To think some things should just be turned away from A&E?

[ifallinlove]

I saw a channel 4 video about a day in a&e during the heatwave.

The first guy seen was a bloke who had decided to walk across hot tarmac to get food while at the beach and now had burns on the bottom of his feet.

He said he had “forgotten to get shoes”. I’m sorry but it’s been 35 degrees for at least two weeks now. There is no way on earth that you “forget” to put shoes on. He made the decision to do it and now sought emergency care.

AIBU to say things like this should be redirected to minor injuries and the appropriate referrals made from there? It’s his own stupidity taking up a bed in a&e!

Looking for a medal for putting your life at risk isnt helping those "hero" medical staff. You are part of the problem.

Our local A&E makes you check in and awnser loads of questions to prioritise you. Nobody wants to wait 4 hours to be seen for a burn; but nobody is going to wait that long unless they think they really need to are they?

Your comment about self inflicted is unreasonable- it wasn't self inflicted it was an accident. Even then, self inflicted things can still be an emergency!

No, trying to sort our care for my young children when there is no-one, and hoping I could ride it out at home. Someone not going in at first sniff of illness isn’t contributing to the problem. The people who go when they are not seriously unwell are the problem.

The system is fair - all resources are allocated equally regardless of an individual's financial contribution in tax and NI.

There should be consequences for some. Difficult to decide which ones though.

I agree .
On Sunday evening I had an accident and needed stitches.
Waited 3 hours for an X Ray and 5 hours for the stitches.
I really wish there was a private alternative to standard A&E.

Thing is they do turn people away - after they have seen them.

My mum suddenly lost the use of her legs and was having muscle spasms - they gave her a muscle relaxant, painkillers and sent her home. (I wish i was kidding).

I read an article about a mum with a newborn who went to A&E as she herself was unwell - they said it's a cold or flu and sent her home. (She died a few hours later btw)

Etc etc

They do turn people away - "give them pain relief and tell them to get out" seems to be modus operandi

Patients are redirected from A and E to a more suitable service on a daily basis. A person qualified to do so makes that decision.
Whether something is self inflicted or not is irrelevant.
People being turned away because of their own 'stupidity' is a slippery slope.

You are underestimating how genuinely stupid some people are.

He probably didn't think about putting shoes on and probably wasn't bright enough at school to learn basic physics about heat transfer... you only have to look at all the people who walk dogs in the heat!

A&E will triage people, and it's only fair that those that don't qualify as an emergency have to wait hours.

When I had a “pulled muscle” it was pneumonia, and I was admitted via resus. Sadly it isn’t always obvious.

I dunno, where do you draw the line? Most accidents are caused by some degree of fault or stupidity. I snapped my wrist clean in half aged 8 because I was jumping between beds and fell. Is that more my fault than an elderly woman breaking her hip because she chose to venture out in the ice? Sure I guess, because mine was more demonstrably stupid. But both are avoidable with hindsight, like most accidents. Both were foolish to different extents. Both require emergency care.

Same goes for someone presenting with complications from a smoking or obesity related cancer. Obviously they should receive care but they're just another example of someone making bad choices and having to deal with the consequences like that guy who burned his feet.

It's too complicated and inhumane to draw these kinds of distinctions and if there's one thing the NHS should always strive to be, it's humane.

I think YABU on the specific issue. I do think that A&E is being increasingly misused for things that are neither A nor E, and people with routine ailments should be sent elsewhere. The reason why it happens isn't a mystery; it's because in many places, it's become much harder to see your GP. Nevertheless, A & E can't be expected to be a substitute GP surgery as well as all its other functions.

However, the judgements should not be based on whether the person is considered to have done something foolish that caused or contributed to their injury or illness. Triage should be basewd on need and urgency, not on percived 'deservingness'.

Where I used to live, security guards at A&E judged someone “drunk” and tipped him out of a wheelchair onto grass outside, where he died of the head injury that made him appear “drunk”

i cant make my mind up if your unreasonable simply because when i ride my horse and i fall off i will become a bed blocker by your standards lol

Humans do stupid things sometimes. That might well include you one day OP.

I think before we start turning people away from A&E, we need to look at the reasons they feel the need to go there in the first place.

Our GP has a triage service for appointments and most of them start with a phone call, so in practice it’s quite a lengthy business to actually see one face to face. We should be looking at the reasons why, since Covid, GP’s are so reluctant to actually be in the same room as their patients.

Often minor injuries clinics are attached or near A and E. Often you go to A and E first and when booking in get told to go to minor injuries or urgent care.

That's nice. Our A&E asks people with minor injuries to attend A&E, because it doubles as the MIU. It's a long drive to the nearest separate MIU.

But by the same token, triage to see a GP should be based on need and urgency. It clearly isn’t - evidenced by so many people using A&E as the alternative.

Same here. We only have a walk in centre that pens between 12 and 4pm three days a week. By the time they open the doors, the queue is a mile long.

I’m sorry but I do agree with OP in one sense that if the injury could be seen by a GP and is not urgent then they should be turned away and advised to go that route.

I do not think a hard and fast rule that self inflicted injuries should be turned away, for obvious and very sad reasons.

However, I was recently advised to attend A&E by 111 and whilst I was on the floor of the waiting room, heaving over a sick bowl and close to passing out, I did overhear a gentleman come in for a stubbed toe…

You could implement it by abolishing the NHS, and having all care as private. Then it wouldn't effect you whether or not other people were being stupid.

You are being prejudiced and judgmental!
A swollen ankle may be broken and the results of a fall can be serious, irrespective of whether the person was intoxicated or not.

No OP, many people do not know that. Why would they?

We have no minor injuries unit here so it's A&E or GP.

A&E cannot turn people away or they are at risk of being sued.

A lot of the injuries that are seen there are because someone has done something completely stupid, often under the influence of drink - it's a pain in the rear but you cannot turn them away. An injury is an injury.