Active discussions

Help end medical misogyny. Sign our petition.

Help end medical misogyny.
Sign our petition.

Sign the petition

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To love A&E despite the wait?

135 replies

HotTiredDog · 30/05/2026 22:54

Over 9 hours in a very busy city A&E today with DM, following a fall at home.
They have established that her heart is fine, lots of good blood stuff, X-rays of queries and carried out dressing of wounds.
This was free at the point of need & was carried out by amazing professionals, with the utmost care & thoughtfulness.
Seriously, 9 hours was nothing for all this attention, not really.
The tragedy was on the MH side, with some seriously unwell folk who couldn’t be given the care they so desperately need - I dearly wanted to help but had no way of doing so.
I am so proud of & grateful for the people of A&E. We must keep it safe.

OP posts:
DontShoutInMyEarholeTracey · Yesterday 06:42

AreWeHeadingForAnotherLockdown · 31/05/2026 01:13

My Nan is currently in hospital and is being treated disgustingly, shes 91

While im glad your mother has had good care, not everyone does sadly

True. I have witnessed this first hand too. The elderly are treated appallingly. I despise hospitals and A&E departments.

DontShoutInMyEarholeTracey · Yesterday 06:45

OneNavyPoster · 31/05/2026 00:26

A&E isn't safe. There are more and more people acting as Doctors on rotas who are not qualified but can even get paid more than the Doctors they're not qualified to replace.

Look up the 'Every Doctor' campaign - "A doctor-led community of NHS patients & staff standing together for:
Excellent care for everyone
A well-supported workforce &
A well-resourced, publicly owned, sustainable NHS"

And this published by the British Medical Association (BMA) just last month -

"Half of hospital trusts employing non-doctors on doctor rotas
by Ben Ireland

We are concerned by the ‘haphazard’ approach to advanced practitioners staffing by NHS management
Published: Saturday 25 April 2026

Almost half of hospital trusts have been asking non-doctors to fill in on medical rotas, according to FoI (Freedom of Information) requests lodged by the BMA.

The association had responses from 85 of 202 trusts in the UK, with 41 (48 per cent) confirming they permit AP (advanced practitioners) to cover doctors’ rota gaps.

APs are healthcare professionals with backgrounds including nursing, paramedic, physiotherapy and pharmacy. While many are experienced in their base profession, working on medical roles is beyond their scope of practice.

The BMA has said using APs to fill doctor rotas is a risk to patient safety and that the FoI data showed a ‘slapdash’ approach by NHS trusts and a postcode lottery for patients.

BMA council chair Tom Dolphin said the findings were evidence of a ‘haphazard’ approach to staffing from NHS management at the trusts in question.

https://www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/half-of-hospital-trusts-employing-non-doctors-on-doctor-rotas

Edited

I guess this is what happens when we got too many people in the country and not enough medical staff and hospitals to deal with it all. The NHS is not fit for purpose!

Anarchy99 · Yesterday 07:30

HotTiredDog · 31/05/2026 22:05

That’s sad, to put it mildly. Surely though, the only person who will suffer is you? And the Health Secretary, NHS management etc won’t have a clue.

Show quote history

Well of course but that’s the chance I might have to take. The extra layers of stress aren’t worth it. I can’t even have an appointment at my GP practice without some fuck up or other from their communication.I’m done with one side not knowing what other one is doing and the resultant stress.

Vinvertebrate · Yesterday 07:31

FishersGate · Yesterday 05:40

Probably because you are paying for it! Ridiculous comparison

Show quote history

Emergency care free at point of delivery in FR and CH. UAE requires insurance card because all government healthcare is reserved for citizens.

It’s got fuck all to do with “paying” and everything to do with the NHS model being dogshit. Just look at how many other countries have copied our system: zero.

youalright · Yesterday 07:46

DontShoutInMyEarholeTracey · Yesterday 06:30

OMG, this is awful! Surely brain bleeds need to be identified and treated quickly?
I would ask them to show you cctv footage of alleged assault. The assault will be documented in your medical notes and this is not fair if it’s not true.

Show quote history

This was years ago now would they have cameras in resus as thats apparently where it happened.

nomas · Yesterday 08:34

My hand got drenched in boiling water tap water (so not actually boiling thankfully, like from the kettle), and I drove myself to A+E in a crying mess. The nurse was great, I was seen very quickly and he sat me down in a ward with the cold water tap on for half an hour and then put cooling burn wraps on my hand.

I didn’t need a doctor though. That’s my only experience of A+E for myself, and I was happy with it.

Thepeopleversuswork · Yesterday 09:10

concertinacornflake · 31/05/2026 08:36

No, YABU and your standards are too low.

Nine hours is far too long to wait. Only 15 years ago it was very rare to wait more than four hours.

The people who staff A&E do not think nine hours is acceptable, because it isn't.

Show quote history

Agree. A&E is horrific.

I’m afraid this post falls under the category of stuff from people who follow the “our wonderful NHS” religion and have been brainwashed.

Thinking a nine hour wait is acceptable is like Stockholm Syndrome.

Peanutbutterkitty · Yesterday 09:14

HotTiredDog · 31/05/2026 21:08

FFS. I just said what we experienced.
I am grateful for the care that my DM received, on a very busy, hot, understaffed day - what on earth is wrong with that?
Clearly it’s not the gold standard for emergency healthcare. It would have been easy to complain about then &
now but what’s the point?
Clearly the NhS needs massive improvement, you’d be blind not to see that. It doesn’t have the space, equipment, management structures, clinical & support personnel for the current population levels of this country.
Obviously in some other countries it’s quicker / cleaner / better etc. But it is now what it is now, and can’t be allowed to deteriorate any more than it has done.

Encouraging people to not only tolerate, but even be grateful for the state of the NHS is irresponsible. We should be outraged it has got as bad as this!

elliejjtiny · Yesterday 09:28

IME the NHS/A and E are great in genuine life or death emergencies. But the rest of the time not. Staff are generally lovely and many are like aunties and uncles to my dc who are frequent fliers. But there are some who don't recognise that I know my dc better than they do and that a "simple procedure" is not that simple on a medically complex child. Also the system is broken and underfunded. When my then 12 year old attempted suicide they saved his life in a and e and I am truly grateful. But then he was assessed by camhs and there was nothing they could do for him. My pregnancy with my youngest became a mild emergency and there were delays with getting him out. It became a true emergency and we have both been left with lifelong disabilities that have cost way more in the long run than it would have cost to have the staff required to get him out quicker.

AreWeHeadingForAnotherLockdown · Today 12:17

DemonsandMosquitoes · 31/05/2026 06:46

Sadly, it’s the fact there are now so many 91 year olds, often frail, with several complex co morbidities and in very poor health that are in and out of A&E like a revolving door and at the heart of the NHS capacity problems. No excuse for poor ‘care’ though.
Difficult conversations needed. Nurse of 36 years.

Doesnt matter how many '91'years old are in and out

My 91 year old nan was last in 6 years ago and was treated worse than a dog.

The hospitals have no care and compassion.
Its awful.
I notice how the nurses treat the elderly so much worse

New posts on this thread. Refresh page