People getting annoyed at children's A + E about wait times

[wila]

I know it's just not ideal, but you just have to factor in around 2-6 hours if you're taking your child to a and e.

It's been like this for years. It just ' is what it is'.

I come in with that attitude. I expect the wait and I don't get frustrated about it. I just wait, knowing my child needs to be seen and that's the most important thing.

I was in there the other night and a few people were getting so annoyed. They were wanting me to get annoyed too. I moved to a different waiting area after my child had some observations done and a couple with their child were fuming. They were looking over at me and telling me they'd been waiting for over three hours ! And constantly asking the nurses for an update..

I looked back at them and said that I've been waiting that amount of time too, if not a bit longer. Their little one was unwell, as was mine. But what's the point in getting annoyed about it. It just makes it worse. I've stopped letting my husband come with me when we need to go in, as he's so grumpy. What's the point.

We all know the situation and if it's truly life threatening that second, they're usually very quick. A boy collapsed in the waiting room and the doctors rushed straight to him.

They decided at triage, which category to put you in and continue to observe you. The staff are doing their best most of the time. Why behave that way ?

I agree with you and thank you. My daughter is a doctor in A and E. Yesterday she walked into a ten hou wait. Despite working non stop she ended her shift and the wait was the same.

All the time the admin staff were asking how long she would be with patients the answer was of course it depends how sick they are.

Because having a very ill baby or child is extremely stressful and extreme stress makes people tetchy.

I took my baby in a few months ago and we were seen within 15 minutes, possibly less.

All of the other people there were calm, patient and polite if exhausted and stressed. But the staff were great, kept everyone informed and updated and I doubt anyone had been there 6 hours.

People need to get angry about it tbh. But in the voting booths, not in the waiting rooms.

Well it is a bit shit that you have to wait 2-6 hours with a child in a waiting room. I once waited 3 hours in a walk-in with my then 2 year old and it was one of the longest 3 hours of my life. I'm quite a zen person but it's not surprising tempers fray.

On a broader level, I also think on Mumsnet (and possibly in society generally) there's a bit of an attitude that "oh well that's just how it is and we all know that, so don't you dare complain". It's obviously not fair to have a go at the staff who have nothing to do with the running of the service. But actually, I don't think it's really good enough? I think it's okay to complain about long waits in children's a&e, I don't think children should ever have to wait hours to be seen and I wish we lived in a country that had a health service that actually worked.

I've been to children's A&E 3 times in 10 years with my kids. Every time there wasn't a soul there and we just skipped straight through to see a doctor and were back out within an hour.

Not saying where I live to avoid jinxing it!

I was once in A&E with one of my teenage sons. We where triaged and where seen before people who where there before us due to the injury he had. I could hear the complaints that a teen was seen before their precious toddler. One mother even came into the room where my teen was being treated and complained. Some people have no digity or consideration for others

I've been to a and e with my children abroad ( European country ) and they apologised for a 15 minute wait.

It's not good enough here. But you can't change it in that moment, so best to accept and wait, in my opinion.

About 30 years ago I went to A&E, having broken bones in my foot. Other people were complaining loudly. After I’d waited for 3 hours- ish a nurse came out and announced the wait time would increase because of an RTA, they were expecting patients with severe injuries. Half the room swore at her and told it was disgraceful, they’d already waited etc. the rest left saying things like “I go to my GP tomorrow if you can’t see patients “

Same here with my teen daughter.

She’d had a nasty tumble off a horse and we were seen pretty quickly.

The tutting and huffing when DD’s name was called was horrendous and as DD was wheeled down the corridor in a wheelchair one parent was shouting and making threats that it wasn’t fair, they’d been there 2 hours, young children should be seen as a priority, they were going to sue, DD and I should be ashamed for pushing in - all while her toddler was laying waste to the waiting room.

I took DS to paediatric A&E at around 8pm. There were a few people waiting, but we were triaged immediately and by 11.30 he was in an operating theatre. The wait was for enough staff to open a second theatre. Everyone was wonderful and so good with a frightened child. Admitted to ward after op and discharged the following evening. So glad we have separate A&E for children here.

I had to take 14montb old to a &e and due to how he was unconscious and fitting we were ran through the doors by a Dr whod been talking to someone outside, still got tutted at from the waiting room, honestly not a great experience!

In general, then, because of triage, if you have to wait, it's a sign that the patient is not at death's door?

Crazy. Hope your child is ok.

I agree no one should be rude to staff, but of course some people struggle more with a poorly child and hours of waiting around- although claps and special applause for you for being superior to those who struggle.

Totally agree that there’s no point getting angry in a&e and that people should keep their upset to themselves while there.

But, I think the attitude of ‘just accept it’ is one of the reasons British healthcare has become so shit. It is outrageous that a child can wait for 6 hrs in a&e. People should be furious about that. They shouldn’t show or express in any way that fury in a&e, but they shouldn’t just quietly accept the state things are in either. That is precisely why health and education are never seen by politicians as ‘election issues’, it’s because women stoically put up with shit instead of lobbying for change. Women will march the streets for Gaza/LGBT rights but they rarely protest to protect children’s right to safe medical care and safe education.

As for triage… My friend’s unborn baby died in a&e, while queuing. They kept telling her she just had to wait her turn. Then suddenly blood everywhere and it was too late. I do not have much faith in the ability of overworked underpaid exhausted nurses to correctly triage mysterious problems they were never medically taught to understand.

Agreed! Everyone "struggles" with a poorly child ffs.

I've never known fear like it tbh when I had to rush my 10 month old to A&E and was still made to wait 30 minutes for triage, even though he had been struggling to remain awake on and off for around one hour by that time. Immediately put on oxygen and taken straight through to a bay once the nurse finally began to check him, he had started going blue. It was horrendous.

Did I tut or shout and or moan to staff or other parents? No, why would I do that and how would it help the "struggle" I had with my poorly DC?

I've been to children's A&E a lot with my children unfortunately and sometimes we've been seen quickly other times we've waited up to 10 hours to be seen. The last time we got sent to a hospital over 2 hours away for treatment as they had no one that could do it locally.
I know from the outset it's going to take a while waiting so there's no point getting angry or frustrated.

Our hospital children's A&E doesn't even have paeds Dr's anymore its shared with adult so kids have to wait until the Dr from adult A&E is free.
So many parents come in demanding to be seen straight away with a child that should be seeing a GP not an emergency Dr. They've now started sending kids to the OOH GP on site to help clear the backlog.

@WeightoftheWorld yeah I'm not sure why my comment was removed. It wasn't rude in any way.

Ah well. Yes we all struggle but we don't need to be rude to people.

I'm fortunate in that I've not needed to go to A&E for many years. However, I was amazed when I attended a hospital appointment on Sunday and the digital sign said the wait time for A&E was 20 minutes. Minutes! Not hours!

I appreciate that's for triage, but I was still very impressed.

I think part of the problem is the Amount of people who don’t get how triage works (and how over stretched the system is!)

when I have been in a and e with ds who have generally been “lucky” enough not to wait - due to the nature of his illness. We have experienced plenty of people complaining about that. One memorable occasion when my mum had rushed us in when ds was about 18 months old and struggling to breath, she was sat in the waiting room after he was rushed through and another parent complained to her that her son had arrived in an ambulance so should have been seen first - her son had what turned out to be a sprained ankle (the same mum also complained that an ambulance wasn’t sent to get them home!)

I work in A&E and I wish people would get angry with the system (not staff) rather than placidly sit there and just accept that it's fine to wait a few hours with a poorly child. Where I am it can be an hour plus just to triage, so the initial how urgent is this one is down to untrained receptionists; it's ludicrous and dangerous. Of course people shouldn't be rude to staff, but complaining amongst themselves who cares- I'd join in if it was professional 🤣

So many parents come in demanding to be seen straight away with a child that should be seeing a GP not an emergency Dr.

It depends on the trust but there's generally zero OOH GP cover here, for the majority of things we see in paeds minor injuries isn't suitable either ie respiratory etc (and the MIUs don't have doctors on site so unless it's a clear this is a cut that needs stitching I'd avoid)- whilst some parents see it as an alternative to a GP and haven't tried, many have and don't get anywhere. This isn't the fault of primary care either, that's been fucked by the Tories too!