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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

NHS - this is why people don't care

399 replies

br0kenankle · 16/03/2023 20:14

In peads A&E with daughter as went over on ankle and it swelled up like a balloon. Been hear 1 hr 30 mins. Paeds A&E not busy - maybe 3-4 patients. Staff everywhere - must be about 10 people milling around tbe computers doing very little. No wheel chair so have been carrying her round the hospital to X-ray , toilet etc.

Just seem to be on a go slow. If I were this slow at my job, i would be in trouble. 🤷‍♀️

Expect to get flames for this of course. We were sat outside X-ray for 10 mins and when they came out, they didn't realise we had been sitting there. I have a hungry grumpy in pain 6yr old.

OP posts:
Bepis · 16/03/2023 21:06

@JaffaCake70 You're welcome ☺️. Hand on heart, I couldn't do the job. Takes a very special person to do it.

Embelline · 16/03/2023 21:07

in our paeds A&E you are triaged then usually taken off to separate rooms or cubicles, so there's always very few people in the waiting room. Are you sure there's only 3-4 patients there?

StressedToTheMaxxx · 16/03/2023 21:07

Just be thankful that your daughter isn't high up on the list of priorities. My baby was seen within 5 minutes of arrival at our local A&E by the triage nurse for suspected meningitis and 5 minutes later by the doctor. Thankfully all was well however everyone knows that if it's something time critical, then your child will be seen right away. A fracture? She's way down the list.

People like you are the reason that staff morale in the NHS is at an all time low.

Intelligent, rational people will realise and understand that there is far more going on behind the scenes that what they can see in front of them. Unfortunately it's the people who are neither intelligent nor rational that mouth off like you.

echt · 16/03/2023 21:07

Viviennemary · 16/03/2023 21:05

Thatmdoesnt seem a long wait at all. Your dd hasnt got anything life threatening. They could be dealing with a major incident like a serious traffic crash. But I agree far too many folk messing about on computers these days. Seems more time is spent attending to computers rather than patients.

All the messing around on computers is because they have write up what they've done after they've done it.

JaffaCake70 · 16/03/2023 21:07

TrishTrix · 16/03/2023 21:02

XRs appear automatically on the PACs system. If it isn't going through there is nothing staff can do but wait for the IT system to sort itself out

YRs need to be looked at by a doctor or a nurse practitioner. There may not be one in the dept at the moment - the people you see likely have other job roles.

As others have said it's unlikely resus is in your mini paeds bay. So there may well be a whole pile of drama you can't see happening.

When I did paeds ED I will never forget the shitty awful shift where a child came in incredibly sick and we all worked really hard to try to save them for about 90 minutes but they died. All three of us doctors then went outside to have a moment of fresh air and to regroup before we went back to tackle the massive number of kids who had built up in the main waiting room during this time.

Some horrible dad came over while we were doing this (the senior doctor on shift was actually crying when he approached us) and yelled at us all for being lazy cunts.

it was almost 20 yrs ago and I still remember the child who died and that awful father. When we did finally see his child they had something incredibly minor that could have been managed at home without ever seeing a HCP.

I'm so sorry this happened. I think people only truly understand about being an NHS worker if they actually are one.

WherezMyRulebook · 16/03/2023 21:07

Oh. Where do you live? I had to wait 10h yesterday with my toddler

Politicalnamechange · 16/03/2023 21:07

At least you're in a position to be able to be sat quietly in a bay and wait. Not everyone has that luxury.

A&E typically works like this. The quicker you're seen the closer to death you are. So what situation do you want to be in?

bunintheoven88 · 16/03/2023 21:07

@Ionlydrinkondaysendinginy

Sometimes I don't have time to sit down. A ward of acutely psychotic patients don't go 'oh yeah sorry go have your break, il stop attempting to harm my self whilst you eat your butty, shall we say back here in ten?'

I really can't with some of the people on this thread!

Walkbyall · 16/03/2023 21:07

Doesn’t your daughter deserve more of your attention? Get off your phone!

TommytheSquirrell · 16/03/2023 21:07

br0kenankle · 16/03/2023 20:55

The consultant just bimbled past eating some biscuits.

Probably all they’ve eaten that day 🙄

XenoBitch · 16/03/2023 21:07

Supersands · 16/03/2023 21:04

Wow it’s a hospital. There are people dying on some wards, right now. You haven’t been waiting long.

This
A lady I know is in hospital with her son right now, and it is likely he wont be going home.

Think yourself lucky OP, and maybe try and distract your daughter from her pain instead of bitching about the NHS on MN.

ApiratesaysYarrr · 16/03/2023 21:07

br0kenankle · 16/03/2023 20:20

It's paeds A&E we are all in a mini ward

So, no resus room then? That's an odd paeds A&E...

Deadringer · 16/03/2023 21:08

While you are there op you should get the poker removed from your arse

Hellybelly84 · 16/03/2023 21:08

br0kenankle · 16/03/2023 20:27

Why can't we critique the NhS? Why can it not just be that they are super inefficient and not trying that hard.

No issue giving bad hote and restaurants review when the service is bad. Same thing applies here

You absolutely can critique.

However, from knowing the other side, there are a million reasons for the delay - just a few here:

-staff haven’t had a break in hours and this is the first gap they got. Set mealtimes dont exist in the NHS.
-staff need to check on other patients you cant see.
-staff need to do urgent admin work.
-the computer systems are slow.

Honestly, no NHS worker wants a patient waiting longer than necessary. Everyone wants all patients to be as happy and comfortable as possible.

Bepis · 16/03/2023 21:08

@TrishTrix That is heartbreaking 😞. As for the man who said those awful things, I have no words! I've seen it while I've been in hospital too, parents being really aggressive and hostile with the staff and there's just no need for it.

wasteoffunds · 16/03/2023 21:08

santastolemycat · 16/03/2023 20:23

If your not happy with the service the NHS provides for FREE then don’t use it.

It is not 'free'. It is 'free at point of use'. It is funded from taxation. Private is not a solution as the private sector in the UK is tiny and doesn't cover A&E at all except maybe in London.

XenoBitch · 16/03/2023 21:08

TommytheSquirrell · 16/03/2023 21:07

Probably all they’ve eaten that day 🙄

Show quote history

And if they are eating on the move, then that would mean no time to sit in a proper break room and take 5 minutes to themselves.

septembersapphire7 · 16/03/2023 21:08

Having worked in paeds and a&e, it sounds like you’re in some sort of paediatric assessment unit. Your photo looks like your daughter will have a fractured ankle and likely to need a plaster cast as minimum for management. The paediatric team will have to liaise with the orthopaedic team - everyone has to manage their other patients and handover is usually around 8/9pm so it does mean a delay.

Although I sympathise for your daughter, she is one of many patients in a&e and blaming nhs staff for the delays is not going to help anyone in this situation. A&e is one of the busiest departments in any hospital and the staff there are under tremendous strain constantly- not many can do that job and it is really irritating to read such an entitled post from someone who sounds like they would last an hour working in the same department they’re so quick to criticise.

youshouldnthaveasked · 16/03/2023 21:09

Walkbyall · 16/03/2023 21:07

Doesn’t your daughter deserve more of your attention? Get off your phone!

Yes, this!! Poor kid

vodkaredbullgirl · 16/03/2023 21:09

Have you actually asked anyone, how long they will be???

Maryandherlamb · 16/03/2023 21:09

1hr30 is nothing.... 10 hr wait in our local ED recently and the staff were completely run off their feet.

Suzi888 · 16/03/2023 21:09

Pay privately. People seem to forget the NHS is free…. It’s not high end.

I hope your DD will be ok.

JupiterFortified · 16/03/2023 21:09

Have to say when my dad was admitted to a hospital ward for several weeks last year the care was pretty shit. Personal care was virtually zero - if we (the family) didn’t help him clean his teeth/brush his hair etc it simply didn’t get done. The most basic care. All while staff sat on computers tapping away. Bizarre.

WhiteHorse92 · 16/03/2023 21:10

br0kenankle · 16/03/2023 20:55

The consultant just bimbled past eating some biscuits.

How dare they!! I smell a troll...

Quveas · 16/03/2023 21:10

br0kenankle · 16/03/2023 20:27

Why can't we critique the NhS? Why can it not just be that they are super inefficient and not trying that hard.

No issue giving bad hote and restaurants review when the service is bad. Same thing applies here

You are under no obligation to use the NHS. So don't. Most people care deeply about the NHS and the fact that it is under-resourced, struggling with retention due to low pay, etc.