To tell you the NHS is a frightening failure for children?

[redorbreak]

I suppose when we read headlines it's A&E waiting times and often focused on adults

But I'm here to give a personal account of how dangerous it is for children, something we haven't shone the light on as much as adult care and waiting times being horrible right now.

DD was born very prematurely and she had some awful breathing this morning, which then worsened into sucking in a lot at the rib cage (not that unusual for her but it seemed worse than usual). She couldn't stay awake much

I knew an ambulance would take a long time and needed the car, so I was going to drive her myself. I went to put her into her car seat and she went floppy, like a rag doll. Limp and floppy. I screamed and luckily H was there who phoned an ambulance

I explained calmly but seriously on the phone what was going on. The phone operator said 5 hour wait. I said please, she's gone floppy. Please help us. She said sorry, but 5 hour wait times. Can I take her myself?

I explained I could take her myself but I wouldn't be able to see if she was okay or not? I'd be driving. She said that was safer than waiting for an ambulance

I put the phone down and took her in, frightened, petrified for her life. I got there after 25 minutes and rushed to her. She was still not responding. She was triaged straight away. Her Sats were sitting at 69/70.

She is currently in PICU (intensive care) and I don't know when she will wake up. Nobody seems to be straight with me. I'm not getting a clear picture here. My H is on his way up now and hopefully they will tell me straight what this means for her now

The NHS is fucked.

OP I hope your baby is better soon. NICU nurses are angels.

I'm a nurse and a HV, qualified since 2005. I have never seen the NHS as bad as it is now. I worry about what is coming.

I've also never seen a winter as bad as this, it is a harsh winter with so many bugs and viruses. Staff are on their knees.

Every parent's worse nightmare. I hope she makes a full and speedy recovery.
With regards to the ambulance, your daughter would have been a priority but the service is at breaking point and the NHS in crisis which has a knock on effect. My friend is a paramedic, she spent 7 hours outside of A+E with an unwell patient as there was physically no room in A+E - there were other ambulances behind hers - these are the ambulances that should be available to attend emergencies such as yours but they are being used as A+E waiting areas. It's frightening.
In previous years I have had to ring an ambulance for unwell children with breathing difficulties on 3 occasions and they all turned up within a matter of minutes - I know that this wouldn't be the case now and it is terrifying.

My daughter has been so ill with her chest since October. She had a febrile seizure a few weeks ago, I couldn't do anything, DS was in a swimming lesson. She came round. Out of hours wouldn't see her. I called them again on the weekend and the call handler was incredulous that she hadn't been seen and asked to escalate it. It's such a worrying time.

Frankly they should also get priority as they’re babies and children, they’re at the beginning of their lives - it would be much more tragic if anything happened to them because of ambulance delays.

What do you think being there for them involves when they're on a ventilator and they aren't awake? Not much, I can tell you

At least this conversation puts my mind on something a bit different than just worrying myself into an early grave

@redorbreak hope this comes across as I mean it, but you are amazing - all credit for just getting Your baby there, taking charge and getting care. I think you are awesome and my prayers are with you and your DD.

I'm really sorry OP, I'm sure you're living every parents fear at the moment. Are you getting everything you need? Do you have enough support?

I would like to know how the Tories answer to this as they seem to be ignoring it. Their plan to kill the NHS will be at detriment to kids and adults alike.

Right prioritise over an adult who might just be a parent themselves whose life is according to worth less because they have lived longer but who cares if they die and leave behind their children. Disgusting attitude.

Priority should be based on the seriousness of the persons condition

@redorbreak

Once they sort you out a room, as hard as it is. Go and have a sleep

Nothing happens in picu overnight.

It was the hardest thing walking away that first night but I am so grateful for the nurse who got me out. It's a long few days and I needed to sleep and you will too x

I honestly don't understand how ambulances can be held outside hospitals as waiting rooms while babies are left for their parents to try and get them in somehow with no medical assistance. It makes me so angry. Surely one of the patients in one of the ambulances could have been wheeled into A and E on the stretcher they're already on even if there are no actual available beds?

Another floppy, unresponsive child or baby?

There won't be just ONE of each sort of potential incident/accident/emergency ... with so few ambulances available, if they're already dealing with one, they can't stop and abandon them and go to another.

Ok, so as I said before, you have a 90 year old who has a 70% chance of mortality and a baby with a 30% chance of mortality. One is more ‘serious’ than the other - but who would you prioritise? It isn’t a disgusting attitude it’s eminently sensible, it just doesn’t fit in the Disney world we like to believe we live in.

Also your message was a ridiculous extrapolation of what I said, absolutely ridiculous.

Terrifying. I always thought the NHS might have long wait times but if you were in truly dire straits, they'd come through for you. I'm actually petrified of my DC getting seriously ill

That’s really scary, what chance has anyone got when they can’t send sn ambulance to a child who really needs it :( I hope you are ok and your wee girl gets better soon x

What about a baby with 90% chance of mortality vs a 90 year old with 30% or even a 30 year old with 60% chance of mortality? What about between a scientist and someone with severe learning disabilities that mean they can’t work? I don’t think we want to go down this rabbit hole.

Every persons life has value and should be addressed by need.

Scary times though and OP hoping for the best fit you and the little one!

They already are!

You do have to leave enough rooms in corridors for trolleys to fit down them.

But thats whats happening, people are unloaded onto hospital trolleys and then left in corridors, or unloaded onto chairs in waiting rooms, with ambulance crews handing over several cases to one crew so 2 out of 3 crews can go back out.

But if you have spaces for trolleys in the corridor, and you have ten people on trolleys in the corridor and number 11 comes in.. they have to wait in the ambulance, you can't park them outside on the pavement (though, give it a few more months...)

When hospitals talk about 'beds' they don't just mean actual phsyical beds, they mean spaces for those beds to exist and medical staff to attend them. No where to put them, and no one to hand them over to = has to stay the responsibility of the paramedic team.

Yeah same @Comedycook I am feeling scared for us all.
@redorbreak please don't listen to any of the fucking ridiculous comments from the awful troll on here. You got her to hospital which is amazing. Now it's just waiting so really any distraction is a good thing. I hope you get some positive news soon

I disagree. That message explains why these choices are so hard and should be well thought out.

Hoping your little one makes a speedy recovery 💐

I’m so sorry, I hope she is ok!

@Cuppasoupmonster it may well be an unpopular opinion, but I expect it is exactly what call handlers are having to do at this moment, more so now than ever. Terrifying and not a job I would like. If a cat 1 is taking 5 hours to respond to then we're all screwed. I mean what would happen in the even of a multiple rtc if all the ambulances are sat outside the local hospital. The whole things makes me feel physically ill. Some of the stories I've heard have made me sob. It's terrifying.

Obviously the baby. A baby’s life is more valuable than mine. My life is more valuable than my grandma’s (she would agree with that). We must priorities children, they’re our future and it’s just common sense that somebody with maybe a few years left at most is not prioritised over a baby who has its whole life ahead of them. You can only justify the ‘every life is equal’ thing if there are unlimited resources, which there is not. It’s indulgent to pretend otherwise to avoid going to mentally uncomfortable areas of your brain.

@Pleasepleasepleaseno the people waiting in the ambulances weren't well and may deteriorate; A+E was beyond capacity, there was no space and no one to monitor/care for the patients; rather than waiting area, maybe I should have described it as an unofficial extension of A+E.

I'm not naive but your comment is a generalisation that because they are the start of their lives they deserve to life more and be prioritised over everyone else who is older, older being what from what said middle age whats fhat about 30 or 40.

But of course you pick 90yr old as your example when your comment implies a much wider age range.

And some 90yrs can go on to live many more yrs.