I'm so fucking sick of a and e wait times

[cutrtain]

As a working mother to a toddler in nursery, I'm just fucking done with how long it takes to get help in a and e for my child.

It's starting to make me not want to go, in situations that I would have maybe gone in the past.

I'm absolutely exhausted. It's always 3/4 hours wait, at least.

I'm just so done with it. It's a disgrace.

I swear this site is bat shit crazy. More than one poster has pointed out this attitude is going to have a tragic ending one day and I fear they're right.

I am so sorry, this sounds beyond devastating.

Like trouble breathing or fevers that are just ridiculously high for ages and don't respond well to medicine.
Constipation with blood in poo.

I don't think any of those things warrant a trip to A&E. Stop contributing to the problem and consult your GP or pharmacist.

Be glad you are waiting 3 / 4 hours and your not getting rushed through with a very sick child

She did/does!

How the actual fuck does trouble breathing not warrant a hospital trip?! Absolute nonsense.

You don’t think ‘trouble breathing’ might warrant somebody looking a bit quicker than waiting for a GP appointment? Or could be reliably assessed by a pharmacist?!

Okaaaay. You do you, of course, but trouble breathing can be very serious and I won’t be holding off getting my child seen if she ever has the temerity to develop trouble breathing outside of Monday - Friday 9-5. I very much hope she never does, given the state of the NHS and its third world ‘care’ these days.

My local A&E has a separate waiting area for children and they tend to go through more quickly. I would suggest that before you visit, unless is is obviously a complete emergency, you call 111 who can set up an out-of-hours appointment, usually at the hospital which will be quicker.

Yes, A&E is a nightmare. The last time I was there I waited nearly 8 hours to be seen and it was bloody horrible but the NHS is falling apart at the seams due to issues outside their control. You have to patient. They're not out to get you, if they could see your child more quickly they would, just as they would see all of us more quickly. If they could. None of us who end up there enjoy it but if you have to be there you have to be there and you have to accept that it's not working as it could. Belly aching about it won't change that and so yes, you are being unreasonable.

I am a paramedic yes. I disagree with your premise but accepting of reviewing any particular sources if you're sure I am incorrect. I would say fever does not need to be controlled, the advice I always give supported in guidance I'm aware of is only to give antipyretics to make comfortable/reduce pain. Red flags are red flags and would be patient/condition specific.

As an example if someone on here reported they were on day 6 for example of persisting fevers with their child I'd advise seeing GP/HCP, I don't think I'd be very reassured if they felt it was eased somewhat by giving paracetamol.

Some of these posters are absolutely barmy.
So what does warrant visiting A&E?
If you’ve been dead for 3 hours? Limbs are dropping off?

Great advice to tell someone who can’t breathe that they’re contributing to the problem

.

Usually people are relived to be in A&E as it saves their child's lives. The fact you find it boring and sick of going there clearly means not life threatening an accident nor emergency..

I get the premise of markers being patient specific but how is someone not medically trained meant to recognise that? I’m getting quite fed up of “medical professionals” coming online and making a big hoo haa about how everyone is selfish for wanting treatment when they’re not well. If you’re not medically trained how the hell are you meant to correctly diagnose and treat yourself.

😂😂😂👌

@cutrtain don't you have Acute Units where you live?

@SleepyRich thought so. I've noticed you on a few threads similar to this one.

I didn't say you're incorrect but I certainly wouldn't be stating on an Internet forum that an uncontrolled persisting fever isn't concerning.
At least without elaborating a little further as I say i appreciate other red flags are taken into account.
But if I was giving medical advice on this platform I'd be sure to mention other things to look out for.
Lethargy
Dry nappies
Photophobia

Alongside the fever... your post reads like a fever is never a problem
We both know that's untrue.

And yes I'm aware of the NICE guidelines.

Pretty much sums up the attitude of all the idiots falling over themselves to opine that nobody should attend A&E or expect any medical attention for anything less than a limb having just been wrenched off by a threshing machine.

@Stressedafff we aren't all like that honest.

I for one find the other medics posts irresponsible.

The difficulty is that the term 'trouble breathing' is pretty vague and could be used to describe someone with a persistent dry viral sounding cough, all the way up to and including a child that's about to go into respiratory arrest gasping their last. The trouble on calls from 111 to the ambulance service this trouble/difficulty breathing statement will code as CAT2 (for cat1 there needs to be something more that brings up the possibility of ineffective breathing i.e. unconscious, blue lips, noisy...) so when we arrive on the ambulance we walk in generally expecting a history of "my childs had a cough for 5 days and wondering if he needs antibiotics, I'll just get him in from the back garden he's playing football" as much more likely then a need to conduct any kind of treatment. Being selfish I'm happy going to see a child that is well on the ambulance as I don't need to do anything at all, as opposed to the harrowing experience of managing a shocked/septic child into hospital, but I'm disappointed knowing that there will be shocked septic children out there getting lost amongst the worried well.

I think someone mentioned a grunting child earlier and that's a lot more concerning and specific than trouble breathing!!

Private A&E might not exist so much but private healthcare def prevents a lot of A& E trips

@SleepyRich
This is my point entirely. There is nothing we can do about people who exaggerate symptoms for the ambulance service/ED triage.
The call handlers I'd imagine have difficulty actually calling it without seeing the patient.
As opposed to someone who turns up to ED and has sats in triage/ accessory breathing actually visualised.
As frustrating as that may be for the ambulance service.

Private A and E doesn’t exist. At all.

I think we’re living in a dog eat dog world at the moment
People are tired, stressed and fed up
It’s such a pain in the arse getting treated at the moment so I can see why people lie and exaggerate

Just a PSA I don’t agree with it AT ALL, it’s dangerous and selfish. But the way things are it’s only gonna get more common

Neighbour waited 32 hours he had a stroke. Another family waited 50 hours for their little girl to be admitted. It's a shit show in Wales

The competitive ‘you don’t need a&e’ posts on mumsnet are actually quite dangerous. The OP has said that she has been referred due to specific symptoms. Paediatrics will generally always rather see a poorly child to rule out than risk that being the one who actually has sepsis. In her area urgent care could be co-located with A&e and it could be a totally appropriate place for her to be.

it is absolutely a myth that people using a&e inappropriately are the problem- they are not the people keeping clinicians up at night. A&es are full people sick (often elderly) people can’t get a hospital bed. Those are the people everyone is worried about. The minors can be seen easily and sent on their way. Caring for someone on a corridor for 24 hours because the ward won’t take them is the problem, not the worried parent of a sick toddler with high fever.

Paediatric waiting times are and should be less than adults so people saying ‘but I waited 10 hours suck it up’ are not comparing like with like.