to be appalled at the 'treatment' my daughter received at the hosptal?

[Katecat]

First AIBU but happy to hear all opinions.

DD (2.4) has had a horrible vomiting/diarrhoea bug since Friday. We'd been keeping on top of things by pushing fluids and lots of rest and she seemed ok by Sunday pm just a bit tired so I took her to the childminder on Monday morning as normal (I know but she really seemed better, loves her CM, no other children there and CM was happy to have her). CM called Monday lunchtime to say DD was unwell again,lots of vomiting.

Anyway, eventually got her to see GP around 4pm, by this time she was very pale and lethargic but had stopped vomiting - nothing left to vomit [] and the GP wanted the paeds at the hospital to see her. He rang Children's ward and was told they were really busy, lots of other children with the same bug, and to refer us to the other hospital (about 15 minutes longer drive for us) A&E department. I wasn't happy with this, it isn't a children's A&E and I can't beleive they're allowed to refuse to see a sick child? As DD clearly needed to be seen I decided to try my luck and go straight to the busy Children's ward anyway. On arrival (had to carry DD by this point) I handed my Gp's letter to the Paed who said they had not received a call and wouldn't be able to see us, I had to go to the other hospital. By this point I was very worried about DD and absolutely livid that they refused to see her even though she was clealy unwell and demanded to see the person in charge. Nurse came along and told me no way we could be seen, go to other hospital etc. There was only one other family waiting, how can they claim they're too busy? After 20 minutes of me refusing to move, Dr came back and said she would have a 'quick look' at DD but if she needed admisission there were no spare beds (why could I see 2 beds parked in the coridoor then?!). So, she decided that DD needed intravenous fluids to rehydrate her yet STILL refused to admit us and I was forced to drive my sick child to the further hospital where she was thankfully admitted quickly and got the fluid she needed (the trauma of that is another AIBU itself )and is no on the mend although still on the ward.

Sorry this is long but I am so so angry. Am I right in thinking the hospital were useless and unreasonable and the staff would have been responsible if anything had happened to DD?

YABU

you tried your luck after being told to go to the other hospital.

your fault, not the first hospital's fault.

Sorry you had to go through this (and very sorry your child is so unwell), but you are being VU for all the reasons above.

I think you should tell us EXACTLY how much time you spent at the first hospital

Sorry to hear your daughter is unwell, I hope she makes a quick recovery.

However... I think YABU.

You were told before you went to the children's ward that they wouldn't be able to see/treat her, and you were directed somewhere with space and facilities which could, yet you chose to ignore that and still 'tried your luck' with the children's ward anyway. You should have taken her to the A&E ward in the first place so she could have been treated sooner.

Sorry that your daughter is ill.

I dont think that the hospital would have been responsible if anything had happened to your DD. You were told that the nearer hospital had no bed, so in choosing to go there rather than the hospital that you were referred to you were taking the responsibility for that yourself.

You made the wrong decision. I can see why, because you were anxious about your DD, but surely on the cold light of day you must see that you were responsible for the delay in her being treated? Glad she's recovering.

Sorry YABVU.

Hospitals only close to new admissions (which it sounds like they had done)when things get very fraught.

"Trying your luck" and then persisting in your atttempt to be seen when you had already been offered alternative care elsewhere jeopordised not only your daughters care but that of the children already on the ward.

I actually think you reflect on this and consider writing to apologise. You probably made a really stressful day for the staff 10x worse.

The biggest lesson in my NHS career has been to never try to beat the system. No matter how crap the system is trying to alter it (even for the benefit of patients) on an informal level always results in monumental screw ups.

YABU

There are other people who needed seeing and you were told to go to the other hospital.

YABU you knew the hospital wasn't accepting anymore children yet you ignored this advice. If your DR thought your DD was so ill she couldn't make the extra 15 mins he would have called for an ambulance.

well she says she refused to leave for 20 minutes, by which time she could have been at the other hospital.

YABU

You are very lucky that you have a children's hospital and a general hospital both with A and E so close to each other, tbh. As other posters have said, you tried to beat the system by going to the hospital which suited you despite the advice you were given, and by doing that you took staff (who were already very busy) away from doing their job whilst they looked at your child. They were quite right to insist you went elsewhere in this case.

I hope she's feeling better, but next time please respect their workload. I work in the NHS, and when frontline staff say they are too busy then they usually are too busy!

I'm really quite shocked by your attitude tbh

I am really really sorry about what happened to you and you have my sympathies believe me I have been there. But you should have gone to where your GP confirmed admission. You need to go by the book in these cases however bizarre they may seem.
But I know when your child is ill things become more panicy.

This is why I thank God every day I have private health cover.

why does private health cover make any difference in emergency situations?

You "tried your luck" with your DD's health??! Rather than travel 15 measly minutes by car?

I have private health cover too - why does that make a difference? No private A and E exists that I know of!

YWBVU. Obviously.

I don't understand why you didn't do as you were told - why would you take a sick child to a hospital that was full when you had been told it was full and to take her to another hospital where they were going to be able to treat her - and they did when you eventually got the child there

Why dilly dally over get fluids into a child or expect a doctor to put other children at risk when it wasn't needed....

actually how dare you think you could put other children at risk

The NHS staff throughout were consistent and gave you a viable alternative. YABU.

where's the OP gone?
hope dd is okay xxx

I doubt private cover would make a difference in terms of being seen in an emergency. It can make a difference in terms of getting (private) bed though. I have been admitted via A&E into a NHS hospital's private wing.