The Hospital

[LadyOfScoffleTheEasterEggs]

Anyone watching?

I cannot believe they just ODed that girl!

On saturday night, I took my 11 year old to casualty because he'd fallen on his wrist playing football, and it had become more painful at bedtime, he couldn't sleep for the pain, so came to me. I was worried enough to take him to A&E.

We waited for nearly 2 hours without even being seen by triage, and in that time, upwards of 8 ambulances rolled up, each one bearing a young person, some of whom were clearly drunk, and others who had policemen with them and looked as if they'd been fighting.

In the end, we decided that ds3's wrist was feeling better and that we'd take our chances at home - and even waiting for dh to pick us up was an interesting experience due to the drunken teenagers f-ing and blinding outside casualty whilst they smoked.

And I think that the doctor was venting the frustrations of years of caring for drunken teenagers who are rude and abusive to her and the other staff, vomit all over the department and rarely say thank-you.

When my first DH was terminally ill he took seriously ill one night and we called an ambulance we had to wait 2 hours for one to turn up because it was kicking out time on a Friday night Then A&E was full to the rafters of foul mouthed drunk people waiting to be seen, 6 hours later we were sorted.

Makes me seethe even now.

She wasn't vile just ground down by it all and realistic, and for what it's worth I thought she looked visibly upset by the girl who hadn't eaten for a day.

I was in A&E at 1am recently (waiting for an xray)

There was a girl there, horribly drunk and screaming at the staff, she put her fingers in her throat so she'd be sick and ended up being ushered off with three nurses and police. Meanwhile lots of people in pain/ anxious people with babies etc were held up.

The receptionist told me this girl goes in almost every night and they are not allowed to turn her away. What on earth can the staff do about such things, I suspect there are similar things happening all across the country.

I've had an idea.
There should be a separate A&E for drunk people. They could decide how much money it was fair to spend on the two groups and allocate it accordingly.
Then the drunk people could wait for ages and hang out in each other's vomit and everyone else would be a lot happier.
Various drunk people would, of course, suffer ill effects from not being seen quickly enough, and that would help to deter drinking to excess in society as a whole.
There, sorted

Why aren't you a policy maker Kathy

They do have the 'drunk twats' buses in london, so people are shuffled there rather than to A&E.

This has reminded me of my friend, when we were 17ish she'd get very drunk and her mum would take her to A&E everytime, why not tuck her in bed with a bucket and a glass of water and then try to teach her some common sense?

Kathy- ever thought of becoming an MP? You could get your broadband paid on expenses

I don't actually think the service they offer at A&E has diminished over the years. I can remember (25 years ago) being at A&E with my dad for 8 hours as he'd broken his arm. I've never waited that long when I've gone in for various falls.

I think the staff at A&E are just resigned to the treatment they get everyday. Like the Docter said - The NHS give you free treatment so why complain over the time it takes to get seen for any minor injury.

I was very sad abotu the boy who died. I'm not much of a drinker and will not drink on a night out and I'm regarded as slightly strange. You don't need a drink to enjoy yourself. I have plenty of sober stories to tell about (my unmarried) nights out and as a group of girls we had a good time and never ended up with our heads down the toilet.

Whatever can be done about the drinking situation?

I don't really get the comment that it's free so you shouldn't complain about the wait - people shouldn't have to wait long because they are usually there because they are in pain and if they haven't even been triaged, possibly also danger. I probably wouldn't complain myself, but that's because you can usually see that the staff in A&E are working extremely hard and doing their best to see people as soon as they can, not because the service is free at point of delivery.

And it wasn't just the doctor who was speaking out.

Did you not hear the two nurses? About the chap was like, 'Oh, got drunk, got in a fight, he bit my ear off,' and they told of another girl who bit her boyfriend's bollock off whilst drunk?

They pretty much summed it up with one comment, 'How on Earth do people get to think to where they find that at all acceptable.'

Sorry, but I don't see anything lovely about someone who gets so pished they wind up and A&E holding up others and abusing staff. And again, I used to drink to excess every single night.

I would have been SO ashamed as a young single gurl to have ended up at A&E and I have been in a pretty bad way.

Do you think playing a video of their behavior to them would deter them from doing it repeatedly?

I doubt it actually......

I agree - the doctor was visibly upset about the young girl who had been stabbed. What more could she say about her on camera? I am sure she was very well aware of the implications - however, these programmes are extensively edited to make "good television".

I have often thought that we should have "field hospitals" - like MASH for drunks.

We had a colleague who died waiting for an ambulance that was delayed dealing with a drunk in another part of town.

Those drunk teenagers were a disgrace - I think the video should be played back to them.

FWIW I would FAR rather my taxes went on people with cancer or other serious illness.

I think the Drs and nurses (and other HCPs) have every right to feel frustrated and annoyed at the difficult people in A&E. But it is their job and I think that sometimes you have to sort of detatch yourself.

I thought the female Dr came over as very condescending though, she was so negative. I have worked with lots of tired and fed up HCPs who were not quite so snotty as her.

A lot of people ring an ambulance when their friend is so drunk that they can't walk/talk anymore. It is very scary, a lot of people also (wrongly) think that their friend has been drugged when they are really just very very drunk. I read about somewhere that was trialling a triage centre in the town centre - so drunk people like that were assessed and it was decided whether they needed treatment or not.

Its difficult because being aggressive and non-responsive can be a symptom of being drunk or it can be a symptom of a head injury caused by a fall when drunk...so ambulances have to play it safe.

I didn't find her snotty at all.

Personally, I couldn't do what she does and put up with the abuse they're basically expected to take.

I think it's shameful how the system allows staff to be treated.

My nurse pal had to quit A&E after a violent drunk assaulted her and she needed major reconstructive surgery on her shoulder and 12 weeks off work.

She's since moved to a community based job.

teenage mums tonight...... I think this is going to be just as depressing as last week.

Wow.

This is a real eye-opener.

it's so sad

i want to know how the midwives can be so calm with them, if that was me I'd be awful and lecturing them (which I know wouldn't work). I suppose the midwives have almost given up they've seen it so often .

Very sad, Lewis.

That young girls can think so little of themselves and their health.

How ignorant is this 'needle phobic' girl?

Hmmmm. I really don't know what to say about this girl. I feel so sorry for her and yet so flippin angry, I want to shake her.

lol @ glueing the objects down!