Oh dear! We spent many hours yesterday in our large regional hospital A and E. Husband was ambulanced there with another suspected Stroke. I followed on about half an hour behind.
I got there and went straight to A and E as instructed. It was absolutely heaving. I was then escorted to another area where there must have been easily 150 people waiting filling two corridors and a large waiting room.
They couldn’t locate him at first, then a nurse said he had just been scanned. The two ambulance crew were with him and the very helpful female told me to squeeze through, say hello and her male colleague would take myself and daughter to the ambulance as there was no room to sit or wait. It was like something from the Crimea!
We sat in the ambulance for ages until they stretchered husband out to join us. We were told we were waiting for scan and blood results. We kept saying “just another hour”. The paramedics told me they often spend 6 hours just sitting in the ambulance. They do 12 hr shifts but don’t finish until their patient has left their care.
We counted 20 ambulances with patients parked all with crew hanging about. It seems madness to me. A large vehicle signed Ambulance Commander pulled up and I asked what this was all about. Our crew told me he turns up to see why A and E is super busy and to count ambulances but nothing is ever done! I felt pretty sorry for them because they were both very helpful and good at their jobs. They had already spent about 1.5 hrs at our house.
In the end husband signed the forms and discharged himself because he had signed a Respect form last time he was in hospital to say he does not want to go into hospital again.
After another wait his medication arrived and we were told to contact our surgery on Monday to see if results are back.
The only positive thing about our experience is that they rang ahead from our home so as soon as he got to hospital he was scanned after about 10 minutes. They really have got to sort this out because it’s just not working efficiently and the crew told us it’s pretty much the same all over the country.
Luckygirl3
Margs
I'm of a mind to think that if you can get to A&E under your own steam and actually walk in then maybe you don't actually need to be there?
I walked on with a heart attack. I don't think that "able to walk" means "not in need of urgent care." I do not think we should judge fellow patients.
Sorry, Luckygirl3 - I see that you had already made the point that I have just made (and with a lot less waffle). In my haste to respond to Marg's post, I didnt read those that followed.
It’s ok because Andy is sorting out parking charges. 😒
My recent experience was good (Wiltshire UK) - I phoned the orthopaedic department for advice and was directed straight ti the trauma assessment unit where I had a 2 hours wait for assessment and treatment then allowed home again - certainly nothing as serious as a stroke but all very quick and reassuring. I think all of the NHS need more doctors - they seem to be in short supply everywhere
The one advantage of Covid that when I was experiencing severe chest pain. The ambulance arrived in seven minutes despite it being north Wales. Taken it hospital and went in straight away.
The down side was I was discharged to following day with the wrong diagnosis of mild angina and an told I would get appointment for chest pain clinic
Fortunately GP sent me back again Aortitis was diagnosed and I underwent open heart surgery
Sueinkent
It’s ok because Andy is sorting out parking charges. 😒
I am very glad he is looking into that. It is a problem round here.
Just because he is attending to the apparently small things does not mean he is not also working on the big things too.
Luckygirl3
One thing that blocks A&E is the practice of making GP requested admissions go via A&E. My GC has a chronic condition which flares up now and again. When they contact the GP about this he rings the hospital and talks to the relevant department who say they need to be admitted. But in order for that admission to happen they are instructed to go to A&E rather than the ward. It's crazy. They sit there for hours before getting to where they are meant to be.
In our area of North London, the GP rings the hospital and if they agree that you need to be seen you are given an appointment in the Adult Assessment Unit which is next door to A n E but much quieter and operates on appointments only. The downside is that you have first to get an appointment with your GP!
I can only offer really negative experiences. They are so stretched that they are not providing the care that is needed, with an agenda to get you out of there.
With our A&E, there is sometimes just one doctor to cover the whole intake, extended assessment and observation ward. People sitting in bays for hours just waiting for discharge, and with the pharmacy closing at 5, they could have to wait overnight for medicines to allow that.
My mother eventually died after going in with a simple UTI and put into obs overspill ward (and forgotten) without the doctor not understanding enough English to prescribe anti-biotics.
First time she was admitted there were beds but nobody to accept handover of the patients (being a bit stroppy, I cleaned a bay put mother into a bed, sending one paramedic to prep ambulance for departure while the other waited for handover; then demanding handover - they do not want to do this because it sets the clock ticking)
I was left sitting in a dark cold corridor with a head injury - by morning my DH got a wheelchair, took me to the GP for a checkover and patch up.
A recent post-op problem got me a 5hr wait, but rapid bloods when I was called, then back to waiting room to sit on the (rather dirty) floor. An elderly very frail lady was leaning on the wall after her bloods (I went and stole a wheelchair from the main hospital foyer wheeled it outside and back into A&E for her to sleep in)
Disagree, we could throw millions more a day into NHS, it wouldn't make any difference, it's broken and needs scrapping and starting again. The NHS was never set up to treat 70+++ million people for free, millions will never pay a penny into it yet are able to use it.
We need to stop tourism health, stop anyone that travels here without insurance getting free treatment.
Stop the extortionate amount of waste, medications, aids like walking sticks etc from being thrown away, the waste is off the scale and must cost millions a year. NHS last year spent £64 MILLION on translation and interpreters 🤬🤬
There are so many saving to be made before anyone that works should pay a penny more in taxes.
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