Can you jump waiting list ringing 999?

stpaddy99 · 12-03-2014 8:53am #1

often wondered about that
a mate of mine is in agony with gall stones
they tell him 6 months or so to get operated on
if he rings 999 do they then prioritise you ahead of someone who walked into the A and E room? is that how the system works?is there a bigger chance hed leap these waiting lists and get operated on asap?

i seem to recall when you ring 999 you go to the acute ward
then they look at you....Im guessing they may figure 1) its more humane to get him operated on asap and 2) from an economic perspective, it would be cheaper for the health service than keeping him in a hospital bed for days or weeks and giving him medication galore for 6 months

what do you think? do people jump waiting lists for operations by ringing the emergency line?

Julius Seizure · 12-03-2014 9:02am

Ambulance and the hospital aren't the same room. The ambulance will bring you to A&E in an emergency and stabilise you en route (when driving would be too risky due to the patient's condition)

Then the hospital will assess in their own A&E and will probably be the same as when you drove there. Emergency services are for emergencies, not golden tickets!

stpaddy99 · 12-03-2014 9:12am

Julius Seizure wrote: »

Ambulance and the hospital aren't the same room. The ambulance will bring you to A&E in an emergency and stabilise you en route (when driving would be too risky due to the patient's condition)

Then the hospital will assess in their own A&E and will probably be the same as when you drove there. Emergency services are for emergencies, not golden tickets!

are you certain thats how its prioritised? are you a medical professional?if it says on your record 999 call out, does that automatically see you prioritised and considered a different case for your hospital stay?

Victor · 12-03-2014 9:28am

999 / the ambulance is there only to get you to hospital. You are then assessed in triage to determine your immediate priority (breathing, bleeding, etc.) and then you are seen by a doctor. http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/trauma-assessment

If you have a medium / long term survivable condition, you not going to be admitted to hospital.

However, if you're not going to survive in the short term, you may be prioritised.

Dialling 999 / arriving by hospital won't get you moved up a list. It is only the people how urgently need care that get moved up the list - some of those will need an ambulance.

Bang Bang · 12-03-2014 9:42am

Arriving in the Emergency Department by ambulance does not give you any advantage or special treatment over anybody. Every single patient is triaged the same and categorised as per their condition regardless if you walk in, run in, drive in, parachute in or arrive by ambulance.

This myth that you'll be seen first and quicker by calling an ambulance is just that, a myth and unless you are in dire need of an ambulance then you are only serving to deprive the genuine cases of an ambulance.

It can be quite satisfying at times when you bring a person with a minor complaint into hospital by ambulance to then see them directed to the waiting room.

Ambulances are for life threatening and debilitating medical and traumatic emergencies, they are not the free imaginary queue skipping service that some people believe them to be.

stpaddy99 · 12-03-2014 10:01am

Bang Bang wrote: »

Arriving in the Emergency Department by ambulance does not give you any advantage or special treatment over anybody. Every single patient is triaged the same and categorised as per their condition regardless if you walk in, run in, drive in, parachute in or arrive by ambulance.

This myth that you'll be seen first and quicker by calling an ambulance is just that, a myth and unless you are in dire need of an ambulance then you are only serving to deprive the genuine cases of an ambulance.

It can be quite satisfying at times when you bring a person with a minor complaint into hospital by ambulance to then see them directed to the waiting room.

Ambulances are for life threatening and debilitating medical and traumatic emergencies, they are not the free imaginary queue skipping service that some people believe them to be.

what if youre in screaming agony for gall stones operation and told to wait 6 months?

Bang Bang · 12-03-2014 10:08am

stpaddy99 wrote: »

what if youre in screaming agony for gall stones operation and told to wait 6 months?

I would start out with the GP who is allowing a patient to scream in agony and suffer for six months with gall stones.
Gall stones are not treated in the emergency department, they are generally treated through elective surgery. The pain for said gall stone issues can be treated in an emergency department but the patient admitted to the ED with a six month ongoing issue would be graded minor and would not receive preferential transfer or admittance to an acute emergency ward. A six month ongoing issue is not acute.

Zambia · 12-03-2014 11:05am

stpaddy99 wrote: »

what if youre in screaming agony for gall stones operation and told to wait 6 months?

Sadly Gall Stone attacks are not considered an emergency they may just treat the pain on each occasion till you get your turn on the waiting list.

They are f**ping agony though.

My missus had them and lucky we had Health Insurance.

truebluesac · 12-03-2014 1:27pm

Calling an emergancy ambulance on the emergancy no of 999 should be reserved for emergancies only ,

All the articles in the papers of late reffering to ambulance shortages can be contributed to by wana be queue skippers and non emergant misuse of the system . how would you feel if your grandparents or parents had to wait for an ambulance to travel from afar while they where suffereing a heart attack , stroke or some other possible life saving event were every second never mind miniute could count ,

The most satisfying feeling i get is when i see previous patients with very minor or non existant complaint who obiously want to skip the queue or whatever and see them in the waiting room 8 hrs later .

Nothing like a good long wait in a hard chair to cure your bo bo .

Zambia · 12-03-2014 1:48pm

truebluesac wrote: »

Calling an emergancy ambulance on the emergancy no of 999 should be reserved for emergancies only ,

All the articles in the papers of late reffering to ambulance shortages can be contributed to by wana be queue skippers and non emergant misuse of the system . how would you feel if your grandparents or parents had to wait for an ambulance to travel from afar while they where suffereing a heart attack , stroke or some other possible life saving event were every second never mind miniute could count ,

The most satisfying feeling i get is when i see previous patients with very minor or non existant complaint who obiously want to skip the queue or whatever and see them in the waiting room 8 hrs later .

Nothing like a good long wait in a hard chair to cure your bo bo .

I once saw a doctor tell a patient who arrived in an ambulance to wait out in the waiting room. He refused and was removed by security and dumped in the waiting room.

Ramping is bad enough without people adding to it.

Old diesel · 13-03-2014 6:35pm

truebluesac wrote: »

Calling an emergancy ambulance on the emergancy no of 999 should be reserved for emergancies only ,

All the articles in the papers of late reffering to ambulance shortages can be contributed to by wana be queue skippers and non emergant misuse of the system . how would you feel if your grandparents or parents had to wait for an ambulance to travel from afar while they where suffereing a heart attack , stroke or some other possible life saving event were every second never mind miniute could count ,

The most satisfying feeling i get is when i see previous patients with very minor or non existant complaint who obiously want to skip the queue or whatever and see them in the waiting room 8 hrs later .

Nothing like a good long wait in a hard chair to cure your bo bo .

The joys of dealing with members of the public - who think they are been REALLY CLEVER and SMART when in fact they are been exactly the OPPOSITE.

They say the customer is always right.

They are wrong - sometimes the customer is WRONG

2Mad2BeMad · 15-03-2014 2:13am

sure dont gall stones eventually come out after a while when you pee?

truebluesac · 15-03-2014 1:22pm

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

sure dont gall stones eventually come out after a while when you pee?

thats kidney stones your thinking about

MN_Medic · 18-03-2014 11:03pm

Simple answer -NO.
I've had several patients tell me that they rang for the ambulance to skip the cue, they had no need for an EMERGENCY Ambulance but wanted a glorified taxi.
They have a great expression on their face when I explain that it doesn't work like that and I have an even better expression on my face when the triage nurse sends them out to the waiting room with everyone else.
ALL patients are triaged and those who are the worst, regardless of how they arrived, are seen first.

pwurple · 22-03-2014 10:46am

truebluesac wrote:

The most satisfying feeling i get is when i see previous patients with very minor or non existant complaint who obiously want to skip the queue or whatever and see them in the waiting room 8 hrs later .

Nothing like a good long wait in a hard chair to cure your bo bo .

As someone who had a relative who died waiting for treatment due to incorrect triage after arrival by ambulance, i find that attitude utterly revolting.

gctest50 · 22-03-2014 11:09am

truebluesac wrote: »

..........
The most satisfying feeling i get is when i see previous patients with very minor or non existant complaint who obiously want to skip the queue or whatever and see them in the waiting room 8 hrs later .

Nothing like a good long wait in a hard chair to cure your bo bo .

Maybe they just want to get away from there asap ?

http://bit.ly/1jeT7DS

http://bit.ly/1raOCyK

You know the way it is - people read that and tar you all with the same brush

truebluesac · 22-03-2014 11:13am

Im sorry for your loss ,

That was a mistake on the hospitals fault not the ambulance and the differance of someone who was in a serious condition to somone who had a splinter in their finger , there are people out there who abuse the system

All my patients no matter how trivial get full treatment , examination , bavkgrounds and obs

Look at the context of the thread and the initial question posed

truebluesac · 22-03-2014 11:22am

gctest50 wrote: »

Maybe they just want to get away from there asap ?

http://bit.ly/1jeT7DS

http://bit.ly/1raOCyK

You know the way it is - people read that and tar you all with the same brush

Im not a member of either service the second is of a scottish ambulance service ,

I think that its a hugh jump to say that because of 1 vile incident in ireland not pertaining to patients that all the good paramedics nationwide get tared and besmirched

A personal feeling cannot and shouldnot stand in the way of your professional standards of care ,

lynski · 22-03-2014 11:28am

I have heard of someone who was sent my their gp to the a&e as the tests she needed would take upto 12 mths to get otherwise. She went 3 days in a row before she was seen and got tests.
Also a lady i knew with adiagnosed terminal brain tumor who needed to go into hospital was told the only way in was a&e , she was left waiting for nearly 12 hrs for admittance.

bravestar · 22-03-2014 7:02pm

pwurple wrote: »

As someone who had a relative who died waiting for treatment due to incorrect triage after arrival by ambulance, i find that attitude utterly revolting.

Congrats on taking a comment out of context so you have something to give out about.

Can you jump waiting list ringing 999?

Comments