A and E waiting times

Green Bay Hacker

Green Bay Hacker

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Last night we had to call the out of hours doctor for my dad who was feeling unwell. That was at 8.15pm and they managed to make a 10.30pm appointment for him at the local hospital. The waiting room was right next to A & E and there was over 7 hours delay before you got someone to see you there. My dad didn't get to see the doctor until 11.30pm and that was with his appointment but why would anyone bother making their own way to casualty at the weekend or any other time if that is how long you have to wait to see someone?
 
Saturday night at A&E is just about as busy as it gets. All the weekend warriors and disco Daves and Shazzas are in there getting stitched up and generally being a pain.. Strangely enough, one of the busiest times is also a Monday morning, when all the alkys decide to visit the hospital to get injuries attended to that just weren't important enough to get seen to in valuable drinking time..

The same people are usually the ones who complain the loudest about the NHS not working, despite it being regarded as one of the best in the world. They also ignore the fact that the reason it sometimes fails at weekends is that they put undue pressure on it due to the fact that they can't drink (or drug take) responsibly.. Always someone else to blame in this me me me culture...

By the way, please don't think this is aimed at you or your reason to visit A&E.
 
Farneyman said:
You also get a lot of sports injuries from a Saturday. Having spent some time in A and E the staff there are a credit.

Long live the NHS!
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Agreed.. My wife is a former A&E nurse, and the situation there at weekends would disgust most people. The fact the A&E departments now need "Bouncers" is a stain on this country's conscience..
 
The great part of the problem is many seem to have forgotten, or never knew in the first place, what A&E is short for. The 'A' is for Accident and the 'E' is for Emergency. Until such a time as the powers that be (i.e. Government / Department of Health) support NHS staff in A&E in telling people who should not be there to go elsewhere or face a huge wait while people who should be there are seen it isn't going to get any better.
 
Less doctors working at weekend than Mon - Fri?

More folks attending?
 
A and E staff seem to be under extreme pressure from the minute their shift starts until the minute they leave. When you add into the mix the boozed up/drugged up clientele that they have to patch up/fend off they deserve all our admiration (and more pay).
 
SocketRocket said:
A lot of people aren't registered with GP's so go to A&E for all Medical issues.
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mostly those not from this country,the NHS is owed billions in unpaid bills from other countries,12 million alone on plastic surgery cases from women going abroad for cheap breast implants then getting on a plane back home then going straight to A & E for treatment,millions are spent on interpretors etc,its about time we got tough on those that should not be getting treatment,if they cant pay well tough luck.
 
We've not had an A&E as we declare a major incident on Thursday. Everyone sent to other hospitals and told to use minor injuries and walk in centres. In a perfect world they'd now realise these services exist and can do the job and will ever trouble A&E again unless it was life threatening. But back in the real world......
 
NHS do a wonderful job.

Nothing but respect for the Nurses and Doctors who are the victims of bureaucracy.
 
I believe A&E have Triage people that make an initial assessment of people coming for treatment. If the Triage decides the person is not an emergency case then should they not tell them to go away? Or does that create a potential compensation situation if they make a mistake. Seems like the legal profession are screwing up so much these days.
 
Ethan said:
Too many people, many with self inflicted or trivial complaints, but all have to be seen and properly processed.
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...and too many with a massive sense of 'entitlement' - IMO a major factor in what is bringing the NHS down.

Borne out of a society that today has too many folk having bought the Tory line that they are paying too much tax and it is being squandered and misspent - and always it is someone else who is benefitting.

Too many of our fellows are frustrated, angry, fearful and hugely resentful - emotions fomented by the right wing media. And so when we may need some help or support these emotions create a feeling of entitlement for that help or support - and when it is not immediately forthcoming our anger and resentments increase and the vicious cycle continues.

As a country of individuals we have really got to have a good look at ourselves.
 
SocketRocket said:
I believe A&E have Triage people that make an initial assessment of people coming for treatment. If the Triage decides the person is not an emergency case then should they not tell them to go away? Or does that create a potential compensation situation if they make a mistake. Seems like the legal profession are screwing up so much these days.
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This is the problem. My brother used to be a Team Leader and Paramedic for the London Ambulance service, but he has given it up as he got so fed up with the time wasters and imbeciles. The problem is if someone insists on going to hospital or calling an ambulance, they have to take them. If they don't and they miss something the consequences would be a nightmare. Even if that means taking someone to hospital in an ambulance because they have a pain in their toe or decided to call the ambulance because they have a cough (which they've had for a week).

The same applies to A&E, people going when they really don't need to. Personally I think the following needs to happen.

1. More out of hours GPs and an advertising campaign that the GPs should be the first port of call.
2. Drunk tanks away from A&E for drinking / drug related injuries / issues away from central A&E
3. Better management of repeat offenders, be it education, fining, social support. You get a lot of people simply going to A&E / calling an ambulance so they have someone to speak to. An alternative for "non-emergency" cases is required.
4. Charging those that can afford it to receive treatment that is later proven to have been a non-emergency - this could be complex and difficult to implement though.
 
Got a buddy who is a (bicycle) paramedic in Central London - and he is sick to teeth of the time-wasters and drunks, and aggro he gets when trying to help folk.
 
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