To think drunk teen shouldn't be in paeds A&E?

[Us3r21422]

NC for this in case picked up by the likes the of Daily Fail etc.

Took DD to paeds A&E last night due to concerns about dehydration after 5 days of gastro bug and decreasing tolerance for fluids and no wet nappy for 12 hours. Luckily she is OK and we were allowed home after some anti sickness meant she could tolerate water, but the place was full of really sick babies and toddlers. Dr said 4 cases of D&V/dehydration, plus a query sepsis child, croup etc.

I heard someone approach the nurses station and say they were bringing a drunk 15 year old and his parents round from adult A&E, no particular reason given, so assume this was purely based on his age. He did say dad was struggling to manage said drunk teen.

At this point I knew we were going home, so no real skin in the game, but I thought to myself that if the teen was that drunk, was paeds A&E really the place to bring him when he would have received presumably the same medical care in adult A&E?

As I say, no big deal to me as we were leaving, but I'm not sure I'd have been happy with a drunk/loud/aggressive/silly teen in the cubicle next to us. More so for the other parents and children who were really very very poorly and had clearly been there a long time, were very tired, waiting for a bed on the ward etc.

So - aibu to think drunk teen probably should have stayed in adult A&E and that it's not really desirable for a 15 year old who's had a few too many to be in the same (very small) department as lots of really unwell younger children?

I seriously doubt that's the first drunken CHIlLD that they've had in A&E. Let's leave the decisions in hospital to the professionals.

I was in A&E one night when they brought a drunk teenage girl in. To be honest she wasn't a problem, well hearing her vomiting wasn't pleasant but fairly normal in a hospital setting. Her parents were a bloody nightmare. Wanted everyone to know she was a good girl, she must have had her drink spiked. Loudly over and over again. Then her mother starting to cry and scream for help for her DD. I wasn't bothered about the girl but I wish they'd thrown the parents out.

I was so relieved when after about 90 minutes the doctor came, took a look at her and told her parents to take her home to sleep it off. No one suggested she should be moved to paeds though, I was in the next cubicle so heard it all.

See I just feel fundamentally uncomfortable about complaining, even though I know now thanks to this thread it is a learning/support point for the staff. Argh, it's tough. We were treated really well, with compassion etc and it feels like kicking them when they're down. But I know that's not what it is really.

To be honest it's never pleasant to take a kicking in aibu, but I don't have a problem in admitting I'm wrong and it's been interesting and educational to get the responses I've had on this thread. I agree with the pps who have mentioned how my view will likely change as DD gets older, but they just seem so tiny when they're tots don't they! Still, she'll still be "my baby" whether she's 1, 11, or 41!

All I'll say is after the week I've had, I must be a masochist 🙃

Ex Paeds a&e nurse here. Absolutely the right place for a teen to be. Paeds staff are much more sensitive to safeguarding issues and will know exactly who to refer any drug/alcohol misuse to. In my old department the nurses station was about 3ft away from 5 of the cubicles so everything was overheard

I would go to a different hospital in future because the staff sound very unprofessional, they shouldn’t be talking about other patients to you or in front of you. It is none of your business what is wrong with other children.

@Us3r21422 there should be comment section on their website, so you could update, pleased with yoru treatment but aware of the overwhelming situation for the staff

Not sure why you quoted me, my little one is 51 so he'd definitely be on an adult ward.

Drunk teen definitely should be in paediatric section. A 15-year-old is a child.

Children's A&E is not the toddler section, it's a department for children of all ages, so babies, toddlers and 15 year olds (and everyone in between) will be there, whatever their emergency. It's not like a high schooler being put into nursery.

It never occurred to me to feel embarrassed taking my daughter there, because my focus was on her, not myself, and I couldn't care less what random others thought.

I didn't pay much attention to their reasons for being there either, as it was none of my business.

I can see where you're coming from.

The problem is that he's still a child.

I would hope that if he started getting too rowdy, then they'd put him in a side room away from the little ones!

You can hear some very personal information. Other than putting your fingers in your ears and going lalalala I'm not sure what people are supposed to do.

Good call crumpet, thank you.

Most memorable things my Dd (older teenager) has seen in A&E adults (the children’s version closes at night):
An uncovered dead body
Violent man covered in blood handcuffed to at least one policeman
Several inappropriate comments from men with dementia (one with his willy out)
People screaming they are going to kill themselves and being restrained

In children’s:
seizures and emergency resuscitation
parents wailing and sobbing
children screaming through pain/fear
children screaming they are going to kill themselves and being restrained
children bolting for it

I am sure I could think of some other things but you get the picture. Actually the parents wailing was the one that haunted me the most.

Possibly not post it on the Internet? Pretend you haven't heard ? As DM would say "avert your ears".

You say you think he was transferred to pared A&E you "presume because of his age".... but then I presume you're but a medic and weren't part of that decision making process.

DS is 14.5 - he recently had to go to A&E because passed out and was very lethargic and confused (completely sober mind). He's 6'2" and chunky, so I was surprised that they sent him to paed A&E. What I didn't know was that teenage heart traces have a regular peak on them that is completely normal in teenagers, but very worrying in adults. Maybe there are other observations that are different in teens and adults?

I know teenagers, especially some boys, can seem huge when you have a baby, but they are still developing and are not really adults yet either.

I haven't posted the very personal stuff I've heard. If you mean the mother screaming in A&E she wasn't even a patient, nothing personal just her ranting. I don't think it would be humanly possible to avert your ears to the performance that woman was making.

Back in the day I had a friend who was t1 diabetic.

he was struggling with the diagnosis and management, particularly at the stage we were all starting to go out drinking.

he would regularly land in a&e due to complications of t1 and alcohol.

to most he would have just appeared like another drunken teen. But absolutely should have been in paeds a&e for his T1 management.

kids have different management pathways.

plus you have the issue where adults can make their own medical decisions. I would think paeds have more training in supporting parents and children to make the decisions as a child may not be capable of consent.

Just twigged it. Bit annoyed I pointed out your mistake quoting me and my "little one" never mind, you'll get over it.

Quite some misunderstanding here.
Both of my remarks were directed to OP not you Ancient Gran.

I don't think there is much more I can helpfully add here.

Funny how you quoted me then. Maybe go back and have a look.

Arguably, drunk anybody should not be A&E unless there's another problem.

There is a reason why 15 year olds can’t buy alcohol lawfully - they are not considered old enough to make judgements about alcoholic intake.

My son didn't pass urine for over 12 hours on the 5th day of a vomiting bug. I took him to the GP who said I was to take him straight to A&E as he was dehydrated.

He was given anti sickness and a fluid challenge. After 6 hours he finally passed urine and we were discharged.

It's paediatric A&E, not infant A&E. It's where a 15 year old belongs, regardless of how the parents of small children feel.

If admitted, parents can’t stay on adult wards. So imagine being a fifteen year old girl on an adult ward - which these days are generally mixed sex (though the might not admit it).