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

[QuestionableMouse]

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.

What condescending and dangerous bullshit. This is exactly the kind of "advice" that OP is talking about. No, it's not always obvious whether A&E is the right place to seek help. Particularly on the weekend when the GP surgery is shut and you feel like you can't wait until Monday but don't necessarily need hospital. Round here the only way to access OOH GP is via A&E. It isn't a matter of being capable. And when someone is ill on a Friday night with no GP access, your advice is to "complain, complain, complain" to the GP (that's the same GP who's currently unavailable) and local MP? And not seek medical attention at all until Monday. Right.

We were in a situation like this with a poorly toddler last weekend. We would ordinarily have taken him to the GP but it was Saturday morning. No OOH service. So we rang 111 who told us to go to A&E and it's a good job we did because he turned out to be far more seriously unwell than we realised and was admitted for 3 days. Lots of people don't receive a call back on 111 so aren't being assessed that way. Sometimes it is better to err on the side of caution and unqualified individuals such as yourself have no business making people feel like they aren't entitled to access medical help via whatever means they decide, or judging people in waiting rooms when you have no clue what their situation is or reason for being there.

I used to work in A&E and even I don't always call it right. Simple reason is you can't assess something you can't see and can't ask the right questions on mn. Also other people s 'advice' can he be an influence even if you don't realise it. I think it's worth asking a question but consider all replies and see if it chimes with your own assessment

So.. you followed the advice I said, call 111, and yet are saying I'm wrong? 😂Also some people aren't capable of making a decision, like if they've hit their head and are confused. So pretty obvious to phone a professional then isn't it? Rather than talk to people on a forum.

And you would obviously complain to gp and MP when available, although mp is always available via email. If you can wait til Monday for a gp, you can complain then if they still won't see you.

You're missing the point I'm making.

I'm not saying every answer should be go to A&E.

I'm saying that recently there have been multiple threads where the OP needed to be seen in A&E due to concerning symptoms and there's a rush of posters telling them not to go or telling them people like them are the reason the NHS is as bad as it is.

It's not right and they are going to get someone killed.

I have to agree.

I can't absolutely comprehend why someone would ask on forum where making up shite is common. It's dangerous!
"Any docrots around?"
"Oh yes, I am. I can oractice in 3 countries"
No, no I am not, but the OP can't know that 🤷🏻

Why on gods earth would you ask Mumsnet instead of the Doctors in the first place?

I agree with this 100% as a hcp. I dont think there should be a medical section.

111 send you to hospital for everything, so it has limited benefit. I'm sick of posters replying with " is it an accident or emergency?" A&E post Covid and the changes to our healthcare services, has gone beyond those two criteria. Not every area has walk-ins with x-ray, prescribers etc.

111 do not send you to A&E for everything. What crap.
last year I phoned with an issue and they arranged a Saturday appointment with me at a GP. Granted not everywhere may have this facility but it’s rubbish to claim 111 is pointless.

People should be able post whatever they want to, about any subject, including medical matters.

At the top of any thread I've ever posted it says something along the lines of "mumsnet is unable to vouch for the qualifications of individuals posting. If you are unsure, please seek appropriate professional advice".

This is something really important to remember when receiving/giving advice. It's basically an unqualified opinion. I think it's important for people giving their opinion to ask themselves what they really know about the subject. If the answer is nothing, don't post.

At the end of the day, it's also the poster's responsibility to decide on the course of action.

I am often horrified by the things that people say are not urgent or worrying enough to seek immediate medical attention for, but this post is an example of why I also think treating MN as a triage is not the right thing to do. You seem to be blaming posters for failing to recognise the severity of your condition on the back of a photo of your foot, but it was your BP and heart rate that triggered your referral, and how on earth is anyone on MN supposed to guess at those?

I get how worrying it can be when you don’t feel well but don’t want to ‘do the wrong thing’, especially where kids are concerned. But posters have to realise there will always be a limit to how informed an opinion you’ll get on an anonymous Internet forum, and most likely a lot of posters will be actively wrong.

The medical advice given out by posters on her ( with absolute authority) is often completely wrong. You cannot possibly decide who needs to go to A&E and who doesn’t based on a post online. Some folk describe mild symptoms in a way that makes it sound much worse, and others minimise. You need to be able to see and examine someone to know how ill they are. Everyone needs to seek appropriate medical advice.
Imagine ever telling someone on here to go / not go on the basis of extremely limited information and that turned out to be completely the wrong advice. I do think mumsnet should consider banning these threads .

I can't understand why if it's that much of an emergency, you'd be posting on a forum? I certainly wouldn't.

111 don't send everyone to A&E - I've phoned them twice over the last 4 years. They advised me (it was a Sunday, A&E seemed like overkill but wasn't sure whether I should wait until Monday) that within the next few days, I should see my GP. As for the second time - they decided nothings wrong, which isn't what my consultant says.

I don't understand why people ask for that kind of advice on MN in the first place. MN has everyone from Mensa members to people you wouldn't trust to look after a potato. So why the hell would anyone risk taking the advice of ILostMyPotatoAgain who says to take 2 paracetamol because your crippling chest pain is just wind.

You see it everywhere. "Ur his common law wife so ur entitled to half the house even though ur not on the deeds nor paid a penny to the mortgage."

I would never trust MN for anything serious.

I agree. Anyone who asks this question is going to get a mix of opinions, some helpful and some absolute nonsense. Just use the services that exist for this purpose like 111.

There was one the other day where the poor lady had fecal vomiting. People were saying don't go to A&E on what planet is a bowel obstruction not an emergency. Don't listen to MNers if you have any concerns contact your HCP , 111 or look on NHS for advice

100% this!!

We're not GP receptionists, so shouldn't give medical advice or recommend a particular course of action. /sarcasm.

NHS 111
A&E might do as well to have triage of phone lines available to call NHS 111.

GP receptionists shouldnt be giving out medical advice either

It's years of being told not to use services unless you've been chopped in half or your head has fallen off or whatever, so people worry if they're doing the right thing. I've been to urgent care a couple of times with chest pain* and felt like I was wasting their time. The guilt is very much instinctive now for a lot of people.

(*First time was after my Covid booster and came on very suddenly, on the left side. Second time was likely pain from my stomach ulcer)

This is just a question, could the opposite be also true, that if everyone was waiting at e.g. A and E, then a more serious case could go fatal due to the backlog ?

@QuestionableMouse

I had very similar with a broken arm. It was over 24 hours until I saw a doctor. I’m sorry you’ve experienced it as well.

Neighbours her OH spent 30 hours in ED then admitted had scan nothing detected. He couldn't speak. Said it must have been a stroke. Sent him home. Month later saw speech therapist who said he's doing great check out you tube tutorials and discharged him. They're on their own now well apart from Google.

This is why triage exists.

TBF I've needed to call an ambulance a few times in the last year (severe illness which I am being treated for). Whilst I've never taken it to mumsnet at least once I was relying on friends in chat to keep me company on the bathroom floor who gently and firmly suggested it was 999 time.

When you're ill - really ill - it tends to cloud the thinking and sometimes the exhaustion of "but if I do that I need to sort clothes, unlock the front door, find someone to look after the kids" feels a lot more exhausting than just dying quietly on the bathroom floor whilst hoping it will go away. And 111 is worse becsuse it means committing to lying there listening to hold music for literal hours, or maybe finding a phone charger to enable that. But your head is beeping "you are not okay" so you find someone with a clearer head to consult. For me, thankfully, that's friends who know me well enough to judge when my conversational skills are going wonky with pain and confusion but I guess other people try mumsnet. Not a good idea but I can see why they do.