To put together a grab bag for A&E?

[Rainallnight]

I’m not planning on going to A&E. And I’m the last person to be any sort of prepper - I’m barely on top of the laundry or anything!

But I’ve been thinking that if anyone in the family ends up in A&E, it’s going to be for a lonnnnnng time and it would be handy to be able to just grab a bag of stuff that would see you through.

I’m thinking at the most basic level stuff like phone charger, snacks, bottle of water, book. But then I find myself thinking pillow? Sleeping bag?

Has anyone done this?

(the backstory for the avoidance of later drip feeding is that I was at the GP yesterday and they briefly thought they needed to call an ambulance for me and my first thought was ‘bugger, I don’t have a phone charger on me’. I didn’t have to go in an ambulance and I’m fine).

If you don’t have health issues which involve a reasonable probability of an A&AW admission, I would think it a serious waste of time

No idea what you are trying to say
you said you managed to get things dropped in

I'm saying I wouldn't have that. Are you just being sarky or what?

Yes I have one such small suitcase. It is a very bright distinctive colour so it can be easily found and I have my name and address on a metal tag attached to the suitcase.

Other people have written good lists, but do make sure you have multiple copies (say a dozen) of a sheet of paper listing key information such as your name and address, your date of birth, your NHS number, your medical conditions with brief histories, your medications and your next of kin.

If you take unusual medications, do take a few days supply of those tablets in their original boxes.

Also good to take is a clean set of clothes for the journey home, and a few of your favourite snacks for when you are recovering.

Finally make sure you have a 3 metre lead on your phone charger and take a set of headphones so that you can listen to music / watch films etc. without disturbing the rest of the ward.

Oh and an eyemask! I was lucky enough to get a fold down bed next to my son's, but any extra sleep would have been amazing, even if just for a few minutes.

In the last 3 years I have been blue lighted to A&E 3 times, twice with bilateral pneumonia and once with sepsis, I have also had a planned admission so afTer the 3 A&E admissions I got a bag together!
undies,
nightshirt
pads
small bottle of water
polos
a small round pillow for between my knees
wash kit
charger cable (extra long)
charger block with 2 ports
a usb fan - due to covid the wards didn’t have fans!
I always have some things downloaded onto an old iPad, and Loads of books on kindle
also a list of my meds. And if I need to go in can grab the actual meds.
I also have a sheet with my past medical history, next of kin etc…
if you delirious from sepsis, isn’t always easy to remember important things!
it all fits into a small hold-all

i don’t pack slippers as they give me anti slip socks! Due to my ability to make random gravity checks 🙈

PS Forgot to mention, a list of allergies is very helpful, or a statement that you have none as far as you are aware.

Probably plenty of time for someone else to bring things for you. My 80 year old mum was in an ambulance outside A&E from 2pm until 10pm before they had a bed in A&E for her…..I’d avoid London A&E departments right now unless a limb is hanging off….

Hardly realistic. You would be a massive dick clogging up the space for everyone else with a camping mattress though.

My daughter was in and out of a and e for years with seizures, every night before bed I prepared clean clothes, bottles, ready made baby milk, and everything she and I would need. To this day 19 years later I still go to bed knowing I put my hands on enough things to go to hospital quickly

I prepared a 'just in case bag' when my ectopic pregnancy was diagnosed. I was glad I did as I ended up in A&E the following evening and had surgery the next day so was there almost 48 hours. This was in late October, so before the worst of the winter pressures.

I made sure to pack medication. I also took a charger, my battery pack, two books (I'm a fast reader) and spare pants, socks etc. I also took deodorant, some snacks, a water bottle and lip balm. I took pyjamas but didn't need them in the end.

I was admitted around midnight but no beds so slept lying across a couple of chairs in A&E waiting room, which was freezing. Another patient gave me her hospital blankets when she left around 1am (she'd been there about 9 hours). Packing warm layers is a good idea IME - one patient was wearing his dressing gown. If you can take a travel pillow, do. I had to use my raincoat as a pillow and the large buttons dug into my face. If you can wear comfy clothes - do. I was wearing joggers and a loose fitting top and was glad - poor DH was in jeans.

My MIL and parents all have a hospital bag ready. All have had unexpected admissions in recent years and say it gives them peace of mind knowing they don't have the added pressure of remembering all their meds etc. in an emergency.

As well as a few bottles of water and the other things mentioned by others above I always pack tissues and a charged up mini hand fan as my DS often feels overly hot at the hospital and a strong plastic bag or collapsble bowl as he is often sick.

It's really important to take a few water bottles IME as often there are no cones provided if there is an actual working water dispenser in our A&E (it's often empty especially in the evening or looks pretty manky and dirty)

Surely if you are waiting over 12 hours to be seen it’s not an emergency. Someone had apparently been waiting in a Swindon A&E for 99 hrs!

After my dd was in an accident and was admitted
to the hospital, I packed a go bag for myself that I now keep ready at all times. Meeting her needs wasn’t that hard. The hospital had some things and the shop downstairs had the rest.

I was the problem. I have really bad allergies. I quickly ran through the small bottle of hand soap I keep in my purse. I ran out of tampons. I couldn’t use anything the hospital had on site. I was allergic to every single food item in the parents room and the public cafeteria didn’t open for a very long time after our arrival. I was allergic to most of the food in the cafeteria, but was able to find a few things to eat (the hospital had a ridiculous heart healthy multigrain initiative and almost everything had been contaminated by oats and which I can’t have a single speck of).

in my bag
48 hours of medication
hand soap
tampons
a change of clothing that can double as pajamas
phone charger
toothbrush and toothpaste
hairbrush
a sleep sack (I’m allergic to most bedding)
shelf stable snacks that I can eat like nuts and dried fruit

longer than 48 hours, I figure someone can bring me things like shampoo and replacement clothing.

Blimey
have you been in hospital lately, emergencies take ages to be seen.

mum was blue lighted as category 1 but still 18 hours on a trolley
bloods taken, scans done, fluid given by IV within about 9

window for stroke medication missed by hours

but still...18 hours for official admission and bed

I have an overnight bag with all the essential stuff like charger, underwear, pyjamas, change of clothes, toothbrush, deodorant etc in the boot of my car. It’s not specifically for A&E but for any situation where I might find myself unexpectedly away from home overnight but if I ever did need to go I would be able to fetch it from the car.

I recently had an unexpected trip to A&E with my four year old. I took him to the GP who decided he needed an ambulance (I'm a paramedic and was happy taking him in the car but she wouldn't let me!). All I had on me was my phone and car keys. I was so grateful to a)have Apple Pay on my phone and b) that the vending machines accepted contactless payment. I took him on the back of three hours sleep following a nightshift without time to have anything to eat before I left so I was starving!

Wish that were the case. My mum was cat 1 but still sat on a trolley for hours and hours. It's a sad state of affairs.

Yeah, waited 99 hours to be admitted to a ward. So they needed to be there but I’m sure they were probably seen before 99 hours. But it could easily have been 12 or 24 hours before they saw a doctor.

Apologies , I meant to reply to Rainallnight who said they could not manage that as they had 2 small kids .

I don’t have a grab bag and I’m in and out of hospital a fair bit. I always know where a phone charger is (this is the most important thing) and they have cotton PJs at my hospital that they give on admission, soap etc. I do have a willing OH who brings anything else I need once we know if I’ll be in for more than a night (generally I am more interested in biscuits and my brand of juice than stuff). My hospital has access to all my records but I also have an iPhone with medical emergency stuff accessible from Lock Screen with my conditions and dosages.

I think that's incredibly smart.

In a similar vein, I live in a place with somewhat extremes of weather...even though I don't typically drive outside the metropolitan area, I always keep an emergency kit in my car.

Summer is bottles of water, sun screen, granola bars, bug spray, winter is blankets, hard warmers, water bottles, protein bars.

Always keep a battery and jump leads (and I know how to use them!) and a seatbelt cutter/window break.

You may be thankful you packed it one day.

Please remember to put tampons / San pro in. I've been caught short twice in hospital with DS. FYI, children's hospitals don't have readily available tampons. You're at the mercy of there being a prepared and friendly nurse or waiting it out until someone can drop you some off.

My husband has one. He was carted of to hospital after going to see his GP and collapsing in the surgery. He is fine now, but he didn’t enjoy not having anything of his own until I was tracked down to bring things in.
My Mum has dementia and visual impairment. I have made up her a hospital bag. No one ever picks it up when the ambulance comes for her. This entails a 400mile round trip for us, her nearest relatives, to take in the bag and clothes.
I have a medical condition and I don’t have a hospital bag. Given my experience with my mother, unless someone else is there at the time to put your bag in the ambulance, if you are incapacitated in some way there isn’t much point in having one ready and waiting. Possibly, a list like some people have made for a trusted relative or friend to pack that you could store on your phone and text to that ICE contact.

V good point. Is that why your vagina feels haunted? 😂

Nah. I don't have the headspace to think about stuff before it happens ... if it does. I'd have to have a bag ready for 4 different people, which seems a bit OTT.