To say stop moaning about A&E

[Darkcarpark]

My son (21) dislocated his shoulder and I took him to A&E. They were absolutely fabulous with him, because it was an emergency! He had bloods taken, X-rays, two doctors and a nurse manipulate his shoulder back into place with morphine and a further X-ray, all in under 3 hours. So I just want to say to all the people moaning about A&E waiting times to think about whether you were a genuine accident or emergency and for anyone what has had good experiences of A&E to put a shout to the staff that are there for us in our time of need.

This makes perfect sense. They want us out asap and they know how to make that happen quickly. I am just saying that I am grateful for this and feel sad when my son has had a positive experience, but even he has been fed that the NHS are rubbish vis SM.

And people should remember to complain to the government instead of the NHS, as it’s the chronic underfunding of the NHS by the government that have left it in this state

Sadly you sound sanctimonious.

We've always generally had good experiences. We have a dc who is very accident prone. Broken limbs and various injuries. Always seen fairly quickly.
I was taken for a suspected blood clot on lung during pregnancy. I was on a trolley on a corridor for 7 hours. There were beds being taken by drunks who had been in a fight with security between 3 of them. Using resources.
Plus one lady who was having a mh crisis. I really felt for her. They were ringing to get her taken to a secure unit with no luck so she was stuck there.
But overall we've been fairly lucky .

I am expressing gratitude. Sorry if it came across as preachy. I’ve just seen my son have his shoulder put back in place by an awesome team, it makes you feel grateful.

I’ve only ever had good experiences with A&E too. Everytime I’ve been seen very quickly, like you they have been in real genuine emergencies/accidents.

On my last visit, I was seen promptly in the AM but then I was hanging around until the evening time when they finally found a ward space for me. Which from reading some of the comments is still good time.

If you saw a dislocated shoulder, you would now it! It would not be suspected.

Thank you. I totally agree x

Lucky you. Your experience doesn’t undermine everyone else’s.

I'm genuinely glad for you and your son, OP, but I'm struggling a bit to bite my tongue here. I spent Christmas haemorrhaging in A&E with a late miscarriage of twins and wasn't seen for 6 hours. All they could do was offer me adult nappies and apologies as I was bleeding through my clothes onto the floor and they couldn't get hold of anyone who could see me. When I was finally seen I was operated on with no anaesthetic due to the urgency. Was that the system working as it should, or where did I go wrong under your logic?

It didn't come across as preachy

It was much worse than that

It sounded as if you were telling everybody to shut up about their terrible experiences in A&E. Trust me, these are so upsetting we don't particularly want to discuss them. I ended up posting here because who else was I gonna chat to in the middle of the night. And I couldn't quite believe that it was happening.

I think we partly end up talking about them out of sheer frustration and also to warn people what situation they're facing. I happen to know that our local hospital has got much worse and an elderly patient with a broken hip was recently on a trolley for 70 hours.

you posted here and told people to shut up because they dare tell the truth about what's happening.

Now you're trying to backpedal.

I'm not having any of it.

That’s awful, I’m so sorry.

Sorry for your loss and that's the reality for to many families in this country.

And who decides what is genuine and what isn’t? You and the OP? Is being unable to breathe not a genuine emergency? Because my wife was turned away by A&E when that happened to her.

The night DH has his stroke he was taken back to the hospital that had sent him home without treatment (we'll ignore the fact I was on hold to 999 for 10 minutes and that the ambulance took over an hour to come because I blame funding for that) He was taken straight to the stroke unit, when the doctor called me to tell me what had happened I heard a scream in the background and knew it was my husband. He'd fallen over the bedrails and out of bed. He had three more falls in his three weeks on the stroke ward. He was left unattended in the shower twice and had two further falls. His food was left on his table on his right hand side along with his call bell, the stroke had paralysed him. On his right side. He had lost his speech so couldn't call for help. His medication that he needed to digest food wasn't given to him. He was left so long when he needed the toilet he soiled himself. His time there was hell on earth. Your experience was good. It doesn't mean that everyone has the same experience.

I'm sorry about your twins. You didn't deserve that poor treatment at all.

I waited 16 hours on the floor of A&E recently. I was triaged after 20 minutes and was cannulated immediately by the triage nurse - it was clear I would be admitted before I'd even seen a doctor. I then spent 3 days in a chair, and a further 2 on a trolley - so 5 days until I was admitted to the ward. I was extremely unwell and spent 4 weeks in hospital. Prior to attending A&E I'd seen my GP, and we'd phoned my consultant, so I was attending on the advice of both my GP and consultant. Are you suggesting I didn't need to be in A&E as I wasn't seen quickly? Actually, I found when I was there, that the 2 of us who were the sickest in the room waited longest as there just weren't any beds to admit us to. People with injuries or minor illnesses were seen much quicker.

You speak with the sense and fervour of a newly awakened cult convert OP

My husband was in a plastic chair in A&E with sepsis for 54 hours waiting for admission at Blackpool Victoria hospital.

The sepsis was caused by a combination of double pneumonia and, finally discovered after twice being misdiagnosed at the same department (with 32 and 18 hour waits), a necrotic gall bladder that had by then developed gangrene and enormous cysts that attached themselves to his liver. He required complicated surgery in two stages to save his life, over a period of several weeks. He was in hospital for 6 weeks, last surgery on 24th January. He is still recovering, having had his final drain removed just a month or so ago.

His, remarkable, surgeon who went above and beyond in many ways, told us that she had only ever seen a gallbladder in such condition post-mortem.

Your son was a fit young man with a very straightforward injury that is very quick and easy to put right.

Frankly, your post is offensive.

I'm not going to quote what that poor woman went through but only to reiterate what a horrific experience and after enduring that what kind of mark does that leave after experiencing that level of trauma.

Well you were extremely lucky OP and I'd say one of the few. I think if people want to moan then let them, because in my experience in the level of care has been appalling. We are in Wales though - been a labour run NHS for a long time and feels alot worse than England.
My brother has had multiple, maybe in excess of 30 TIAs (like mini strokes) over a 4 year period and every time he has phoned for an ambulance he has been told its a 24 hour wait. I have a family friend who's husband had a stroke and was told to make their own way to A&E (30 min drive away) because the wait was 12 hours. The local hospital (5 mins away) used to have an A&E department but that was closed down (cost saving) in favour of a new 'super' hospital 30 mins away which can't cope with the number of patients in A&E. The wait for a 'telephone' appointment with a GP in the area is 2 weeks. So I'm not surprised so many people go to A&E or they don't bother and die at home.
My mum worked as a nurse for the NHS for over 50 years and even she thinks it's appalling. She was diagnosed with bladder cancer a few years ago at the age of 72. She had to have her bladder removed and a stoma put in. A couple of weeks later she had to call for an ambulance because she was in agony. She lives alone but wasn't well enough to drive and she was told there weren't any ambulances available and to take a taxi to hospital (30 mins away). When she reached A&E she had to wait in a chair in a "holding room" for 24 hours to wait for a bed. No hot food, just sandwiches, and sat in a chair in pain for 24 hours at the age of 72 having dedicated her life to the NHS. It is absolutely disgusting and indefensible. It's not normal and nobody should be accepting this as normal. Its not like this everywhere else. l live overseas and the healthcare is incredible.

I don't blame anyone who moans about the NHS because it's diabolical and not fit for purpose and A&E is a complete joke. Nothing works in the UK anymore, it's a total mess.

Imagine having a high standard experience of A&E and telling others to STFU when they don’t the same standard. You sound weirdly proud OP that you were there for “real reasons”. Playing devil’s advocate - he could have gone to an Minor Injuries unit and left A&E for people who need it

Incidentally, OP, when my husband was finally admitted to the ward, someone did not raise the guard rail on one side of his bed. Still delirious, he tried to take himself to the lavatory and fell full force on one knee. Only then was he catheterised. As a result, he is still using a walking stick.
I also should have mentioned that he has osteoarthritis in his spine along with several compacted discs. Can you imagine sitting in a hard, plastic chair for over 2 days in that condition?

yes, I’m still bloody angry.

The last time I was in A&E was with a fractured ankle and 3 broken metatarsals in the 16 hours I waited to see a dr and then the further 3.5 hours I waited for the xray, my foot and ankle had swollen so much they couldn't get a clear image so I was given a boot and crutches referred to the fracture clinic for more xrays. I should have been seen at the clinic within 3-5 days but it was 10 days before they could see me, by which time I needed an operation on my foot to rebrake and realigne the bones in my foot which had started to heal wrong.
So I'm glad your son was very lucky but you can fuck off with your smug crap about not being an emergency, I was just not a life threatening emergency so others came 1st as they should.
Having spent years in and out of A&E and the fracture clinic I can't fault the staff but I can and will fault the system that is so under resourced that they've closed all but 1 A&E in my county and did away with the a&e orthopedic department which resulted in me needing an operation and twice as long healing time when all I needed was a quick xray ,bone manipulation 2nd xray and cast all that would have taken about 35 minutes max (not my 1st misaligned brake)

I had similar went with a pulmonary embolism sent home told it was anxiety nearly died at home got brought back to hospital for a nice 27 hour wait for a bed