To share ways to make A&E more bareable

[silvershark22]

Given lots of people find the 12 hour plus waits in A&E tough wondering what things make it barable.

Mine is an oodie can vbe warn if in a draftie place or rolled into hood to make a pillow or sat on to make uncomfortable chairs better.

That sounds so logical, but many people don’t have a minor injuries, and people can’t always get a GP appointment.

How irresponsible.

I had to wait 12 hours last year when I was 19 weeks pregnant. My bp was through the roof. This was because the labour ward wouldn't accept me before 20 weeks at first and they couldn't decide why to do with me. After I was admitted by baby died and I was in for 2 weeks with various surgery and mediation. I can assure you I was unwell enough and wouldn't have gone unless I had to. They told me I had to go through a&e.

MN is always awful for the holier-than-thou crowd who would never dream if using A&E even if their arm had just been torn off.

But back in the real world … if my GP, or a pharmacist/111 etc have told me to go to A&E then that’s where I go.

@CheeseWisely, my friend's 18 year old daughter, who has cancer, was able to pack her own bag and walk into A&E with her dad when she developed a fever. She has been told that a fever while you're on chemo means A&E, regardless of how you feel. She was admitted for 5 days.

So 79 year old man with two gashes in head requiring stitches would have been told to go home? (In case you’re wondering, he’d been sent to A&E from Minor Injuries because Minor Injuries don’t deal with head wounds in the over 70s).

Slick answers are rarely the right answer.

These threads always go the same way. "Don't use it unless you've got a limb dropping off..." It's not always possible to avoid unfortunately.

My local minor injuries unit is... A&E
My local urgent care is... A&E
My local out of hours service is... A&E

If we're to not use A&E unless it's a life threatening emergency then we need our services back!

Yes, really. They wanted it to be X rayed first, which they weren't able to do. We live equidistant from 2 minor injuries units (both are over 15 miles away as it's a rural area) and picked the one we thought was going to be a faster journey, but it turned out to not have an X ray machine working because it was in the process of being closed down and moved to a new building. So they referred him to the nearest A&E instead.

Why would you "doubt it"?

Really? My neighbour collapsed last year, was taken in by ambulance fitting, with chest pains and an abnormal ECG. She lay in a gurney for 23hrs with her 6yo daughter sitting at her feet without food and drink. She was admitted to the cardiac ward at that point and finally someone thought to call a relative to collect the child.

That's in Derriford in Plymouth. Frequently on code red or code black or whatever the hell they call it.

Yet when DH was punched in the face and presented with a mild orbital swelling, we were in and out in an hour including xray, review by orthopaedics and advice. No way was he more deserving than the neighbour.

@verifyinhuman I appreciate that there are a number of health related posts, however, you are not able to tell where these relate to me or more generally getting advice for others.

If anything the anxiety relates to not getting support quickly enough leading to conditions worsening. This is a thing I have discussed with my GP and therapist

If it were purely health anxiety then why have I needed emergency surgeries or multiple weeks on iv antibiotics. I also have epilepsy so have sometimes had to go in and see more either during diagnosis or if I have injured myself needing either xrays or stitches.

I have a bag that I keep in the car, so it automatically comes with us or I can quickly pick it up if am ambulance is required.
I have spare clothes for each child (helpful anyway if we're out for the day and they're needed), a portable charger and a wired one, small snacks and bottled water. Water is the main one for me, each time we've been I've been absolutely parched, the hospital is so warm and all the vending machines were cash only. I had to keep asking for cups of water for each of us at reception while we waited.

@ShutTheFuckUpCakes my mistake, quoted the wrong person! I doubt the clinical manager telling people to go home story.

Regarding phone chargers, packing bags etc as @SmallGoddess says, when I had to call an ambulance for DH the paramedics were brilliant in checking that I'd got everything we might need.
(Phone / charger/ keys / pyjamas/ toothbrush). They were lovely and very reassuring.

When my DD had severe ongoing respiratory issues, we knew that once we'd called an ambulance we'd have c20mins to pack a bag. We quickly learnt to take an iPad and phone charger! Plus clothes, tooth brushes, snacks etc. Longest we were in A&E waiting for admission was 33 hours.

I’ll leave that to whomever looks at your posting history to decide
but certainly it’s clear to me

Your local A&E is somewhere you seem very familiar with

Exactly - our GP surgery will now only make appointments for emergencies. I don't know where I'm meant to go for anything that is making me unwell but isn't life-threatening now.

Accident and emergency !!!!!! So you can't be 'preparing' to go to A&E

Stalking is not a good look @verifyinhuman

The reason A&Es are so busy is not because patients are using them irresponsibly but because of failings elsewhere in the healthcare system.

I have been sent to paediatric A&E three times over the past year, not because my children really needed emergency treatment but because our GP had no appointments (you have to call bang on 8.30 and the illnesses developed after that) and we were directed there when I called 111 for help. They were things that we really did need to be seen about in good time - laboured breathing, constant vomiting in a young child, dehydration - but probably not accidents or emergencies.

So much judgemental crap on this thread.

I've been to A&E a few times in the last 5 years.
Once because 3 week old DS had a terrible hacking, rasping cough and the midwife told me on the phone to skip the GP and go to A&E, but to pack an overnight bag first - excellent advice, we were seen within an hour and admitted with RSV.
Once because 8 week old DD gradually over the course of a day came up in a full-body rash and then spiked a temp that wouldn't settle with paracetamol. By the time it was apparent that it was serious, it was 5pm and the GP was shut so 111 advised A&E. Again, we did take 10 mins to throw a bag together, which we needed as admitted overnight.
Once because 3yo DS fell down a stone staircase on a day out - fine initially but then started saying he was dizzy and was tripping over, couldn't walk straight etc. We already had a bag as we were out but I stopped at the petrol station en route to grab water and snacks (again we needed them - long wait and I had both kids with me).
Most recently because 4yo DS fell and got a gash in his head. I know head wounds bleed a lot and can look worse than they are, so I took him to minor injuries first and they redirected me to A&E. Again, I did spend 5 minutes throwing a phone charger, water, snacks and a colouring book into a bag.

They were all appropriate visits to A&E, and in each case I had time to pack a bag first - it only takes minutes to throw a couple bits into a bag. The only time I haven't taken a bag with me was after a suicide attempt pre-DC, when I wasn't in the right state of mind to think about it.

You can have a pre-packed bag or gather the essentials while the ambulance is on the way - which is what we did at first. We still had enough time after getting off the phone to 999 to pick up a blanket, phone and charger and throw some clothes on over pyjamas.