online as they’ve been made to doubt their own judgement in the past.

lemmein · 07/10/2022 23:21

QuestionableMouse · 07/10/2022 22:35

Seen it so much lately. A poster with concerning symptoms will post and there'll be a rush of posters telling them not to use A&E because it's "for emergencies only"

This is when the NHS advises using A&E.

People advising others not to go is going to end up killing someone and I'm genuinely getting sick of seeing it. Part of me wishes MN would ban these threads.

Abso-fuckin-lutely 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I do agree that those type of threads should be deleted; not because I disagree with asking 'randoms' advice, but because posters fall over themselves to chastise and shame the op for daring to bother the sacred NHS...one day it will be fatal!

Vecna · 07/10/2022 23:34

I find the reasons listed in that screenshot quite narrow. I've gone to A&E with less serious issues than that because there's fuck all else available.

Whilst I love having an NHS, I won't be told not to access health care because it's operationally shite right now.

Cw112 · 07/10/2022 23:38

In fairness I don't see the reason why anyone would come to mumsnet for accurate emergency medical advice when they could ring their out of hours gp and be told what to do... most of the posts I've seen I wouldn't say warrant an A+E visit but an actual health care provider that can assess them at least by phone is who they should be asking.

Original poster
QuestionableMouse · 07/10/2022 23:39

It's true. I went to urgent care with stomach pain. They sent me to A&E where I was diagnosed with an ulcer. My GP refused to see me face to face, diagnosed me with reflux and the meds she'd given me were the wrong dose so were doing no good.

Maybe a proper gp appointment would have saved the time in urgent care (4+ hours) and the time in A&E (8+ hours)

OP posts:
Original poster
QuestionableMouse · 07/10/2022 23:41

Cw112 · 07/10/2022 23:38

In fairness I don't see the reason why anyone would come to mumsnet for accurate emergency medical advice when they could ring their out of hours gp and be told what to do... most of the posts I've seen I wouldn't say warrant an A+E visit but an actual health care provider that can assess them at least by phone is who they should be asking.

Not all GPs have ooh service. Mine just tells you to phone 111 and then you're on the phone for ages only to be told they'll ring you back which in my experience, never happens.

OP posts:
katnappers · 07/10/2022 23:41

Usuall it's someone saying "Should I go to A&E" and the bulk of the answers are "Phone 111" because 111 are qualified to advise you whether to go to A&E or not, and will even book you in to A&E so you're expected when you arrive.

Buteverythingsfine · 07/10/2022 23:42

With respect to the kids who do not need to be in there, once you go, you have to stay otherwise you are deemed not to have sought medical treatment, say for headbump or vomiting a lot. Often they perk up when they get there but it's difficult to leave, social services follow up , easier to just sit it out. Often 111 recommends caution for kids as well, parents may feel unsure, so end up erring on the side of caution.

Superhanz · 07/10/2022 23:42

As a nurse I agree with you.
I think MN ought to ban them. People shouldn't be giving out medical advice on any social media platform, and nor should people be asking for it.

Original poster
QuestionableMouse · 07/10/2022 23:45

Buteverythingsfine · 07/10/2022 23:42

With respect to the kids who do not need to be in there, once you go, you have to stay otherwise you are deemed not to have sought medical treatment, say for headbump or vomiting a lot. Often they perk up when they get there but it's difficult to leave, social services follow up , easier to just sit it out. Often 111 recommends caution for kids as well, parents may feel unsure, so end up erring on the side of caution.

Yeah, I took my nephew once after he fell and banged his head. Couldn't get it to stop bleeding. It eventually stopped in the waiting room, nurse checked it and was happy but they wouldn't let us leave until they'd spoken to his parents. Had a hell of a time getting in touch with my sister so we were stuck there for ages.

OP posts:
antelopevalley · 07/10/2022 23:46

I agree. Even when I think it sounds like nothing I always say to ring 111.

But I do think some parents take children in for virtually nothing.

Original poster
QuestionableMouse · 07/10/2022 23:46

Superhanz · 07/10/2022 23:42

As a nurse I agree with you.
I think MN ought to ban them. People shouldn't be giving out medical advice on any social media platform, and nor should people be asking for it.

It seems a lot of the time people are looking for permission to go to A&E which is rubbish. We've been so conditioned not to use them that people second guess themselves when they should probably go.

OP posts: