Bored, bored, bored.

[haplesshacker]

Stuck in the wretched Casualty at Southampton. The wife has injured herself and I had to drive her here. Been here 40 minutes already and not even gone through triage / assessment. There's no major accidents or 7/11 incidents going on, just a lack of staff.

I'm contemplating cutting an artery with the sharpest thing I have (my iPhone) just so that someone can do some flipping work around here!

So how long do you reckon we'll be?

Despite even having the phone with me, I'm bored witless!!

 

[chris661]

I broke my ankle many years ago got to the A&E and was waiting for 6 HOURS to see someone. I had been given painkillers and when I was eventually called, had forgotten about my ankle, stood up and collapsed. There was a flurry of people around me then!!!!!

 

[Spartacus]

Triage has a duty to see you within 15 mins of your arrival.

Kick off!

 

[haplesshacker]

Still here. I wish they could make the damn seats more comfortable if they expect customers ( cause that's what we are), to sit here much longer than 10 minutes.

Sack some admin staff and employ more frontline staff. If a and e is quiet then they can clean something.

Still working on the artery with the iPhone!

Reminds me of Alan Rickman's, "cut his heart out with a spoon"

 

[haplesshacker]

Triage has a duty to see you within 15 mins of your arrival.

Kick off!

Strangely enough. There's no notice about patient charters etc in sight. Which us strange. As I thought that's what half the admin team produce in the NHS.

 

[haplesshacker]

A paramedic has just said to some old dear in a wheelchair. "sit there". As if she's gonna get up!!

 

[haplesshacker]

We're in triage at last!

 

[madandra]

HH, you mentioned there aren't any sign regarding the patients charter ... how many signs are there telling you to turn your phone off?

 

[Imurg]

Stupid thing is that if you'd called an ambulance you'd be straight in.
Hope Mrs Hapless is ok

 

[haplesshacker]

Turns out it's tendon problems in her wrist, but at least it's not broken, apparently.

They said that they could check with xrays but there is a minimum five hour wait! So we're home now.

Trying to find a babysitter was a pain, so glad to be back.

 

[Spartacus]

At least you get to drop the babysitter off!

 

[USER1999]

I went to A&E relatively recently, to a busy hospital, and was seen within 20 minutes. X-ray took 10 minutes, can't really complain.

Yours is spending too much on the Burger King franchise.

 

[AuburnWarrior]

A paramedic has just said to some old dear in a wheelchair. "sit there". As if she's gonna get up!!

I bet she uses PING......

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Have to be honest and say I think you are being unfair. Even as one of the administrators you are knocking (well until I get made redundant) I recruit a lot for our A&E staff and have to be honest and say they do not let up in a shift. I think you'll probably find that there was an emergency or two within the department or if your hospital is like ours then CDU etc is attached to A&E and so doctors especially at weekends have to cover both.

 

[haplesshacker]

H. I have no issue with admin staff if they contribute to frontline services. Ie nursing staff. But there did appear to be a lack of staff. Only one assessor for what must have been close to seventy folks waiting, and then a five hour wait after the assessment.

I understand about priority cases etc. But over an hour to be assessed is laughable. There was no big rta or anything, which I understand takes priority over the 'walking wounded'.

Don't get me wrong. Good admin back up is essential. Lord knows I know this as someone who is an 'operator' and not good with paperwork. My most successful ventures have always been with a good admin bod behind me!

But they enabled me to do the important bit of dealing with customers and selling, whilst they kept the paperwork flowing. Without which I wouldn't have been so successful in that role.

So don't take it personally Homer. The problem is bigger than just one person in HR.

 

[Golfmmad]

I can see both points of view, especially as my Daughter is an A&E nurse. Often she comes home after working a 12 hour night shift without having had a break!

If a patient has to wait more than 4 hours the department is fined, whether they are short staffed or not. At one time they had 25 patients go over the 4 hours. This was down to A&E being extremely busy, together with being grossly understaffed! The fine, or loss of budget to the department,
ran into thousands of pounds.
I could be wrong, but it appears to be target driven more than patient care.

 

[USER1999]

On the subject of working hours, when missus mog qualified, she used to work every other weekend (on top of the rest of the week). All weekend. Go to work friday morning, knock off monday evening. She used to do a 120 hour week. That was insane. Her view was, never get admitted on a monday, no one gives a monkeys, they just want to go home.

All for 25K a year. Working 120 hours a week in MacDs would get you more than that.

 

[haplesshacker]

Twelve hour shifts, no breaks. I'm sure that there's a European directive somewhere regarding that. Not that I'm a unionist. But it's hardly in the best interests of the nursing staff or the customer (patient).

 

[Golfmmad]

Yeah it's crazy, you'd have thought it wouldn't happen in a Hospital, of all places! At least she does eat and drink, but only whilst writing up her notes. I have to say it doesn't happen on every shift, but all too often for my liking.

Golfmmad.

 

[Smiffy]

Have to be honest and say I think you are being unfair. Even as one of the administrators you are knocking (well until I get made redundant) I recruit a lot for our A&E staff and have to be honest and say they do not let up in a shift. I think you'll probably find that there was an emergency or two within the department or if your hospital is like ours then CDU etc is attached to A&E and so doctors especially at weekends have to cover both.

On of our boys fainted at Army Cadets in the Summer. Hit his chin on the way down and put a nasty gash in it that needed stitches. Took him up the local hospital, got there at 7.55pm. We left at just gone half past midnight. The lad is 13.
Cushty