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Original poster

I witnessed how fucked up the NHS is

221 replies

Bloom15 · 28/05/2024 13:33

Last night I had an asthma attack and got a taxi to the nearest A and E. it was like a scene from a zombie movie!

I was rushed through triage and given 2 nebulisers and some oxygen, along with some steroids. After I was stable I was told to wait in the waiting area. It was mostly full of people on drugs, drunks and people asleep on the row of chairs surrounded by multiple carrier bags. I am not trying to disparage these people as they were also patients and needed to be seen. Just describing the waiting room at 11pm on a Bank Holiday Monday in a city centre a and e department.

After 6 hours I still hadn't been seen by a doctor but had to leave as my DS was staying over at my parents and they were dropping him off at 8 am as they were going on holiday. My DH was stuck in Newcastle following a stag break and couldn't get home at 4am. Usually I could have stayed.

Now I am at home with a tight chest (DH rushed home early but a taxi from Newcastle to Liverpool at 5am was too much money). I tried to call my GP for an appointment to get more steroids but after 45 minutes of ringing from 8 there were no appointments left.

This is not the fault of the doctors, nurses, other staff, any patients. This is the fault of this government dragging the NHS to the brink. Please vote them out in May

OP posts:
Zonder · 28/05/2024 15:37

So sorry you experienced this. It will take a long time to sort out this mess. #GTTO

KnickerlessParsons · 28/05/2024 15:38

You were seen pretty quickly though, to be fair.

PanicAttax · 28/05/2024 15:44

I hear you OP and had a terrible experience myself.

Unfortunately I can't vote for Labour as a close family member is having to reassess her entire life because they won't be able to afford the schools increase. I might have to step in and do a lot of childcare for a kid with some severe issues so that they can cope and I'm suffering with illnesses myself.

I'm looking at Liberal Democrats at the moment.

IsEveryUserNameBloodyTaken · 28/05/2024 15:49

KnickerlessParsons · 28/05/2024 15:38

You were seen pretty quickly though, to be fair.

It’s what A and E is for.Asthma/ heart attacks serious stuff.

Navymamma · 28/05/2024 15:54

Are you still feeling unwell? If you need additional steroids 111 might be able to give you a prescription and send it straight to your pharmacy.

The Tory government should be ashamed of itself. I will be voting for the Lib Dems as we are a deeply divided society since Brexit and Labour seem to be focused on widening that divide.

littleteapot86 · 28/05/2024 15:57

It's awful isn't it. I hope you're ok. I work for the nhs in Scotland and it does have problems beyond the Tories (l just mean the idea behind the conception of the NHS is amazing and I highly value free health care for all however it's struggling with a significantly older and growing population) but the Tories haven't blimmin helped. I hate them x

OnceICaughtACold · 28/05/2024 15:58

I went to A&E a few months ago and said exactly this. Like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie. Terrifying.

Voting Conservatives out and Labour in is the only way the NHS has a hope of surviving.

Original poster
Bloom15 · 28/05/2024 17:34

Navymamma · 28/05/2024 15:54

Are you still feeling unwell? If you need additional steroids 111 might be able to give you a prescription and send it straight to your pharmacy.

The Tory government should be ashamed of itself. I will be voting for the Lib Dems as we are a deeply divided society since Brexit and Labour seem to be focused on widening that divide.

Thanks - will do this!

OP posts:
MsFaversham · 28/05/2024 17:36

KnickerlessParsons · 28/05/2024 15:38

You were seen pretty quickly though, to be fair.

It would have been life saving for OP. However, after initial treatment she had to wait 6 hours further assessment. Everyone not needing life saving treatment will have been there for many more hours.

trampoline123 · 28/05/2024 17:42

I've been given emergency prescriptions before by calling 111 so please do that, they should be able to give you a prescription for anything you've been prescribed before without being seen.

I've spent a lot of time in AnE the past year and I must admit, when I've been seriously ill I've been rushed through.

However the AnE waiting rooms are awful. Not sure if this is the same everywhere but people seem to bring their whole families with them taking up numerous seats - pisses me off no end.

It's not going to be an easy fix and I truly believe the NHS needs saving in every department from social services, occupational health, out reach services, GPS etc etc.

Original poster
Bloom15 · 28/05/2024 17:43

KnickerlessParsons · 28/05/2024 15:38

You were seen pretty quickly though, to be fair.

I was but I couldn't breathe to be fair. It was too much for the staff to cope with and people with non- urgent injuries were left longer than me

OP posts:
Snippysocks · 28/05/2024 17:44

Isn't there a Labour government in Wales? And their health service is apparently appalling...I don't expect our NHS to improve in England under Labour. But we live in hope.....

ChaosAndCrumbs · 28/05/2024 17:48

Snippysocks · 28/05/2024 17:44

Isn't there a Labour government in Wales? And their health service is apparently appalling...I don't expect our NHS to improve in England under Labour. But we live in hope.....

The UK government decides how much money the devolved governments get. If I asked you to put on an amazing event and gave you a tenner to do it, you might fail, but it wouldn’t be your fault, it would be mine for failing to fund you correctly.

However, I agree there are lots of complex issues re NHS, so none of it is an easy or simple fix. I do think Labour would improve things, though this labour not as much (too centre), but it’s taken years to reach this point and so I’d assume it would take the same time or longer to fix - and that’s without other factors affecting it.

Walkden · 28/05/2024 17:50

"Isn't there a Labour government in Wales? And their health service is apparently appalling...I don't expect our NHS to improve in England under Labour"

Wales does not even have the tax raising powers that say Scotland has so have been subject to the funding cuts imposed by the Tories from westminster. ....

ChaosAndCrumbs · 28/05/2024 17:52

Also @Bloom15, I would phone GP and ask for an emergency appointment or go to out of hours. They will be out of general appointments but they tend to keep emergency ones back. Ignore me if you did this already x

TomeTome · 28/05/2024 17:53

You could write to each party and tell them that this is the issue you will be voting on.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 28/05/2024 17:55

I hope you're ok now?

I had a different experience to you at the Royal (if that's where you went) on Easter Sunday at around 11pm. We had to take DS2 who'd just turned 18. First time there with him, always used Alder Hey before. I thought the waiting room would be as you'd described and while there were a couple of druggies asleep on one of the row of chairs, and some other idiots wasting staff time the wait wasn't too bad for triage. Got seen within half an hour and then maybe another hour for a doctor. The doctors were really young but absolutely fantastic, and really good with DS. I felt he got excellent attention probably because of his age.

He had to be admitted to a ward and there was a bit of a wait for that then but when he was it was brilliant. Again, ward staff were great, hospital room was great. They even offered to get me a bed so I could stay with him if I wanted but DS was happy to just go to sleep so DH and I went home for a few hours kip till ward round next morning.

I really couldn't fault it (and I find fault with a lot of things 😂)

So maybe it just depends on the luck of the draw with the day.? I've been to the old Royal on a Saturday lunchtime and it wasn't too long a wait either.

But when things are bad......I've been at Whiston A&E with my dad before when it's been so busy the trolleys were lined up on the corridor, with very old frail people in them.

Original poster
Bloom15 · 28/05/2024 17:55

ChaosAndCrumbs · 28/05/2024 17:52

Also @Bloom15, I would phone GP and ask for an emergency appointment or go to out of hours. They will be out of general appointments but they tend to keep emergency ones back. Ignore me if you did this already x

The receptionist was annoyed I left an and e when I explained the issue. So she wasn't very helpful

OP posts:
Miley1967 · 28/05/2024 17:57

Is this the first time you have been this bad? My dh has severe asthma and usually always has a prescription for ' rescue' steroids and antibiotics that he can get if he feels he needs them. This avoids having to wait for Gp appointments etc. It might be something worth asking about whether you could have in the future. Hope you feel better soon.

Original poster
Bloom15 · 28/05/2024 17:57

That's good @CurlyhairedAssassin - it was the Royal. Wish I had gone to Aintree instead!

I have been before and never seen it this bad - even on a Saturday night. Sorry to hear about Whiston - that is awful

OP posts:
Chickenuggetsticks · 28/05/2024 17:58

OnceICaughtACold · 28/05/2024 15:58

I went to A&E a few months ago and said exactly this. Like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie. Terrifying.

Voting Conservatives out and Labour in is the only way the NHS has a hope of surviving.

They are going to get those drunk people and addicts out of a&e? The problems are systemic.

What we probably need to do is probably change the whole model to make it sustainable, some sort of insurance system or charges for services. GP’s shouldn’t have been made into private businesses either. It’s very difficult to get a GP to provide out of hours services.

Original poster
Bloom15 · 28/05/2024 17:59

Miley1967 · 28/05/2024 17:57

Is this the first time you have been this bad? My dh has severe asthma and usually always has a prescription for ' rescue' steroids and antibiotics that he can get if he feels he needs them. This avoids having to wait for Gp appointments etc. It might be something worth asking about whether you could have in the future. Hope you feel better soon.

Edited

Thanks - yes happens a couple of times a year as I do have severe asthma. My previous GP surgery used to do this - but it doesn't seem to be something offered at my current one, which surprised me. I'll speak to them again

OP posts:
Screamingabdabz · 28/05/2024 18:03

Has Labour got a lock up somewhere then with thousands of doctors and nurses? I hope you’re all not pinning your hopes on the NHS suddenly recovering overnight if Labour get in. And good luck on the wards if you’re heavily medicated or incapacitated… Labour will happily let any random men in the same ward as you - even if it’s supposed to be single sex.

ChaosAndCrumbs · 28/05/2024 18:03

Bloom15 · 28/05/2024 17:55

The receptionist was annoyed I left an and e when I explained the issue. So she wasn't very helpful

Show quote history

That’s tough. You have to advocate in that scenario and just say, “I’ll keep your advice in mind for next time, but I can’t change that I have left and still really need to see a doctor.” It sucks - and I know, I had plenty of these situations with my ds who had chronic kidney and urinary issues - but you have to be firm about what you need, while remaining polite (and often feeling rough).

Imustbenuts · 28/05/2024 18:09

Last year on the eve of her 90th birthday my mother had a fall, smacked her head on a concrete step, wrenched her back. We were told it would be quicker for us to take her to A & E than to wait for an ambulance so we did.
It was 6 and a half hours before she was seen, dried blood all over her head which was very roughly rubbed clean, stapled with her hair caught in the wound and afterwards we both got Norovirus. It was not clean in there!
To be fair there was also a couple in there who still hadn't been seen when Mum was and the wife had a suspected stroke!