Idiots who should NOT be going to A&E

yggdrasil, we would not have been so badly affected by the 2008 disaster, had Gordon Brown read(or had brought to his attention) the warnings that were in the financial and business media about run away unsustainable lending and the economy, especially the housing market, overheating from before 2000 onwards.

The reason Mark Carney was appointed Governor of the Bank of England was because he had held the same position in Canada during the 2008 crisis and Canada had weathered the crisis very well - and they are virtually joined at the hip to the US economy.

Remember the first domino to fall in Britain was Northern Rock, a building society that had been offering borrowers 125% mortgages, that is the whole value of a house plus a quarter more.

To show my impartiality, I would add there have been warnings from several sources in the last two weeks that the amount of private lending, with or without including mortgages is again rising to dangerous levels. It will be intersting to see what BJ does and who he blames it on when the economy is again brought to its knees by excessive poor quality debt.

I don't suppose he went in saying he was there for a check before he went on holiday. If he had a heart condition they had to check him if they didn't know the back story. It's called covering their backs. People are ready to complain if they are sent away and return with a deteriorating condition.

It was clearly inappropriate for this guy merlot describes to be seen but how were they to know?

I totally agree with your principle BradfordLass72 but we live in a litigious society which makes that approach really difficult for the NHS. I think the media has a part to play with education - I was incensed a bit shocked to watch 24hours in A&E last night to see a guy with basically a cricked neck being given considerable air time

I can understand your annoyance but isn't it up to the Triage Staff to prioritise patient needs?

I don't see why a hospital, especially A&E dept., should be doing ordinary health checks but they could easily have told him, 'Hard luck, Buddy, see your GP, we have more important cases.'

If people continue to take advantage of the A&E process because they are allowed to, it will always be like this.

It'simplistic to think that it's some thoughtless/stupid people, not sensible like us, or the lack of availability of GP appointments causing clogging up busy A&E depts so I looked it up......

Main reason apparently is that many attending are much sicker than in the past and require admission. More investigations are carried out now in A&E but there are simply not enough beds to admit people to, or staff to cope. This causes a huge backlog. ? More elderly with complex conditions.

Another interesting fact is the socio economic factor, ie those from deprived areas are twice as likely to attend A&E than those from affluent areas. Lack of provision in mental health, drug rehabilitation, and social support must be therefore be implicated. ? Austerity.

Most hospitals now have some form of triage where they hive off those who do not need acute care to other ie walk in services.

People do not fit into neat little boxes. It is cruel and costly to try to make them do so. Any time I have been near a hospital, I have encountered people with serious and demanding MH issues. The last time I was with a very very elderly relative trying to get her into a taxi, an older woman, inappropriately dressed and confused wanted me to help her. It's so sad.

Merlot- you should have ...

Surely though, these people will clog up the system anywhere they go?? - Whether doctor or A&E they always had somewhere to go in the past.

Instead of celebrating their perceived idiocy, and guess-timating their illnesses, why not question the 4 decade steady decline of services through successive Labour, Tory and Liberal colluding?
No xmas compassion...

@Gagajo, it would depend on the urgency for an appointment. I'm assuming if you are at work, its not an urgent appointment that's needed. If no appointments are available for the walk-in sessions, most surgeries will arrange a telephone consultation with a GP or nurse practitioner. This works very well at our practice and BlueBelle has outlined a similar arrangement.

There's triage at Addenbrookes. Sometimes the queue snakes for a long way down the road outside so I think he must have conjured up some symptoms to get in. Maybe his past history warranted it but he came across as someone who reckoned he was a bit of a smart cookie to by-pass the wait for an appointment with his GP.

That's the trouble with all A&E departments - bloody wimps who shouldn't be there. When I was last there - I gave my sister-in-law a lift, as she'd broken her foot - there was a young woman with a tiny cut on her thumb, which was less than 1cm! She could have put a plaster on it and stayed at home.

The closing of NHS drop in centres was another false economy, as was getting rid of trained professionals manning NHS direct with unqualified staff who, of course, are advising more people to go to A andE because they are not confident of giving a correct assessment.

These things happened under the coalition government whose response to a GLOBAL ECONOMIC DOWNTURN was to introduce ideological austerity measures, which have not worked.

My friend died in Antigua on holiday - if only she had got an A&E check up she would probably be alive today according to a medical professional.

Triage already sorts out the idiots by making them wait the longest.

That is all very well GrannyLaine but if you can't get an appointment elsewhere (the other service) WHAT are you supposed to do?

My previously outstanding practise has introduced the 'keep ringing from 8am' procedure for a doctors appointment. I can't do that! I'm at work. There is now UPWARDS of a 3 week wait, whereas previously it was same week service.

2 months ago, my daughter was vomiting blood. We were sent by 111 to a local walk in centre. Who referred who on to something between a walk-in and A&E, who referred her on to A&E. The whole thing took over 14 hours.

Our surgery has a very good system you get seen the same day by a triage paramedic who then decides if you are fine, or ,if you need a simple prescription, or if you need to see a doctor or hospital I would say 90% is dealt with by the prescribing medic or the nurse the other 10% get an appointment straight to a doctor (it may not be your own doctor though)

The link below just popped up on my FB feed: Hull Royal Infirmary is tackling exactly this problem. They quote a figure of 46per cent of people attending A&E there could have been seen by other services!!
www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/health/hull-ae-drastic-action-taken-3651324?fbclid=IwAR2JqffdFI-SAglcl2RN0jDQLWj4NMTRp8Jh3xHhbrLDLSHrUrj3FV3a3dI

Absolutely agree Merlotgran, he was out of order. He would have had plenty of time to book a non-urgent appointment well in advance. I have despaired sometimes about inappropriate use of A&E services and there seem to be many factors involved. Changes in GPs working hours with no overnight on-calls, locum out of hours services. While the 111 service is useful for pointing people in the right direction, they will always err on the side of caution. There seems to be a good argument for the development of attached assessment centres to deal with those who do not fit Accident and Emergency criteria. This model has worked very well with Maternity services.

If I was in charge {grin]
I would recruit more GPs. The ones we have are overworked and leaving the profession. At least I know 2 who are. They would need incentives. My friend has to put up with foulmouthed, rude and demanding patients at times. She's a locum who stands in for doctors on sick leave for stress!

I would have a triage system in the streets, like there already are in some city centres at weekends or when some big event is happening so that rowdy people could be treated in situ before they have to take up valuable ambulances and space at A&E.

Also, I know it's controversial, but why not charge people for treatment if they are drunk? I know of a doctor at A&E who had to treat a drunk man while he was being restrained.

Goodness Coolio that is interesting!

Our local A and E has a pre admittance triage in a different building where they check if you really need A and E. Sad sign Of the times.?

merlotgran the guy at A & E for a pre-holiday check up was in my opinion out of order.

I don't believe people aren't interested in good news. But a lot of it is very gloomy atm.
J agree re blaming Labour after all this time.

Fed up of people bashing the NHS........we are very fortunate the NHS saves thousands of lives every week.

It is not all bad, but bad news travels fast, nobody is interested in positive news anymore.

Anyone STILL blaming Labour from 10 years ago is, frankly, pathetic.

Who will you blame after 15 years?

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY! Those who castigate the LB or JC are constantly excusing the deplorable state of public services under the Tories. A party who has been in power for a DECADE.

Pathetic.

We have a six week wait here in our local surgery in Portugal as there are no doctors.

Some of our German friends are GP’s in Germany, he starts at 7 and finishes at 7. He sees around 70 people per day. At least he sees them.