Paramedics made my father go to hospital

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My father has atrial fibrillation. He has had this for years.

He has been told multiple times what to do in the case of an episode of AF. Today, he had one while I was visiting. It took a long time to pass, so in line with his consultant’s plan my mother called 999, after the usual medications had been given at home.

In the time it took for the paramedics to arrive, the attack passed and when they did arrive, it had been nearly an hour since it had ended.

They still made him go to hospital as they “couldn’t rule out a heart attack”, despite my father insisting that he knows his body, knows what an AF episode feels like and knows when it has passed. All he wanted was to go to bed and sleep off the effects of the beta blockers he had taken.

They still essentially made him go to hospital, saying that they would make him sign forms if he didn’t which showed he had refused medical advice. I was present and the paramedics essentially made it sound as though he would be at the back of the queue if it returned and he needed an ambulance again.

Fast forward 10 hours and he’s still in hospital, no doctors available to read his ECG or his blood test results, and he’s been sleeping in a hard plastic chair. AIBU to think this is ridiculous? Paramedics really shouldn’t be encouraging patients to attend hospital when it’s not necessary.

No wonder our NHS is in Crisis,

The amount of people who attend A & E don't need to be there. The Paramedics have to follow strict guidelines and always cover what they do, because people like you waste their time.

I'm sure you would be having another complaint, should he have needed an ambulance later when there were none available..

Stop bitching and count yourselves lucky the ambulance arrived and they done what was expected of them.

Exactly this ! I can guarantee that if the paramedics had told him they didn’t think he needed to go to hospital then an hour later something really bad happened the OP would then be making a compliant against paramedics!
it called doing their job properly !!!!!
my dad has been in similar situations before and really did not want to go with the paramedics but I am glad they convinced him to go as I am of the better safe than sorry mindset . And unfortunately welcome to the NHS hospital in regards to wait times once you are there . If you already know you don’t want to go to hospital don’t call 999

This. It's like a cult, or a religion. YANBU OP. they have parked you dad in a ward sitting on a plastic chair and he will likely be there for 24h by the looks of it.... and he should be grateful for that 🙄

As a funded of the NHS, what I find 'absolutely abhorrent' is people following Consultant advice right up until they don't.

If the AF had ended 45 (60, but I'll give you a window to be certain) minutes prior to the paramedics turning up, the next step on the Consultant care plan is surely "Cancel ambulance if you are certain care is no longer required"?

Since you hadn't cancelled, you were in the system that care was required. It has been provided (on a priority basis). You got what you called for.

PLEASE don't waste any more of your Trust's time or resources investigating a complaint which has arisen BECAUSE YOU DID NOT CANCEL THE AMBULANCE AT THE POINT IT WAS NO LONGER DEEMED NECESSARY.

The paramedics are literally just doing their job. If you don't want DF to be in hospital for 10 hours as a non-urgent case because the event has passed, CANCEL as soon as the event has passed.

Simple, no?

Exactly and at least an ambulance arrived and he was taken care of. Just because he had to wait in hospital (like most non urgent cases) apparently it's not acceptable.

The OP has clearly said that the paramedics bullied him saying that they'd never sent an ambulance again unless he went to hospital. Are all NHS worshippers always this obtuse?

Your father could have chosen to sign the disclaimer. He didn’t so therefore he has to go to hospital. No one forced him - he’s just now moaning because he’s had to wait. As are you 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’d love to know verbatim what the paramedics says because with each of your tellings it gets worse 🙄

No she hasn’t. Re-read her posts 🙈

I have re-read her posts. Not only she's said it, it's the whole point of the thread.

Obtuse??

Have you read the OPs posts? Or just the ones she said they wouldn’t send another ambulance? The story changed over the course of the thread…..

Do you just selectively read?

And if he was so sure he wasn’t going to have a heart attack, when they said (apparently) they categorically would not send another ambulance, didn’t he say that’s fine?

Honestly, these bloody NHS bashes, should just go privately and let us “worshippers” have even better treatment!

Wow 🙄

Just to help you, I’ll repeat some of the OPs posts again!!

They also made it sound like there wouldn’t be an ambulance later for him if needed.
and
Their insinuation was that a second ambulance wouldn’t be sent

Tells a different story to “they said they wouldn’t send one”, don’t you think?

My MIL has been in and and out of hospital all her life, and she has discharged herself many, many times as usually she knows when she needs treatment and when she doesn't. She's not always right though as last time she discharged herself when she had sepsis 🙄

This whole episode illustrates that a free health service is not appreciated.

Now if we had to return to the healthcare existing before WW2 and pay for everything and the poor who could not pay died. Read AJ Cronin, The Citadel for how hard fought to get the system only set up as a consequence of service men returning in 1945 and wanted a better life to justify their sacrifices.

The only way to recognise how lucky we are is to considerably increase taxation to the levels in Europe and Baltics, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, etc and then may be the free access will be appreciated

Never mind OP. You will know next time not to call an ambulance. On behalf of the people whose lives have been saved by getting access to emergency care via an already stretched ambulance service may I say thank you for your consideration.

I am trying really hard to understand and sympathise.

However, my 50 year old husband recently died of a sudden heart attack.
Our young daughters will grow up without their dad.
I really don’t understand where your anger is coming from, be very grateful for your blessings

TBH no, I don't

I believe OP is unreasonable.
I can only comment on what you have told us.
When the paramedics came to the door they could have sent them away but they did not.
paramedics have a professional registration and they must abide by their Code of Conduct.
Your father is an adult with agency and getting him to sign a disclaimer is correct in order to cover them.
He could have discharged himself at any time from the hospital but he did not.
The paramedics have a job to do and if this turned out differently would you still have this issue I think not.
The plan if the AF did not settle was to call 999 no doubt that was said to the paramedics and they were following that.
If you were there why did you not say stop my father will sign the form and not go to hospital. Did you?
Of course complain, but the paramedics did their job and they should be commended. Their records will be looked at as part of that complaint.
Sorry I entirely disagree with OP

Why come on here and ask for opinions and then disagree wiyh every one who disagrees with you? Ridiculous to state that paramedics have not heard of AF.
Agree that you sound very annoying

OP, why can't you drive or take a taxi if another ambulance does not come out in time? Your father knows his body.

If I was present with my father who was insisting that he didn’t want or need to go to hospital he wouldn’t have gone. Ultimately you can’t ever guarantee an ambulance even if you are having a heart attack so I would have stayed on standby to take him to hospital later should he deteriorate.

If you were there why did you not say stop my father will sign the form and not go to hospital. Did you? They didn't because the paramedics said that if they did, they'd never send an ambulance again

Oh go on OP. Give us all a happy moment by copying us in on the wording of your complaint. Though to be fair, shouldn’t that be TWO complaints , one about the ambulance and the other about the hospital wait ?

What's wrong with patients complaining to PALS? I thought that was a good thing about the NHS. Unlike the 10 hour wait to be seen.

It’s frustrating but they just want to ensure they keep him alive. As others have said, families can be quick to point the finger if it all goes wrong so they will always be cautious. You can let the desk at A&E know that you feel better and will be leaving, he didn’t have to stay.