Surprised at how I was treated in a&e

[broken86]

This has been playing on my mind for the last week and I just wondered if it was me being sensitive or not.

Last week I had an accident and it was obvious right away that I'd done something to my ankle, I threw up and almost passed out from the pain (which isn't like me, I'd say I've a very high pain threshold and not a drama Queen) I'd never felt pain like it even not giving birth.

Dh ran me to a&e and helped me to a seat and checked me in at the desk. I then told him to leave as there were signs all over saying no one could wait with you.

I felt pretty self conscious and exposed in the waiting room sat with only one shoe on and one bare foot. My leg had really swollen and I was obviously in a lot of pain and while it could just be paranoia I felt a lot of people were just staring at me.

The worst part was when I got called into triage, I couldn't put weight on my sore foot so had to pull myself up using the chair in front then somehow hobble all the way across the room to the triage area. The nurse waiting for me stood leaning on the door frame looking bored out her head at having to wait longer for me and everyone in the waiting room just stared at me struggling

At one point I felt there's no way I can do this but it was such an unfriendly atmosphere I didn't even feel I could ask for help. Once I made it into the triage room and sat down the tears were pouring down my face due to the pain, The nurse didn't even look in my direction just asked me questions and typed into the computer before telling me to go to minor injuries and pointing to an area at the end of the corridor.

Once again I had to struggle down by myself, part of me wanted to ask for a wheelchair but awkwardly thought the nurse must think I'm being a wimp or else she would have offered. I had to support my weight on the handrail all the way down with everyone in the waiting room just starting at me again.

Once I was in minor injuries it was a totally different experience, they couldn't have been nicer getting me pain killers etc Turns out my ankle is broken and I've damaged the ligaments and am now off work and not able to drive etc for the next few weeks which is a total pain but can't be helped.

The total lack of any kind of human kindness in a&e still plays on my mind though, obviously a room full of people at a&e aren't going to be in the best form but a lot of people had ignored the "no family waiting" signs and were sat happily chatting away to each other. I couldn't imagine myself being there keeping someone company and not offering to help someone who was obviously in a lot of pain to cross a room, likewise I couldn't imagine a nurse in a&e not acknowledging when someone is in pain or even just giving them a friendly smile etc.

Obviously I'm grateful for the care I've received so far and that I will need going forward but was just wondering (while Sat with my foot up) if this is what people would expect in a&e?

They've spent the last 3 years frontline of a pandemic while we all stayed at home and the clapping unfortunately didn't pay their bills or or cure their PTSD from the horrors that they had to witness

Our A&E has been a shithole with appalling attitudes long before any virus appeared.

Similar experience to what I had, was my hand though. Never felt pain like it couldn't get rings off hand swelling. 111 sent me to hospital in an other county. Was there about 4 hours before they attempted to get rings off in which time fingers had swollen more took 45 mins and a lot of pain to get them off was biting into my top due to the pain. About 9 weeks since my accident and still can't drive as unable to grip.

I'm not surprised. I have pid that hasn't responded to 2 rounds of antibiotics, keep getting agonising stabbing pains in lower abdomen that stop me being able to move, went in as couldnt cope with the pain. Was told to go to gp, didn't examine me at all to consided if it was appendicitis or an abscess or ovarian cyst. All they did was do a urine dip stick a d give me pain killers. Apparently they don't do ultrasounds.

@gmor6787 you are simply talking nonsense. GPs are working from GP surgeries and are overwhelmed by the sheer number of patient contacts they have to deal with every day. I am a GP who chooses to work in an A&E setting because frankly being a GP in a surgery is a thankless, relentless job where all the woes of the NHS are pinned on you. People blame you for the waits in A&E, waits for elective surgery, waits for cancer treatment, etc...

I had a similar experience in an A+E.
Broken heel bone (didn’t realise at the time.) Dropped off by ambulance. Sat in the waiting room in a wheelchair. The nurse called me in and just stood at the door and waited for me. I was like ok… so hopped into her office on my good foot. She swear she rolled her eyes as I did it.
Once she looked at my foot her attitude changed! She went to get my wheelchair to wheel me out to be admitted.
Another patient said they couldn’t believe she made me hop in, so perhaps people were staring because they were surprised you were having to struggle in without help!

What a bizarre thing to say
You do know what A&E stands for? I'm sure a lot of people do abuse the system but I'm 100% confident I was in the right place.

I was a nurse for 40 years and for most of that time worked on the wards in a busy inner city hospital which I loved. I did do a few shifts on A&E occasionally and even more occasionally had to visit it with one or other of my children. I’m not in the least surprised by your experience. A&E nurses can be very rude and are a totally different breed to most nurses. Some however are not, as you yourself found out.
You absolutely MUST complain to PALS. Do it today while everything is still fresh in your mind.

this is neglect and happens far too often which is why it must be reported or things will never change. it’s heartbreaking to think of this treatment when people are at their most vulnerable. we’ve got to stop thinking alll NHS workers are angels, they’re not. I hope you’re ok

Sadly I had a similar experience with a shoulder issue at a&e. I was waiting over 6 hours for an xray. Lying on the floor crying in pain. The only people with compassion were the male staff (I'm in my 60s so no attraction involved) and non uk staff. The nurse on duty was awful and made a ridiculous comment that I needed to exercise my broken shoulder. When I asked what diafnosis that was based on she said "whatever" and walked off. I had to beg for painkillers before leaving and paying £60 for a taxi home. My GP got it all sorted a couple of days later but I would now avoid a&e at all costs

All patients want is for people to do the job they are paid to do in an appropriate and professional manner which includes giving care to your patients. This is the job they signed up for

Nurse was probably at end of long shift

She might have been, or she might have been a complete cow. The latter people do go into nursing too (though they shouldn't).

Was it QA in portsmouth by any chance?

broken86, you absolutely were! A & E is accident and emergency after all! I don't live in the UK so had a different experience when I was stretchered and ambulanced to A & E for my broken ankle. They don't just x-ray and put in plaster. I had to have a closed reduction to start with and a temporary cast, followed by surgery to attach a plate and screws, followed by a more permanent cast days later after the swelling went down. I have a broken fibula, a dislocated tibia and torn ligaments in between and around the bones, but yes, it's still considered a broken ankle. It's 13 weeks since my accident and I'm still using a crutch, can only manage a maximum of 5000 steps/day and that in pain/limping and really slowly, I need to elevate and ice my leg a lot of the time. They say it will be around six months until I'm back to normal so polymere you know what you can do with your condescending attitude!

I'm so sorry you had this experience OP and am sending unmumsnetty hugs your way. Unfortunately I'm not in the least surprised as I experienced similar (and worse) after an injury to my foot which left me completely unable to walk for 4 months, and still recovering ten months on.

Admittedly, my experience is tempered by the fact that I'm a lone parent of disabled DC with absolutely no help from family whatsoever and a limited social circle due to years without support for my children.

A&E in my area has huge waiting times, so I planned a trip to minor injuries through 111 two days after my accident when I was able to arrange childcare for my youngest. I also called the reception in before setting off to remind that I would be accompanied by my LD adult son due to being unable to walk, and was assured there would be a wheelchair available.

There were no wheelchairs, so DS went to ask for help while I waited in taxi. He was told to go to the opposite side of the hospital to find one (there were none); got lost and distressed. So taxi driver asked. Same result. Called reception again, to be told that both DS and taxi driver can't have been looking hard enough and there was nothing more they could do to help.

Managed to hobble about halfway to the reception, down a long corridor with nowhere to stop and rest, before a lady with a hospital lanyard walked past, did a double take, and asked why I wasn't in a wheelchair. After telling DS to stay with me a moment, she came back with a chair closely followed a minute or so later by the receptionist AND a porter, both of whom had a pair of crutches for me from somewhere obviously very close by. Receptionist was hugely apologetic, and as the unit was empty when I arrived I was seen swiftly and received good care afterwards.

I didn't complain at the time, but afterwards I wished I had. One thing after another went wrong. I won't go into detail about that, but the experience was traumatic and related to abysmal organisation, communication and support. Not the staff themselves: almost every doctor, nurse, caregiver and porter I met were truly lovely. Yes, I did complain. Formally, and on several occasions. I received only one follow-up call and nothing since. But a few days after the worst of it, the trust was rated inadequate after a CQC inspection.

Please do complain, politely but firmly. It may help the next person avoid being treated so poorly even if there is no real remedy for yourself.

I have had several horrible experiences with hospitals.. like awful and then some great ones. Once while I was having a miscarriage the Dr casually started to giggle and pointed to the monitor getting to my scared and saddened husband attention and informing him that I had to poop. The nurses looked at each other then at me then at the floor. I was beyond mortified. I hate hospitals

It's not unusual op. Totally rubbish though.

I'm at the cast stage after having my stitches out. I'm 4 weeks in. As I waited 2 weeks for my surgery

It's not great but sadly, how it is. I don't think the other people, where really bothered by you. I would have kept my partner with me, but that would have been to help you walk.
I feel on the ice in December, I took myself to A&E but mine was a wrist injury. I knew been near December, it would be busy with winter and Christmas parties.
It was a 4 hour wait, I hadn't eaten anything, as my wrist looked like it might be displaced. So I thought I might need surgery or, they might have to pull my wrist, to get the bones in the right place. I was thirsty, but the drinks machine was put of order. One woman was crying in pain, she sat next to me, we talked a bit, after i asked what was hurting, she went back to the receptionist, to ry and get her bumped up the Q. As the signs said, if your symptoms get worse, tell the receptionist.
She did get seen before me. When I got triarged, I was sent for X-ray, the nurse asked if I had taken any painkillers, I said no, as I didn't want to drink.
After X-ray and another wait, I got my a half pot put on my wrist. It wasn't displaced. Then I got a cup of tea. Which was the best cuppa ever, after waiting 4 and a half hours to drink. I didn't get given painkillers. Just told to take some when I got home.
When I first arrived at hospital, I was told to go to minors, but it was closed, I managed to find a member of staff, who took me and another woman, who had been sent to the same place, back to A&E he told them to stop sending people to the minors.

Was in A and E this week. Not going into why but I was in a lot of pain asked five times over 1.5 hours for painkillers and I didn't get them. Ended up having paracetamol from my bag which didn't cut it

Also at my local A and E you have to say what's wrong with at the desk in entrance no bloody privacy

Yes our desk is in the middle of all the seats with really thick glass so you have to shout to say what your problem is

I was surprised at the complete lack of privacy last time I went to A&E, especially since the NHS makes such a big deal about confidentiality with records etc.

You can't help hearing everything said as people are told to speak up so the receptionist behind glass screen can hear. Have to give name, address, phone number, details of accident/injury.

Although have to admit it makes waiting a bit more interesting... a very drunk woman with an obvious ankle injury came in supported by equally drunk friend with a bruised eye. When asked what happened the woman pointed at the "friend" and said "She disrespected me, so I kicked her in the face and fell over."

RiderofRohan If I am talking nonsense then half of the country is too. Why, post pandemic, are GPs not working 5 days as they did before. As I already stated, one of GPs in my practice only works 1 day per week. He’s not of retirement age so where is he the other 4. Doing private work perhaps.
I can’t imagine working in A&E is less stressful than being a GP.

But you are speculating. You admit you have no idea what this GP does when he is not at the practice. What the general public don't know is many GPs work in different roles such as teaching at medical schools or tribunal work. Many have specialist interests in dermatology, diabetes, women's health etc and run NHS clinics to make up for the lack of consultants in those fields. Some, like myself, work in acute care.

The safe number of patient contacts a GP deals with in a day, according to the BMA, should be around 25. However most GPs must see many more, often 36+ (that's 18 patients per 3 hour clinic, 10 minutes per patient) to deal with demand. In between morning and afternoon clinic your GP is checking blood results, writing referrals and making visits to the palliative/housebound. I would often eat at my desk while going through letters from specialists, and then have to get my game face on for afternoon clinic without a minute to unwind. Then I would stay 1-2 hours late to finish paperwork in the evening. Unsurprisingly, many GPs are burnt out and looking to get out.

As a GP who works in A&E, I can tell you my job is cushy compared to actual GP work. It's shift work, I almost always take my designated break and any unfinished work at the end of my shift is handed over to the next doctor. I get to go home on time most days.

I'm sorry the NHS is not fit for purpose and I'm sorry it is impossible to see a GP, get an ambulance and that the wait to see a specialist is so long. But it's not your GPs fault and that's the simple truth. Blaming your GP instead of recognising there is a major problem with funding and retention doesn't help anyone.

https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/workload/40-of-gp-practices-set-limit-on-number-of-patients-seen-per-day/#:~:text=The%20BMA's%20guidance%20on%20safe,this%20'arbitrary'%20workload%20limit.

RiderofRohan. It does sound like your job is ‘cushy’ your words but I doubt the doctors going on strike because the hours they work is reducing their hourly pay to £14 would agree.
I presume you don’t work in an inner city hospital where waiting is up to 10 hours in A&E.
People go to A&E because they can’t get to see a GP for weeks, are very often told to by staff at their surgery.
.What my point was, why with the same staff at my surgery prior to covid I could get an appointment within the week to see my doctor but now 2+ years later it’s 3 weeks if I’m lucky. I’m pretty sure his list hasn’t increased in size to warrant that time frame.