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Original poster

Hospital question!

29 replies

Polkadotter · 19/10/2022 22:36

This may be incredibly obvious but it’s something I don’t really understand!

if someone is admitted to hospital or a&e and needs some kind of scan or test, can it not happen overnight or at the weekend?

for context, I was unwell and needed some tests, including an ultrasound and scope before being discharged. It wasn’t available over the weekend and had to be done the following week. I was absolutely fine to wait for it but it needed to be done

Please don’t think i’m criticising the staff for it not being available, that’s NOT what I’m doing at all. I just hadn’t realised things like that weren’t available over the weekend or overnight. What if someone was in a car accident or had a stroke and really needed a CT scan or MRI scan or some other test but it was at the weekend and wasn’t available. Would they just have to wait or would they give them the scan if necessary? I know they can do X-rays 24/7 7 days a week, but what if someone needed another test?!

just curious and wondered if anyone could shed some light on it!

OP posts:
Vapeyvapevape · 19/10/2022 22:41

I used to work in radiology, CT runs 24/7 , MRI was open 7 days but not overnight, we did have an on call radiologist for ultrasound and any interventional procedures.

Ineedsleepandcoffee · 19/10/2022 22:43

There is someone in imaging 24 hours, at our hospital anyway and it might be the same person doing x-rays as ct scans. I can say this as my daughter had both an x-ray and a CT scan out of hours and it was the same person that did both and just took us to the appropriate rooms. Ultrasounds, there are normally mobile ones that any doctor can use although they may prefer a specialist to do them when not an emergency.

Vapeyvapevape · 19/10/2022 22:47

Ineedsleepandcoffee · 19/10/2022 22:43

There is someone in imaging 24 hours, at our hospital anyway and it might be the same person doing x-rays as ct scans. I can say this as my daughter had both an x-ray and a CT scan out of hours and it was the same person that did both and just took us to the appropriate rooms. Ultrasounds, there are normally mobile ones that any doctor can use although they may prefer a specialist to do them when not an emergency.

We used to have 4 radiographers on from 10pm to 8am doing all X-rays , ct , mobile X-rays , theatre - our feet never touched the ground!

Mother87 · 19/10/2022 22:49

I think the system is hugely overstretched as we know. Last Tuesday I saw my GP (getting an appt was a shock!) because of an uncharacteristic "thunderclap" headache - which can be a sign of an aneurysm/stroke. She told me to go immediately to A&E & gave me a letter for an "urgent"
CT scan. I WAS actually feeling ok, just worried/tired. We waited SIX hours (after triage) in reception from 6pm. The scan was 3am & was clear. I was told I had to be admitted as I needed a lumbar puncture to rule to rule out an aneurysm. Another 12 hours in A&E/then a very noisy ward - LP on Friday (didn't work) Had to wait till Sunday for a THIRD LP/waited till Monday for the results (all clear)

Finally home after almost SIX exhausting days & nights!
All tests could/should have been done in the first 24/48 hours - of course I was 'ok' & didn't present with any neurological symptoms at all. (Just that excruciating sudden onset head pain that lasted about 7 minutes)
So - If it WAS serious, would I have been dealt with sooner?? And as I wasn't serious, should I have taken up a bed & staff resources for SIX days? I think not. And my doctors "urgent request"? Meaningless
I was 'told' on the Friday that 'nothing much will happen till Monday' - but then they DID come and do the procedure on the SundayConfused ALL info was contradictory/vague/frustrating eith little apparent cohesion or co-ordination or 'plan'...

Frida9 · 19/10/2022 23:05

In my hospital there's a 6 week wait for an urgent CT at the moment, in our closest rural hospital it can be over 2 months. These slots get booked up, there aren't the radiologists to do them unless critical. Unless they think you are highly suspicious of cancer of some sort you will need to wait.

FamilyTreeBuilder · 19/10/2022 23:13

When I was pregnant, I was very unwell with suspected pneumonia. I had a chest X-ray about 11pm on a Friday night. And the awesome midwife sister was quite adamant that the X-ray would be brought to me rather than me being brought to the X-ray as I was too unwell to be moved.

Vapeyvapevape · 19/10/2022 23:16

FamilyTreeBuilder · 19/10/2022 23:13

When I was pregnant, I was very unwell with suspected pneumonia. I had a chest X-ray about 11pm on a Friday night. And the awesome midwife sister was quite adamant that the X-ray would be brought to me rather than me being brought to the X-ray as I was too unwell to be moved.

Yes , a mobile X-rays machine is used for patients that are too poorly to leave the ward .

olympicsrock · 19/10/2022 23:23

Some services have ‘skeletal cover’ for certain services. Depends completely on the type of hospital. CT is generally available 24/7 if required but there are only the radiographers do super urgent scans that would result in a change in management overnight.
Most places have a minimal US service at weekends and none overnight . Endoscopy would be for acute bleeding only outside amo day to Friday 9-5.

Judijudi · 19/10/2022 23:30

You needed tests but they were deemed non urgent leaving out of hours n weekend free for urgent and emergency cases

Mango101 · 19/10/2022 23:46

If your scan needs to doing overnight, it'll get done overnight (usually!)

Grumpyat40 · 19/10/2022 23:47

Polkadotter · 19/10/2022 22:36

This may be incredibly obvious but it’s something I don’t really understand!

if someone is admitted to hospital or a&e and needs some kind of scan or test, can it not happen overnight or at the weekend?

for context, I was unwell and needed some tests, including an ultrasound and scope before being discharged. It wasn’t available over the weekend and had to be done the following week. I was absolutely fine to wait for it but it needed to be done

Please don’t think i’m criticising the staff for it not being available, that’s NOT what I’m doing at all. I just hadn’t realised things like that weren’t available over the weekend or overnight. What if someone was in a car accident or had a stroke and really needed a CT scan or MRI scan or some other test but it was at the weekend and wasn’t available. Would they just have to wait or would they give them the scan if necessary? I know they can do X-rays 24/7 7 days a week, but what if someone needed another test?!

just curious and wondered if anyone could shed some light on it!

When my fiancé was in a motorcycle accident he was given top to toe scans (CT etc) and tests at the weekend. But that's because his immediate care and treatment for severe injuries depended on it. Anything less than life threatening is likely to wait till "normal" working hours.

CrochetIsCool · 20/10/2022 00:29

Having been in hospital recently I can confirm they did ultrasound, CT scan and xrays during the evening however had to wait until morning for an MRI as only available during the day.

Torvean · 20/10/2022 00:35

olympicsrock · 19/10/2022 23:23

Some services have ‘skeletal cover’ for certain services. Depends completely on the type of hospital. CT is generally available 24/7 if required but there are only the radiographers do super urgent scans that would result in a change in management overnight.
Most places have a minimal US service at weekends and none overnight . Endoscopy would be for acute bleeding only outside amo day to Friday 9-5.

This. Ii used to work in an area covering
"scopes".

PinkButtercups · 20/10/2022 06:08

I think it mate depend on the hospital.

I was in hospital early hours Sunday morning (pregnancy related) and the doctor sent me down to the outpatient ultrasound department for an ultrasound of my liver and gallbladder. Also on separate occasions (pregnancy related) I've had ultrasounds up in MAU the portable ones by the doctor.

PinkButtercups · 20/10/2022 06:08

May*

Whoareyoumyfriend · 20/10/2022 06:20

My ex was taken into a&e and given a ct scan within about 2 hours as it was immediately urgent. They apparently had to email the imaging to the consultant who was on call at home. So I guess it can happen. To be fair, ex wasn't even really triaged, literally just taken from waiting room into the back within minutes of us arriving

Icedlatteplease · 20/10/2022 06:24

DD has had an MRI at 1 in the morning. I've had a CT scan at sometime between 11 and 12 at night. In both cases the symptoms were potentially very very serious though. DD (who has a high pain threshold) was scaring everyone in A&E waiting room, such so that a stranger started complaining to staff she needed to be seen.

welshpolarbear · 20/10/2022 06:29

My husband and team staff the MRI where he (mainly) works from 7am to 9pm. 7 days a week. He works in many different hospitals though and those are the longest hours. More standard is 8am to 8pm.

chocolateorangeinhaler · 20/10/2022 06:44

This has definitely been thought of in hospitals before to clear the backlog of referrals and non urgent In patient scans. But the barrier to this is having the qualified staff to do the scans, someone to interpret and do the report on the scan and extra admin to do all the extra they would need to do to support the extended service. Not to mention enhanced pay rates for working nights and weekends. It'll never happen for those two points alone.

Bunnynames101 · 20/10/2022 06:59

Depends on the hospital.

Larger hospitals would offer 24/7 staffed imaging. Smaller may have on call, but on call would only be called for life limiting conditions.

Also, major car accidents etc would be taken to a major trauma centre with a wider range of specialists, rather than just the nearest hospital. E.g. I work in a small hospital very close to the M1. If something happened on the motorway, despite us being closer, they would go to the next city as they have a more appropriate trauma department.

Darbs76 · 20/10/2022 07:00

It can be done at your bedside 24/7 if necessary, I had a few X-rays in HDU after major surgery. But if not an emergency / essential they make you wait until the week days

Cupofteaaa5 · 05/04/2023 22:00

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

42isthemeaning · 05/04/2023 22:03

I had a scheduled MRI scan on a Sunday afternoon.
I think they were doing catch up clinics.

SleepyRich · 05/04/2023 22:16

The terminology can vary, but were I work if scans are being requested to be done straight away it's requested as an emergency, then there's urgent - sometimes taken to mean over 24 hours but can be as long as two weeks, then there's routine requests which can be yearly for example.

On a whole a letter from the GP request for urgent CT head following a ?thunderclap headache won't have sped you up any faster then if you'd just gone to A&E and described your symptoms. If you're under 50yrs, don't have a condition that puts you at higher risk of having a CVA/bleed, peak intensity only lasted 7mins and you presented otherwise well then they wouldn't have been worried about you but just needing to perform the LP as this is the gold standard for rule out. It's a costly mistake to miss a slow bleed so they'll have fitted you in as and when. Sometimes people are sent home to come back in a day or 2 later to have a test if they need the beds.

If you'd needed any of the tests done as an emergency/required for treatment to start then they would have been done - staff can be brought in, they'll bump an urgent from the list or just do the test and request it be interpreted by specialists working on call abroad, lots of options - but generally only if it was an emergency.

Changingmynameyetagain · 05/04/2023 22:19

A couple of years ago DD was having a planned surgery on her spine.
At her preop appointment the surgeon wasn’t happy with the MRI she’d previously had, so he arranged for her to have one that day, that took about an hour and a half, he actually waited for the results while she was having it done.
It flagged an issue so she also had to have a CT scan and a full set of X-rays.
Admittedly she was in a children’s hospital so I don’t know if things are done differently there but it was actually on Christmas Eve and we spent the entire day at the hospital because she had to have bloods as well.

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