Surprised at how I was treated in a&e

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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?

Sorry for what you went through but I don't think people in the waiting room are really bothered, it's just there's nothing to look at. Everyone looks when someone else comes in, unless they're so ill they can't move their head up.

Triage nurse could have been more pleasant. But I think they hope if they don't show any compassion the malingers will go away!
However the rubber necking, not much anyone can do about that, just ignore it, you'll never see those people again, and some people are just bloody nosey. And yes lots of people take extended family for a jaunt to the hospital. Of course one person accompanying the sick/ injured is fine, but when the aunts, uncles, and distantly related cousins come trooping in, I just think how incredibly dull those people's lives must be, to want to hang around in a hospital department, I mean let's face they are not exactly the most salubrious of places are they?!
Hope you ankle is on the mend op, that sounds like some serious damage done, glad minor injuries were good. And put behind you the rest of the experience, onwards and upwards

This.

I really don't know what people are so worked up about.

Did you get treated and triaged op?

You can't expect the red carpet in a&e, there will be some in there that have been working 11 hours. They're not air hostesses and they're not robots. And they're chronically understaffed. It's not an outpatient ward with flowers everywhere.

I hope your ankle heals up well, I had an awful fracture, not many people smiled at me but boy did they fix me up and get me walking again and I will be forever grateful to the orthopaedic surgeon that fixed me. (with no smiles)

I would have to complain about her and compliment minor injuries as well. Feel better soon 🤕

Making complaints is useless too. I've made 3 in the last year, about failure in A&E resulting in me being diabetically DKA, and a broken back in 2 places and then discharged without treatment. Complained. Got nowhere.

Seems so daft that it could all have been resolved by a wheelchair.

I don't blame others in the waiting room or even the nurse for not wanting/being able to help you walk (aren't 2 people needed?)

But no wheelchair-madness!

how awful OP, i had a similar situation in the mid summer 2021 in the SW, with a fractured sternum and suspected pulmonary embolism, i was told there was no tramadol in A&E, i had arrived by ambulance in cycle gear with a cracked cycle helmet and clearly fractured collarbone and concussion... I just didn't have the breath or focus to argue and for 6 hours i lay as still as i could whilst being wheeled deeper and deeper into A&E as my heart rate kept going ballistic (unsurprisingly) eventually after a fainting (having been made to stand for the xray on the collarbone) and a they performed a CT scan for the head injury and agreed to scan my chest due to the 'complaints'... then the dr brought me tramadol for the fracture they saw on the sternum and sheepishly apologised for saying there was none... ffs.

I had a similar accident where I broke a bone. Not in my leg, but in a place where I couldn't stand up without causing excruciating pain, as well as the muscle spasms that came from the shock of the accident.

When the triage nurse in A&E called my name, I put my (good) hand up to acknowledge her and then started trying to get up. She saw instantly that I was struggling, came and helped me, and put me on a porter's chair in the triage room. I sat on that porters chair for the next 5 hours and they wheeled me everywhere in it until it became too uncomfortable to sit in any longer and then thankfully a bay became available and I sat on one of those lovely chairs that reclines.

I'm glad you got better support at MIU and I would definitely follow up with PALS re your treatment at A&E if I were you.

You'd presented at A&E with a bad ankle and the triage team should have been ready to help you, or bring you a porter's chair at the first sign you were struggling.

I hope you're doing OK now. I remember sleeping a lot in my first week post injury. Partly from the diazepam, but also from the effort your body puts in trying to heal itself.

Oh, and a litter picker is the best thing you can buy yourself off of Amazon - it was honestly a life saver for me!

And yes lots of people take extended family for a jaunt to the hospital. Of course one person accompanying the sick/ injured is fine, but when the aunts, uncles, and distantly related cousins come trooping in, I just think how incredibly dull those people's lives must be, to want to hang around in a hospital department, I mean let's face they are not exactly the most salubrious of places are they?!

Perhaps they should start charging for the unnecessary crowds of extra people coming in with someone. Or ask the hangers on to wait in a separate area. That would soon cut out a lot of unnecessary people just coming along for the "drama" of, say, a cut to the head needing butterfly stitches (something that happened with I attended with my 85 year old dad in severe pain with multiple health issues, whom I literally had to hold up in the seat because he was fainting with the pain, waiting for hours, nearly all night, and these trouble-making shits who come in en famille seem to get all the attention first because the staff just want them out of the way. We have to deal with these time wasters far more harshly than is happening now. I'm fed up with them.

Next time I think you could have asked for a wheelchair (that is what I did when I hurt my foot and it wasn't even broken like yours).

Also, your husband could have stayed unless he was asked to leave especially as you needed help.

The nurse's behaviour was inexcusible.

Blame your partner for dashing off, but you sound a bit paranoid. You got sorted didn’t you. Sounds like you weren’t waiting hours either.

Gosh. Your experience is very similar to my experience of going to A&e with a broken ankle. My ankle was so painful. I couldn’t put any weight on it at all and managed to get crutches at Argos before I left the house just so I could move around. Well the nurses were not impressed with me and I was made to feel like I was being a drama queen. They were practically rolling their eyes and insisting that I should “try” walking on it. I kept telling them I couldn’t put any weight on it at all. they told me it was just a sprain but they needed to X-ray it to be sure.

After the X-ray they softened considerably once they knew it was actually broken. And actually carried my bag for me back to the waiting room. But I was really surprised by the lack of caring attitude by them.

All the people who say ‘ask for crutches’ ‘ask for a wheelchair’, who are you supposed to ask?

Last time I was in A&E the only people were the women behind the desk and you had to get to the front of the queue to speak to them- I got shouted at for trying to ask if I was queuing in the right place (she then picked up the sign that had fallen over saying the queue for orthopaedics was the same as for A&E, but didn’t apologise for shouting at me 🙄)

I've been to a&e recently with someone with appendicitis; he was in agony and no-one gave a shit. It was horrendous. I get that these places are overstretched but it was absolutely inexcusable.

I had a similar experience on the antenatal ward a few years ago. Had a c section with complications and baby was prem and in nicu. The morning after I wanted to see him and dh asked for a wheelchair as I was in agony. 2 nurses came in and said ‘no. You can WALK. You need to mobilise’ I thought ok well they are the professionals

They then helped 2 other women got butch wheelchairs as one was going to scbu and the other wanted to go down to go outside, the days that followed it was the same. Bet you can’t guess what the difference was between me and them……….

Way too many arseholes in the NHS imo!

Butch - both !!!

They've made a&e triage where I am standing only. No chairs and a huge queue of people waiting. Elderly people lying on the floor and people crawling across the floor to get to the staff who sit on high chairs at the end of a corridor. I couldn't quite believe it.

I had pain for 6 days, went to A and E, not examined in triage just what's wrong etc. sat for 10 hours to see Dr...found out was appendix and was rupturing.

That's our NHS now....

It’s horrendous. And there is no alternative. There isn’t another a&e you can go to elsewhere. No such thing as a private a&e.

I’m sorry OP! The standard of care on NHS is appalling. I appreciate they are stretched and burnt out but it doesn’t make it any easier for us peasants to tolerate.

I went to A&E for super heavy bleed following the miscarriage. As I stood there and blood was pouring all over my jeans, shoes and and all over the floor - the registering nurse was having a chat with someone behind the desk not paying any attention despite my attempts to draw her attention. They admitted me later but the nurse made me feel a nuisance. Later another nurse said ‘bleeding is good for you- it clears your blood’. That’s straight after I lost a baby.

I think triage nurses are often a bit grim, maybe they just get immune to it all. I had a nasty fall and broke my wrist, went to a&e. Was wearing coat/ glovesthat I removed in triage. She said well that’s clearly broken and told me to go back to the waiting room leapt up and opened the door whilst I try to support my wrist and pick up gloves/coat/bag.

The same thing happened to me 45 years ago. Having to hobble from end of the hospital from the other because the x-ray department was being renovated and zero sympathy.

I eventually exited in a plaster cast several hours later with no pain relief whatsoever.

Not good to see nothing has changed.

The no family waiting means one carer only if needed, it was needed so why did you wait alone?

Thanks for the replies everyone. Sad to see my experience isn't unusual.

In everyday life I usually would be the first person to speak up for myself, this is the first time I've ever needed a&e for a injury to myself and coupled with being in more pain than I've ever experienced I don't think I realised how vulnerable I was going to feel.

I sent dh on as I knew I was likely to have a long wait and there's been a lot on local social media etc about how over crowded our local a&e is. I suppose I just stupidly thought I would be taken care off.

I work in social care and have to advocate for my residents with health care professionals a lot but it's totally different when you're the one in pain.