Is it me? Our youngest has been ill since Saturday, we think it a stomach bug but it doesn't get better. Last night my wife gets in at 4.20 phone the doc and theres a cancellation at 4.30 so she rushes him down there....doc says you better get him to hospital....5.50 I get home and as soon as I pull up she says "were going to the hospital now!" so we get to the childrens hospital (BRI - Bristol) to the emergency room - the doc has phoned ahead and warned them - and that's where it stops. We're in the emergency waiting area with our son. He's drifting in and out of consciousness, eyes rolling, gone pretty well yellow (he's only 6 by the way) and curled up on the bench. We cant move him as his stomach hurts so much. And here's my beef. There are parents in there that don't need to be. One father turns up with his son smiling away and gets out a reading book and starts to read a story. Another mother is on the phone chatting to her sister talking about her sons "little rash" and how she needs a cup of tea. A lad is there (about 13 or so) sitting there on his phone texting away with what looks to be a sprained ankle....I could go on... As I gaze around I would guess 50% of people there don't need to be. In the end we try to wake him and he starts to not respond so I pick him up walk to the desk and say "He needs to be seen now!" and that point they rush us through and get him on a drip. I say to the nurse...."Im sure half the people out there don't need to be" and she replies "i know, I know, I know, most of them can go to their local walk in centre or go to their doctor" We tried to hold off because we realize how stressed the NHS is and don't want to be there as usually the laws of time and physics stop at the door (of any place ran by the NHS) but on this occasion - I wouldn't say its them. Its stupid fucking parents who go there for no fucking reason!, or one that's doesn't warrant it - Rant over. Just for the record, he had a perforated appendix which was removed last night at around 2am. The doc said we were right to come in when we did as for most stomach bugs 2 days or so is about right but anything after that then go to the emergency department. It just gets my gander that we were out there for an hour with our son who clearly was an emergency but had I have not had said anything could have been a lot worse....
There should be a 30 quid flat rate for anyone going to the A&E in my opinion, this would get rid of much of the people that shouldn't be there I believe.
I agree - if you gotta pay then that would clear out the chavs for a start....and if you are in an emergency situation then money is the last thing on your mind....
Bollox. Try telling someone who can barely afford food that week that money isnt important Jusr because someone isnt bent in two with pain or gushing blood doesn't mean they shouldn't be there
Well, my son wasn't....but there were clearly people in there that didn't need to be. I agree - maybe a bit harsh but there needs to be something in place that sorts out the assholes that shouldn't be there.
There is, it's called triage, the first line is supposed to prioritise cases on an urgency basis, you obviously didn't make enough noise.
Yeah - but that's the thing....its almost like youre "pushing in..." which you don't want to do, but, if the other people there went to their local walk in centre then the emergencies are for the emergencies.... 5 years or so when I had an accident - about 80 or so stitches in my hand/wrist area got infected and pretty well went bright green - went to the walk in centre - was there for 2 hours waiting - again amongst all the people that didn't need to be - and passed out, waiting....it was then, that I got seen....
Glad to hear your son is ok comfy There a minority that abuse A&E you can't educate some and others think it's their right to go there whenever they have a sniffle Sometimes you have to push in to have a very poorly child seen too ASAP Instinct tells you too
Glad he's OK. I had a similar experience with our then 4 year old daughter who fell down the stairs at bedtime (7pm) ....top to bottom. Off to A&E and we sat there not being seen till 11 o'clock whilst scrotes who'd been arrested saying they'd hurt their ankle and pissed students got seen before us. I appreciate they want to get the police back out there but the arrested knobbers were just there to waste time and delay getting to the police station from what I could see. I think if you go to A&E and are smiling or not leaking from somewhere you should be sent away to a more appropriate part of the health service. Our daughter had a broken arm for the record!
I think the challenge is we accept too much. In the UK, those that shout loudly seem to get rewarded and heard. If you look at most minority groups they create a platform and get themselves heard, the mainstream don't bother. If you had entered with a massive number of family members, all shouting in a foreign language, rushed the boy to the front desk and create a scene, I suspect the boy would have been in front of a doctor immediately. Unfortunately, any attempt to criticise based on culture, ethnicity, social status etc. is seen as racist or elitist. It's not the case though when we simply witness consistent differing standards and speak out about it. Great he is doing OK now and I share the view that A&E needs a makeover such that real emergencies are not mixed in with people abusing the system or too lazy to seek an alternative where appropriate.
I'm glad he's ok. They do have a triage system to ensure those that can wait do so. Great work by your partner and you and your doctor to catch it. When I was 10 I fell off a push bike on to a tree stump. I was complaining of back pain etc, went to local GP who diagnosed a bruised back. I went home and immediately passed urine which was mostly blood. Nearly had to have a kidney removed as it had had the shit kicked out of it by the tree stump. That was 17 years ago, so god knows how much more pressure GPs are under now Good one doc.
Yeah - its funny because there was a woman who was sitting opposite us. Her daughter in all fairness had a large plaster on her forehead and there was dried blood all around it, but the little girl was absolutely fine otherwise. She was playing with her mums phone and even she said "perhaps you could get bumped up the que".... He's ok but will be in for another 2 or 3 days as so my wife just told me (she's there at the moment) because the appendix was perforated he has to stay in for them to give him a course of drugs....which I almost blame myself for as we didn't take him in sooner (but that's the frame of mind that youre in...you don't want to add to an already high pressure, busy, noisy, environment). However the doc said that in most cases its very difficult to spot even when they open someone up as in the early stages it does look normal (physically) - although last night when we went down to theatre to collect him I said "what was it like?" to which the surgeon said "oh yeah....it had to come out!"
And, id just like to say thanks to all of you, I know you don't know him personally but he's the youngest of our three so, always will be the baby. Stuck in work at the moment but I cant wait to see him later as hopefully he should have brightened up a little by then.
You may remember, my little lad broke his arm while I was in afghan at the start of the year. You have my sympathy in regards to the (unnecessary) guilt and the worry for your lad. He'll be right as rain in a few days.
Yeah - I must remember I did see, im guessing yours is alright now as well....it kinda brings it all into perspective. My wifes workmate's little boy has what looks to be incurable cancer. He does seem to be defying the odds at the moment as last year when they initially diagnosed him they gave him a 20% chance of survival, gave him a new experimental drug, which cleared it up, then, last month, it had come back on his lungs, and again, they said there wasn't much hope but, he's had his latest scan last week and whats on his lungs has stopped in growth - not sure which way to take that, but going through what I went through last night - I really don't know how she and her husband function with what they have to deal with...
Don't know how it works, but this is how it should work: You'd front up to A&E and immediately be seen by a junior doctor who would decide your place in the queue - ie real emergency or not. If not, you'd be told to go elsewhere or prepare yourself for a very long wait. This initial decision should be able to be given on the spot, not after some examination. If any patient is suspected of being under the influence of drink or drugs, they would pay a flat consultation fee, seeing as they'd brought their mishap upon themselves stupidly. That would also weed out drunken idiots on Saturday night. TBH: if there is always a queue, there clearly isn't enough staff. This is either because.... there isn't enough staff for the workload (high more) or, because A&E are dealing with people who shouldn't be there. So get rid of them.
I think the queue issue also arises as people in general follow a similar shedule. Less accidents at night, peak times after school and at weekends with a steady trickle during working hours.
Yup - I could keep going....there was a Somalian bloke last night came in (while my little one was zoned out on the bench) and he just walked in with his son.....nothing wrong (that I could see) - over the next 90 mins my little one was wheeled past him in the treatment area hooked up to the drip and ecg ( think that's what its called) - he shot me a kind of guilty look and then just walked out with his son....
My workmate got stabbed in the stomach one night when we were working in the east end. I took him to the hospital, and there we sat - for 7 hours. In the end I drove him back to Guildford. Thankfully there was only surface damage, but it sure bled well. He didn't want to cause a scene, but I was bloody fuming. The doctor who saw him at Guildford said he had a good case if he wanted to take the Royal London hospital to court. Thing is, the treage nurse barely looked at him, he was absolutely covered in blood and had an open wound, and he was just left there for 7 hours. Something needs to be done to thin out the waiting queue.
