How long should I wait before hospital A and E triage a child?

[Gracebeau89]

Currently waiting in A and E, been here almost two hours my 3 year olds temp over 39.6 and has purple mottled rash on her legs. She is speaking and aware sat up etc been here nearly two hours and not been triaged is this normal? I know hospitals are stretched, but one of the nurses keeps mentioning how quiet it is and not a long wait? Do you think they have forgotten about us and I would be cheeky to ask?

If you need to be there, you need to be there. It's not cheeky to ask how long the wait is but stay regardless

I would ask. Not cheeky at all. Busy places, sometimes things are overlooked.

that she’s sat up aware though is a very good sign. Hope she improves quickly 💐

Please ask. I hope you get seen soon

Yes. Ask and make sure they are aware she hasn't been triaged yet and has been there for 3 hours

Just ask. You don't have to push just make sure you haven't been missed

2hrs seems a lot for a child with a temp of 39.6!

Thank you, I'm going to ask once the triage nurse finishes with this current patient

It's been at least an hour on our most recent trips. And 3-4 hours in total before seeing a doctor and having a plan of action. So grim. Hope your little one is ok.

I would ask definitely - once DS entered via OOH with a non blanching rash and they tried to make him wait - and I said no he is very sleepy with the rash and he went straight into a room. (I have also waited hours with broken leg and wrist)

I think waits in A&E are long these days (many thanks to the Tories) but if your child is alert and happy (enough) staff will not be prioritising them over other more urgent cases. If anything changes then make staff aware immediately.

I guess you can ask politely what the wait time is - but in our A&E this is written on a board (and is often lots more than two hours!)

Ask. I took my child on Monday, waited two hours and realised that everyone else had been triaged. I tentatively asked, and it turned out that we hadn't been booked in. Were through in 30 minutes after that.

I think it's unusual to wait so long without being triaged and you should ask.

I'm busy alt to not to be triaged yet- I'd say they've overlooked you. Not seeing a Dr within that time is more common, triage should happen a lot quicker than that.

Yeah, even when we’ve had a long wait we’ve usually been triaged pretty quickly (albeit none of my experience is recent). The triage nurse could also give meds for pain or fever so definitely worth asking.
Hope you are seen soon op.

@Untitledsquatboulder this the Norm unfortunately. Nothing new. 4 hours was the maximum 10 years ago but since the Tories came into power and closed a&e's across the country and many beds it has become worse

Hope you’re well through triage now op.

To give a positive story, my hospital is just trialling a new system where a dr is at the door triaging before anyone steps foot inside. They said it had teething issues but my god it was amazing, we bypassed so many stages because they can make better decisions immediately. Some people literally just sent straight into a room at front of hospital for some stitches or whatever and out in under an hour & not vlogging up the actual A&E so ambulances could be offloaded quicker.

Hopefully this will be rolled out everywhere- unless yous lot all already have it and it’s just our trust playing catch up.

That sounds brilliant Rowan.

hope your little one is ok, OP

I did ask, nurse in charge said soon there will be another nurse to help, and can start triaging quicker. We're home and safe now, is a little scary thinking that some of the children in A and E which I saw last night, also wasn't triaged for so long (2 hours) and once they were, got rushed through! Surely that is bad practice.

The expected standard is a suitably qualified person will have ‘cast an eye’ on them within fifteen minutes of booking. That should result in streaming - either a children’s waiting area to await full triage, to a bay or to an alternate provision such as onsite GP.

A child with high temperature and non-blanching rash who appears unwell should have been put in an area away from other children and been properly assessed quite rapidly after initial look.

Glad they’re fine but sitting waiting because the department is busy is a high risk tactic for potentially serious and rapidly developing illness. If they’ve been looked at, that is a first stage triage/streaming.