To wonder why was the hospital empty today?

[SpicyEnchiladas]

Can someone please explain this if they knew. We live in one of the highest areas of cases of covid in the north west, and are constantly told by the local papers about our hospitals not coping at all!

So my friend had a car accident on boxing day and although she wasn't visibly injured, she was taken to the hospital to check that she's fine as she was very shaken after that. She dreaded going with the medics and avoided going to the hospital for the fear of long queues and catching Covid! She was seen after 10 minutes, had her x-rays taken, two consultants checked on her and was done within an hour!! When she came back home she said that they were only a few patients inside and it all went smoothly. Much better than her experience in hospitals before Covid.

Today, I had to drop my mum off to the A&E for severe pain in head and ears. She was fainting and couldn't even walk but they didn't let me in with her as per the guidelines. TBH what's what we expected anyway. I left her after the nurse reassured me that they will keep a close eye on her in case if she faints again in the waiting area. I left and before getting in my car, I received a call asking me to return to the hospital as she will be transferred to the ambulatory care immediately. They said that it's fine to have me with her to provide company and reassurance as it's likely that she'll be there for a few hours.

We stayed for nearly 4 hours, during that time I've been in and out of the department to use the phone, move my car from the drop off area, go to the pharmacy... it was nearly empty!! Only a few nurses insight. I was actually a bit scared whilst walking to the hospital's pharmacy as it was all dark all the way. Very quiet and unusual!! There were 5 people in the ambulatory care and plenty of empty beds and patient rooms.
I noticed the same whilst passing other departments.

I'm not doubting that Covid is indeed straining the nhs, but can someone explain why was the hospital not busy and nearly empty on both occasions despite us being constantly told that a&e isn't coping in our town?

Obviously it's because Covid is a big hoax, is that what you want people to say?

If you look on the gov.uk website you can find specific admission and ventilator data for that hospital, so that will probably answer your 100% genuine, no agenda question.

Because it was Boxing Day and New Year's Day so no clinics operating and all patients will have been on the wards not being allowed visitors?

Just a random stab in the dark...

Did you have a wander round ICU?

I had to go to a & e after an accident recently.
I was in and out really quickly.
I think less people are going to hospital for minor reasons as they don’t want to risk catching COVID, plus I think there is more pressure to get people through the system as they don’t want them waiting around.
My friend who works on a COVID ward definitely wouldn’t say that it’s quiet. There are definitely still overly busy wards.

Because thousands of other treatments have been cancelled. Cancer treatment, heart scans etc cancelled!!!

Did you go into the ITU units and have a look?! There are separate covid wards. That's where all the covid patients will be, not accessible to you. Corridors are probably quiet because hardly any visitors are allowed.

It is a perfectly reasonable question to ask. We know someone whose daughter is a nurse and they closed the whole cancer ward for a week. They are making sure they are empty in case particular areas become busy with CV19 patients (and some hospitals are indeed very busy with CV19 patients).

It would be very wrong if we started stopping anyone writing about empty hospitals. Freedom of speech is very important.

My GP has texted everyone to say they are not providing any care now other than CV19 or anything life threatening - first time has happened in my life. It simply confirms to me that the NHS is never really there when you need it and we should be allowed an opt out and 20% tax cut if we opt out of it.

It's the intensive care units that are struggling. They don't keep the Covid patients in the general areas where everyone goes.

Well, because there is a pandemic on the broken nail brigade are staying away. Then you have red and green zones for covid and non covid patients.
So next time you go to a & e tell them you have covid symptoms and tell us what the red zone is like.
My local a & e is empty in the green zone too. Probably too empty. People are terrified to go. Our covid wards are reassuringly full though

Because those suspected of covid are in red zones and other patients are kept in separate areas.

What do you want, ventilated patients in the corridors to convince you?

You won’t have been anywhere near where Covid patients are being treated. Hence it’s quiet in A&E and the staff there are not flitting between Covid and non-Covid areas. You probably saw all the staff available for A&E. But you carry on and believe your conspiracy theory, nonsensical as it is, while hundreds of people die each day.

So this was our hospital in the first lockdown the whole hospital was so quiet I found it scary. The reality was is there was much less going on in other areas and we didn’t wander on to the covid wards / levels.

@xenia My GP has texted everyone to say they are not providing any care now other than CV19 or anything life threatening - first time has happened in my life. It simply confirms to me that the NHS is never really there when you need it and we should be allowed an opt out and 20% tax cut if we opt out of it.

What?!? What do you think the NHS is doing currently? Twiddling their thumbs?!

You were in the ‘clean’ areas of the hospital. Did you imagine they’d stick random walk ins into the critical care wards? If, indeed, you were at the hospital at all. Since you’re pushing the conspiracy theorists’ line, it seems more than possible that you haven’t visited a hospital today.

Because you weren’t on a ward or ITU and everywhere is trying to keep possible covid patients apart from patients presenting with every other condition. Oh and it is a bank holiday so no outpatient clinics or routine care running so most hospitals seem quiet even with huge numbers of inpatients. Try walking around any hospital at a weekend or at night and they look the same, deserted even when absolutely full to the rafters.

You can look up the figures for admissions for that hospital easily and the data is out there on what is happening with covid.

Do you think we are lying about the pressure we are under or saying this for effect?

Did you visit the Covid ward when you were therr to see how busy that was?

It's because people aren't just turning up to A&E for no reason, aren't usually allowed visitors to stay with them, new years day/boxing Day. Covid patients will be in a separate part of the ED as well.

Because A&E and ambulatory care are not the whole hospital and are generally the areas they are trying their best to get quick turn around in so that patients are not hanging around the hospital unnecessarily.

I took dd to A&E a couple of weeks ago and it was no busier, maybe slightly quieter than usual. How we as I’m currently working on a escalation ward in the same hospital, I’m not under any illusion that what you see at the front door is the whole story.

*however

LOL at the idea of opting out of the NHS. Good luck relying on private healthcare if you have serious complications

I find these type of posts weird. How many covid patients did you expect to find wandering around a&e or hooked up to ventilators being pushed about?

I know the icu in our local hospital is nowhere near a&e and not somewhere you would just be walking past

It probably felt empty because only genuine emergencies are going to the hospital (as it should be all the time). Outside of covid times there were always people turning up at A&E who could have managed by seing theirgo, pharmacist, health visitor and so on and now people are scared of catching covid so avoid the hospital.
Plus all hospitals have seperate covid wards where the general public are not allowed to enter so you wouldn't have seen the busy areas.

Definitely because covid is a massive hoax and the government are trying to control us all with microchips via the vaccine.

'Well, because there is a pandemic on the broken nail brigade are staying away'

Exactly.

Just watch the news op. ICU drs will tell you where the pressure is, not so much in the tubi grip area in triage.

'My GP has texted everyone to say they are not providing any care now other than CV19 or anything life threatening'

I find this rather unbelievable tbh. Anything life threatening would go to a&e for starters.

So it was quiet on boxing day and new years day? What a head scratcher.

You really cant work this out? There wont have been any clinics working those days. Visitors arent really allowed in now. Less people going to A&E because they are worried about catching covid.

All the covid patients you've been told about are not going to be walking the hallways, or hanging out at A&E or wandering around ambulatory care or the X-Ray department. Maybe just think about it before you post.