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.

Do you realise the impact on a family having a child with behavioural and sleep issues has? The effects on parental mental health, that it puts the family into a "domestic violence" situation and the outcomes for children brought up around DV are statistically poor.

If you work in primary care and hold the attitudes you post on here I would strongly suggest finding another job.

The problem is waiting hours for things like stitches (or, as in my frequent case, vomiting blood with severe dehydration) IS normal and you HAVE to accept it because there are a lot of people at the top of the queue having strokes or heart attacks. It’s not the staff’s fault. It’s the lack of funding.

I’d like to see the NHS do something about the plethora of its “staff” on social media giving out incorrect and frankly dangerous advice to people with a medical query.

No, it’s probably not normal to be in A&E so much that you need a “loyalty card” but I don’t think I’d have much luck getting cardioverted at the GP practice if I’m honest! Some of us have health conditions that do mean we have to be in A&E frequently, and yes they are usually linked to other long term health conditions, but it’s not the fault of our GPs!

It is frightening. On a practical level, I think we have to start being more responsible for our health (weight management, exercise, handwashing, smoking, drinking etc). We have to consider how we vote carefully in the next election.

I think it will get worse before it get better, if it gets better at all. I sometimes work in A+E and you would be amazed with the conditions and ailments people want treated at 11pm on a Friday night. Verrucas and Corns?!
Perhaps consider if possible some basic health plan? I've switched my mobile phone contract to a PAYG which saved me £15 a month which I now use to pay for basic private healthcare plan which will help if treatment cannot happen within a certain time.

This 100%.

Honestly if there was an option to pay to be seen faster, I would do it.

I used to use private come to your home doctors quite frequently when I lived in london. It was expensive, but it did help, however - I have also been sent to a and e by them before 🤦‍♀️

I haven't found a service like that where I live now unfortunately. There are private GPs, but they just work normal hours and not out of hours. But perhaps I need to do more research because I would pay to avoid all the waiting.

There are many, many children whose eating, sleeping and behavioural issues can be addressed with input from a health visiting team, school nursing services and parenting classes. There is a wealth of information available online from multiple health trusts about managing issues of this nature.
Of course seeking GP input for complex issues is appropriate. But we have over medicalised ‘normal’ childhood behaviours.

And many people are unaware of these services so see the GP as a "hub" to access support. Don't hold it against them for not knowing as much as you do about the system, instead try helping them and be grateful they're asking for help rather than completely sinking in the mud.

Pre covid retired people would be the first in line to book an appointment two or three times a week. Add the queue at 8am to get an appointment. It was a shambles. My GP said that sometimes they just wanted company. Their pain was real but chronic. She couldn't wave a magic wand but said sending them abroad every winter to a warmer drier climate would have saved the NHS money.

They needed new hips, knees, the NHS wait is up to five years in Wales.

Now they have online forms so that they can at least be assessed first. A telephone call maybe enough. They're working shorter hours many part time. Some areas GPs just aren't attracted to. Less patients are seen.

My friend GP has wept post lockdowns when it's just too late for a patient because they didn't want to be a nuisance , save the NHS. During covid.

GPs have remodelled their practices during and post COVID which means folks winding up at the hospital.

Bed blocking is an enormous problem here 80% of our council budget is now spent on social care. We're on the edge of bankruptcy. But you can't discharge the patient until care is in place. Younger generations live many miles away so liaising with social services, council is a painfully slow process.

It depends what the blood looked like. Fresh blood is more likely to be near the entrance of the bottom, such as a fissure whereas dark blood can mean internal bleeding from higher up in the bowels/intestines and is an emergency.

Breathing difficulties is always an A&E situation.

I'm shocked at the replies on here towards the OP.

Not quite sure why people are saying trouble breathing isn’t an A&E situation?! It’s shit but getting help out-of-hours it’s pretty much your only option in lots of places. I was there the other night with a 3 month old, wait was a couple of hours overall but baby was settled so not a major issue. Was a very scary situation and 111 make you jump through super annoying hoops (trying to turn on location services on my phone via mobile link while panicking with an unwell baby? Just wanted to speak to a person quickly and ended up hanging up and just going). I’m sure very few people go without a good reason as A&E is probably my least favourite place in the world, to be honest. Not enjoyable as a place to be.

Going to turn this into a quick advice thread now if someone could maybe help..

Fever is still high today. Just measured at 40.5

He's been on antibiotics since Sunday night. I managed to look in his throat and can see some white spots still.

He also has a really runny nose which for me isn't typical of tonsillitis and would suggest maybe it's viral tonsillitis. I know when they see white spots they just always prescribe antibiotics anyway. Or he could have a virus causing the runny nose and bacterial tonsillitis.

Anyway fever has been raging since Saturday, should I expect an improvement today already? I'm surprised he's still so unwell.

I don't want to call 111 or go to the GP. I suspect they'll just say it takes time.

Honestly @cutrtain follow your gut. I'd phone GP after 2pm explain that you've done hospital over the weekend so want to see GP today. They should hold back appointment for times like this

How old is he?

Are you doing full dose of both Calpol and Nurofen?

My eight month old went limp in my arms phoned friend who dashed us both to the hospital. We spent two days in the hospital asthma diagnosis. Ventolin syrup was the only help at home then. Twice ambulance came out with nebuliser which at that time was £400 to buy in 1983. We couldn't afford it.

Today my granddaughter has far more help with asthma. Some things have improved

It's only just Monday afternoon. I would give the antibiotics at least 24-36 hours.

The height of the fever is less important than the behaviour of the child imo. I actually put my thermometer away for a long time as I got over focused on the number and stopped assessing the child in front of me. Does he rally with calpol? Is he interested in playing or reading or watching TV? Is he eating or drinking?

I had to go to A&E on Friday, I live in Poole.

We were there 6 hours, the average wait time on the screen was 9 hours 55 minutes.
My racist mother asked me if it was "Full of foreigners" when we were discussing it the day after.
She wasn't impressed when I informed her it was full of elderly people who had fallen and/or hurt themselves, some only a few years older than her, and there was only one 'foreigner' in the waiting room.

She's a Tory voter though, and refuses to accept what her vote has done.
And don't Tory voters just love to tell you how "All the parties are the same" to try to justify their vote?! 🥱

GP’s are essential private.
They are essentially almost nothing to do with the NHS.
I can’t get an appointment so I will have to sort myself out.
YOU CAN’T SEE A GP!!

And that is exactly what they want you to do.
Push us all into thinking "Sod it. I'll just go private" whilst slowly stripping the NHS away.

Not everyone has that luxury. Don't give the arseholes what they want, we need to fight against that bullsh*t.

3-4 hours seems pretty quick. I've only been to A&E once in my life, and sat there for 14 hours having a miscarriage. Never again. Honestly sounds like you're going for unnecessary stuff

My local A and E is full of foreigners. Without them there would be far fewer people to treat the patients and far longer waiting times. The NHS relies on overseas staff.

So many (social) issues culminating in the chaos that is A&E.

Parents with zero confidence in their ability to manage minor ailments in their children - no mother, aunts, sisters nearby probably to advise/reassure.

Parents willingness to litigate at the drop of a hat resulting in 111 adopting a ridiculously over-cautious approach and referring (inappropriately) to A&E.

Patients becoming aggressive as a method of jumping the queue - either at GP or A&E. Seen it so many times on here, the advice to 'DEMAND' whatever it is the patient thinks they need.

Aging population.

Adult Care Services in disarray.

Brexit - the loss of soooooo many care workers.

I've had occasion to accompany a couple of people to hospital (day surgery), A&E, hospital admission. What struck me about all three processes was a(ny) patient really needs someone to 'care' for them whilst in hospital. The nurses do not have the time/resources to supply cups of coffee, jugs of water, pop out to get a sandwich if patient has missed meal time, adjust pillows etc. I noticed very few (if any) what we used to call auxiliaries on wards.

I believe we are the stage where we the relatives/friends will need to step up much more to provide the auxiliary support nurses are no longer able to do but which makes such a difference to patients.

I think the antibiotics need time to work and I would give it 24hrs to see
I know I'm an adult but when I've had raging tonsillitis I've been unwell with a high temp of 40 for a good few days and then a lower level unwell for a couple of weeks