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.

You need to do a bit of work on what ‘stalking’ is. Lazy, offensive retort.

Some of these posts are very naive 😕 My daughter had emergency surgery on Thursday at 12.30 pm. We arrived at a&e at 7am on Wednesday. Pain ++, vomitting, infection markers up. It took 12 hours to get a scan, another 4 hours for results / plan. Then another 12 hours to get to theatre. It was awful. Post surgery the ward staff were lovely and we came home last night. Lucky you who hasn't needed a&e or who lives somewhere with with a small population. I'm a nurse / Midwife of 30 years, I've worked in a&e years ago.... and I can say with confidence that the drop in standards of care (certainly where we live) is horrendous 💔

After my recent a&e experience where I needed a nebuliser, I'll have to be literally at death's door and dragged there to go again.

Brought in by ambulance with breathing difficulties. I'm autistic with support needs that are simple but vital for me to feel safe. Paramedics were wonderful and clear with rapid response staff who admitted me what those needs were.

Despite me wearing a sunflower lanyard, none of my needs were met. They put me in majors but registered me as being in minors. They lost me for 3 hours. The doctor only found me by calling me on my mobile. During that 3 hours, I was sat in silent meltdown with tears running down my face, stimming continually and completely ignored, in a brightly lit room with hard chairs.

My treatment once I was found was wonderful. The doctor immediately wrapped me firmly in a sheet in a quiet cubicle and turned down there lights. She explained everything that was going to happen step by step and I was treated appropriately until I was well enough to go home.

I'm still incredibly traumatised by this 3 weeks later.

I fractured my elbow. Slept on it overnight and wandered into a&e Sunday morning. Plenty of time to pack a bag.

got sent to a&e by 111 for suspected appendicitis with ds. Plenty of time to take the essentials. Unless you’re being blue lighted there you can grab a few things before you go.

I do throw some thing together - snacks, puzzles, books and drinks for the kids. My experience is that when you're there, you're stuck there and if you're the only adult with one sick child and another little one, it's hard even to get away to get food for the well child. Obviously I can't leave a child for 6-7 hours without eating, so if we're going I chuck the snack box in my bag to take with us.

@CheeseWisely what sort of iwemergencies have you gone with that dont give the time to grab a few bits and put them in a bag. Appreciate that a heartattack, seizure , unable to breath or spurting blood may be exceptions. However if waiting for a 111 booked A&E slot would always charge a phone ansd powerbank and fget a bag with a change of clothes etc.

It’s called Accident and EMERGENCY for a reason! It should be used when really urgent and in that case if you’re a very urgent case you shouldn’t be left waiting long. It’s not thankfully something I think about as on the rare occasion we need to use it, I’d take snacks, a drink and a jumper and hope for the best.
If it was made comfortable, they’d have even more people queuing to get a nice comfy seat!!

People saying those who need treatment don’t wait…..

last time I was in hospital, I spent 18 hours in the waiting room. I was then admitted on to a ward for 8 days.

Sometimes, you really do have to wait.

That's not true though.

I could stand up without pain but I was at risk of a very life changing issue.

That's why I was seen within 30 minutes of arriving at A+E.

What would have made A&E bearable for me when I was there for 9 hours recently would have been: 1. not having to sit on a chair doubled up in agony the whole time; 2. being given adequate pain medication in under 3.5 hours; 3. actually being communicated with as a patient - if you know what you can expect in terms of how they process you, expectations are at least managed. The only communication was asking relatives to give up seats for patients (many ignored this request) and announcements stating it would be three hours to see a doctor, by which time I'd already been there longer; 4. nurse carrying out obs of those patients in pain actually responding to me when I advised my pain 10/10 and I asked for something for it. Instead she completely ignored me; 5. seeing a doctor who could speak enough English to properly explain what my ultrasound results showed; and 6. not being fobbed off at the end of all this.

111 sent me to A&E but the experience was horrific.

I typed a few responses before settling on the least offensive.

Going through someone’s posting history to bring it up on their thread is not OK.

@verifyinhuman can you please give an example of where you feel i could have used a more apropriate service than A&E?

I have to say, I’ve never really been in a situation where I’ve thought to gather some things to make me more comfortable while waiting in a&e. I’ve gone for (many!) broken bones wretched horses over the years, mostly recently my ankle and altho I was only there for four ish hours all in, I was pleased that I’d got my phone charger in the car, and my headphones in my bag! I watched several episodes of below deck 🤣 The most serious was sepsis, and I was completely out of it so no sense of being bored or uncomfortable anyway!

It doesn't matter if there's a more appropriate service than A&E if that service isn't actually available.

I hate the trope that A&E is solely for an accident or an emergency and everywhere has a minor injuries unit, I’ve been to A&E countless times for stitches due to self harm when having a mental health crisis. Wait times have varied from 30 mins or so to 13 hours. I wouldn’t say self harm needing stitches is an accident (obviously) or an emergency, but equally it’s not something you want to ignore for 2 days waiting to get a GP appointment and not sure my GP would do stitches anyway. Ignoring would lead to increased infection risk which would cost the NHS much more. Where would you suggest I should have gone for my non emergency, non accidental but serious wounds (often requiring internal stitches, not something I could just steri strip at home)? There is no minor injuries unit or walk in centre etc near me.

Only been twice but neither occasion did we have time to 'charge a power bank'

First my son got kicked in the head and went blind (temporarily luckily) at a football game and I drove him to A and E and second my partner collapsed, just keeled over in total agony (pancreatitis - was given a 50/50 chance of living)

Both times we were seen immediately - luckily I've never had to wait but both times we went were potential life death emergencies

Lucky you. It took that long for my dad to get painkillers in A+E last Sunday night. He was in excruciating pain. The whole visit was 10 hours.

It’s not stalking. And it’s very relevant on this thread.

Inappropriate use of healthcare services is an issue that we’re not supposed to talk about. But it has an impact on services. Every single GP practice, minor injuries unit and A&E in the UK has a population of frequent flyers. Every paramedic base in the UK has a population of frequent flyers. And those people are placing immeasurable pressure and strain on services.

Social media and places like Mumsnet feed the beast in threads like this. It’s very clear that the OP has issues and is loving the stories that people are sharing.

If you have an issue with pp’s being available to registered users, you should take that up with MNHQ.

I spent 10hrs waiting in A&E last summer (my GP sent me for urgent blood tests and IV antibiotics on a Friday evening).

Battery pack for phone
A couple of films/TV series downloaded
A few litres of water
Headphones
A big warm jumper and a fan (as it can either be boiling or freezing).

That's obviously bollocks though isn't it.

A and E would be more bearable if people didn't treat it like a family day out. I was once in A and E when a couple came with a child aged about 6 with a suspected broken arm. There was both parents, the injured child and three siblings. Over the next 30 minutes both sets of grandparents arrived and to top it all an uncle and aunt turned up with three more children and then another uncle and aunt, mercifully with no children. The noise from the adults was unbearable let alone seven children screeching and running around.

What a judgy thread. I know OP didn’t start the post like that.

Unfortunately, some people are frequent users of A & E, my son being one and therefore as his carer, me too.

For the nosy, judgy people, he’s been numerous times, for such things as, sepsis, pneumonia, seizures that wouldn’t stop after emergency meds, dislocated hip and I could go on.

The oodie sounds a good call @silvershark22. I appreciate their cold water fountains to refill my bottle. I really wish they wouldn’t play the same loud announcement telling people to go to their GP, every 15 minutes. Can’t obviously wear ear plugs otherwise you can’t hear when you’re called.

My daughter recently had appendicitis. Im an ex a&e nurse and quickly diagnosed this at home myself and took her straight off to a&e. Even though I knew exactly what it was and it was time critical, I had time to grab a charger, a change of clothes etc before taking her. Then I proceeded to wait over 4 hours to be triaged, they wouldn't give her any further pain killers and I had to wait another 4 hours to be seen by surgical. The service is atrocious these days. I've only been left 6 years and it has gone beyond disgusting. Luckily my daughter has made a full recovery and didn't rupture her appendix (I think because I was able to quickly diagnose at home and take her in quickly)

@Starlingexpress posts of others experiences are in fact helpful for me and it has been suggssted by my therapist who knows both my medical history, what I have experienced with others and psychological experiences.

There have been a lot of medical invalidation, over both long periods of time and shorter periods of time these have all proved to be things requiring treatment or surgery, where i have recovered appropriately. It is helpful to see that for example others have had long waits.

My therapist has asked me to explore things I can do to make the experience more manageable after as we know I have a kidney stone which hasa risk of needing A&E treatment and i just cant work out how i can go and sit on chairs for so long. My hospital wont allow people to lie on the floor.

They have these at train stations and sometimes hospitals now. You scan your card recieve a power bank and have to return it within a time period like 24 hours. Can’t remember how much but assume per few hours.