To think you don't quite realise how badly the NHS is suffering until you witness it first hand

[DaisyCat33]

My parents are sitting in A&E today. They've just hit 12 hours. My dad was sent there by his GP for severe neck pain this morning. He's had morphine and an MRI scan, but they're now endlessly waiting to see a Dr about results. He hasn't even got a bed to lay on, despite debilitating neck pain. Many people are standing or sitting on the floor.

The couple sitting next to them have been there since 3am, for difficultly breathing.

I'm shocked. Honestly I knew the NHS had it's issues, but this bad?! It's frightening. I also had an email the other day saying my NHS dentist is closing, and it's basically a "well sorry no dentist for you any more, bye bye"

I don't really know the point of this thread really, I just feel shocked and upset that this is how it is. And I think a lot of people don't even realise? My parents definitely didn't until today. They are losing the will to live sat in that hospital.

Does anyone else just feel utterly helpless and anxious about this?

In November, my husband (early 50s) sat for 3 hours in the A and E waiting room whilst having a heart attack. He was then moved to a trolley (when they realised it was a heart attack, despite him telling them on numerous occasions about his worsening symptoms) where he stayed for a further 33 hours (albeit being monitored) before finally getting a bed on a ward. He was very lucky that the outcome wasn't worse.
Staff in A and E were incredible after the initial 3 hours and obviously frustrated and upset that they couldn't meet the needs of all their patients. The system is broken, probably beyond repair.

except when neck pain is a sign of meningitis?

Hey, did I just see today the government needs an extra 2 BILLION that they didn’t budget for?

My dad died in a&e late last year, the doctors knew he wasn't going to make it from around 3pm (they were telling us to be prepared) however needed to wait for x, y and z of information before they would administer pain relief. He got his first round of pain relief at 3am after i and im not proud finally started harassing staff, he died at 7am. 12 hours of pain in a room surrounded by others in pain.

The Lady in the bed next to my dad didn't have family with her overnight and in-between saying our final goodbyes i had to track down a doctor because she went into cardiac arrest with all machines blazing but it was so manic no-one had noticed what had happened. She died too.

It's a war zone and if you want your family to survive, don't let them go to a&e on their own be prepared to have to fight to get your own seen.

That is selfish and its cruel and its not the health care staffs fault but it's truthful.

We are in the South East and the A&E wait is on average about 6-8 hours. My child has rare disease so we've had about 30 visits over 10 years. Hers is normally classed as an emergency (what A&E should be used for and not a stop gap for lack of gp appointments) and on every single one of these occasions she has been seen immediately (often much to the annoyance of others who have been waiting several hours because Johnny has a sore throat). I have seen it time and time again that people go to A&E when it isn't an actual emergency and then complain when they have to wait 10 hours or make nasty comments because we jump the queue!!!

Recently I had a life threatening emergency and I was again seen immediately and stayed in for a week after.

I was in Istanbul last summer.

I developed a urine infection. I went to a walk-in clinic and was really impressed.

I saw a doctor within 15 minutes. His English wasn't very good, but he was very friendly and he used Google translate to make sure he got all the details right.

I gave a urine sample and they analysed it straightaway in their adjacent lab. This took another 15 minutes and the doctor then gave me a printout of the kind of infection I had and which antibiotics were needed.

They also had doctors with specialisms in certain areas there.

I feel that what you describe, sadly, is an example of how the NHS often dehumanises both the patients who use it and also , some staff who work in it.
Too right you did not deserve to be laughed at/mocked.
It's tragic.

I've changed doctors and my new ones are great
Rang them about 9.30am "yep sure we will fit you in, do you want a phone appointment first or come down for a face to face?"
I can even be seen evenings and weekends
It's like night and day to my old ones

@Blanketenvy if you saw my follow up post to someone else. I also had a rash on my breadt and she wouldn't look at it.

I have only been to the GP 2 times in the last 4 years. I'm not someone who goes for nothing. You are not a very nice person. I don't know if a lump coming going is a concern or not because I'm not a bloody doctor.

I had an op today. Pretty major, I will be in for a few days.

There was no bed for me after. I was taken to recovery and for 6 hours I was given no pain relief, no drink, and my catheter bag filled up and the overflow kicked in. I saturated my bed. I had no buzzer to ask for help and was strapped to the bed with IV's and the curtain shut.

I didn't have any food and because I am coeliac was told they couldn't cater for me either.

When my parent came up they had to bring me food and find someone to help with the bed and the bag and ask for pain relief.

There was not a soul around me. It's like they literally forgot I was behind the curtain.

@manipulatrice I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you get some rest and can recover quickly. Have you managed to get some.more family/friend support x

No GP in Britain tells a patient to go to A&E for an ingrown toenail or sore throat. Behave.

I keep reading these horror stories, but we've been lucky when needed A&E/ambulance recently. However it's so inconsistent as a service and I don't rely on it.

I am currently begging for pain relief 😔

It's truly awful and I agree with someone earlier who said that we are becoming conditioned into just accepting it's the way it is. But that's wrong. People can't get treatment for ages for serious problems, less serious matters don't get any treatment. I had a consultant appointment last year and one of the first things I was asked was could I afford to pay for the operation privately. I was shocked but to be honest I have had quite a lot of medical stuff going on lately and am routinely shocked.

It is very scary. Two friends of mine recently went in for minor outpatient surgeries, were injured during surgery which was initially missed, were fobbed off about their pain, developed sepsis that was missed, almost died and now have colostomy bags. TWO friends.

I realised the same when I had to stand for 6 hours holding a 2 week old who had been blue lighted and stabilised from a non breathing Brue event. Post partum from a C-section, no pads for me, no nappies for baby. That’s when I realised.

I have subsequently realised that the hospital a few miles away over the border to another CCG is pretty much walk straight in for a paper cut. So I haven’t a fucking clue what’s going on. It’s a postcode lottery. And sadly if we need an ambulance we get taken to the shit one (same distance away)

I took my family and left the UK because after an experience in A&E last year I decided it was no longer safe to bring up my family there. I now live in a country where I am seen in A&E in 5 mins and then immediately by a consultant in 15 mins. Obviously I pay but that is the reality of expecting a service.

Your mum must have been extremely lucky there, which is definitely a good thing for her, you and your family.

My dad spent 19 hours on a trolley there 6 years ago so pre covid. Was shocking and much worse than the Christmas eve 9 years ago. He died 4.5 years ago for sepsis from an infection they kept telling me I was I imagining.

My mum was sent there by the ambulance service (they asked me to take her so they could go to the next patient, they came to her following an unexplained medical event ) 9 hours later the decided she needed to go home and come back for a scan the following day. The technical told her she had gallstones and to go back to ambulatory care, they sent her home and rang to say everything was ok, she queried this and the gallstones was written so smaller they'd missed it. She was told she would be referred to gastro, she was already under gastro for unexplained bowel issues. Instead of being seen she got discharge, we saw her gp who said she didn't need any help other than imodium that was 2 years ago. She's been backed her GP a few times but has now given up, everything she eats goes straight through her and she often has accidents. I think we need to go back and be a bit more graphic buts she's fed up.

I fear for the future of the NHS.

Just stop voting for the tories who want to bring the NHS on its knees so they can sell it off to their mates so they can make money. It’s really that simple, vote for labour

I had the same experience in Dec, went to A&E with temp and cough. Saw a respiratory dr in A&E, had an X-ray, bloods and antibiotic injection. Diagnosed with pneumonia, all this in 2 hours Was also offered food, didn’t eat as felt so rough. Had daily injections for 5 days then on to oral antibiotics.

Hospital was clean, bit tried and it was busy but didn’t have a manic feel to it. Turkey also provides good food (free) to all staff. The canteen for visitors was very good and reasonably priced.

Not my experience . It’s been amazing every time myself, husbands and friends used it.
My only gripe is whilst I have no issue with doctors, nurses or other staff from outside the U.K. but they do need to speak comprehensible English. Trying to explain to someone with crap English that without my contact lenses ( removed for an op) I cannot meet her terse request to get up ( I can’t see Jack) and I’ve no clue what I do with the catheter thingy.that I’ve woken up with was hard work. The other nurses got it straight away.

I do feel some anxiety over it, OP. I’m sure there is still triage occurring, so that genuine emergencies are still prioritized, but those who still genuinely need help in lesser accidents or emergencies shouldn’t be waiting for so long, in pain.

It seems likely that triaging errors are more likely when the department is in chaos.

And having been stuck in A&E once for a very long time (after being seen immediately) because there was no space on the ward, it’s pretty awful. I had to climb over the side of the trolley bed because I needed to go to the toilet and had been forgotten because I was considered to have been stabilized. That was probably twenty years ago now and I do believe it’s got worse since then, due to chronic underfunding.

@Wingedharpy

I had the same experience with being denied pain relief. The last time I asked (pleaded) I was sobbing.
When I asked a nurse to help me with a glass of water, she just pointed to a stack of paper cups in one direction across the room and the water cooler in the other. But I couldn't walk... Other patients helped me. Someone's school aged daughter offered me her trail-mix. 😊 When I was sleeping on the floor tiles, yet another patient covered me with their blanket.

In the end, due to pain and infection, my body started giving up - I got breathless, delirious, agitated and collapsed. And then I called for an ambulance from the floor of the A&E whilst a nurse stepped over me lying there. After 14h of a nightmare, that call sorted all the help needed in 10 minutes.

There was also an out-of-this-world horrific procedure with zero pain relief I had to go through post-op. There was a moment during the procedure where I was alone, shivering naked, passing out from pain in a tepid bath. The water was the colour of my blood and with the smell of pus...
I pulled that emergency string to call for help but the nurses couldn't get in through the locked door! My heart still pops up to my mouth every time I think of it.

I suppose I'm alive... But for a long time I wasn't - for a year after I suffered with something very similar to fibromyalgia and PTSD.

I'm still absolutely terrified of ever needing to attend A&E. Even as little help as adequate pain relief would achieve wonders within the NHS and leave less of the patients broken and scared.

It's broken though. The NHS is no more.