Your A & E experiences, good and bad

The Volt

Apologies in advance if this comes across as pedantic or inconsiderate but I'm enraged at the current state of affairs. On Tuesday my brother had to go the A & E in order to sort out a gastric problem. He spent 8 hours there to find out that theere were only junior staff available. The junior doctor that did speak to us could barely string a sentence together in English. At one stage he asked my brother repeatedly, "today, you womit?" It took us a while to figure out that he meant 'vomit'.

Effectively, there was nothing they could do for him and during the 8 hours we spent there they kept insisting that he take Nurofen on a regular basis. All that this trip to the A & E has done for him and my family is bring the vomiting bug into our house. I'm sure many of you know how unpleasant and difficult to manage this can be.

I'm told that years ago things weren't this bad, even when the nuns were running the Hospitals you could still get a bed. It's hard to believe that when times were good we opted for mass development of hotels and apartments rather than looking after the sick, the weak and the poor. What is it about this country we live in? We apparently copy a lot of the things that Britain does (our constitution for example is pretty much a carbon copy) but the one thing that may have been of use more than anything was the way in which after WW2 they established the NHS.

It's time for wholesale changes in the HSE as I'm now of the opinion that it's better to stay home, grin and bear whatever the problem is rather than wait in A & E and catch something worse while waiting to be seen by often unhelpful medical staff.

/rant

helimachoptor

I'd agree spent 16 hours in a and e with the other half only to be given the same anti biotics that her gp gave her and "come back invavweeknif it's not better" only one doc on duty as far as I could tell

Mr Benevolent

I've never really had a bad experience except for one idiot junior doctor who implied that I had no right to be in A&E because of a throat infection that caused me to wake choking on my own eppiglottis. She then decided to maximise the pain by taking ages finding a vein. No doctor had trouble finding a vein in my arm before. Stupid, incompetent, arrogant bitch.

Apart from that, any time I've been in A&E (for myself or others) has been fine. I never care about the wait.

Mc Love

I spent well over 24 hours on a trolley and most of that time I was awake as its so hard to sleep in there. Also dont ever leave your bed, it wont be there when you come back!

dr.bollocko

Unless you're bleeding or an appendage is hanging off or you're dead there isn't much they can do other than refer you to somebody else any how.

opinion guy

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Unless you're bleeding or an appendage is hanging off or you're dead there isn't much they can do other than refer you to somebody else any how.

They can do something about death now ? Wow. Modern medicine is amazing !!

neil_18_

Waiting 15 hours on a a ****ty little chair with an inflamed appendix.

Thought i was bad,

I saw a man waiting hours and hours with a ,I assume pretty big, cut on his head. He must have been in awful pain.

problemchimp

just before Christmas I was sent by my doctor to A/E with severe pain in my appendix. I had to have my appendix removed. I arrived at Beaumont hosp. at 5.30 pm on a M onday and seen the doctor at 5.00 am. Eleven and a half hours in the waiting room before I got to see a doctor or trolley. Then another 10 hours on a chair before they decided it was too serious and could rupture. I'm 43 years old so I could handle it even though the pain was making me puke, but why should the eldery have to put up with this. Fukcing disgraceful. OP is right, why did we allow those fukcers in charge to give tax breaks to build hotels in fukcing Ballymun and Finglas and let our health service turn to complete crap. Dr. Noel Browne would turn in his grave. Shame on Harney!!!!

DubMedic

Someone arriving by ambulance with a non serious issue, but being put in the same queue as everyone else. The look on their face when they found out they were not going to skip the queue after all .

.

neil_18_

problemchimp wrote: »

just before Christmas I was sent by my doctor to A/E with severe pain in my appendix. I had to have my appendix removed. I arrived at Beaumont hosp. at 5.30 pm on a M onday and seen the doctor at 5.00 am. Eleven and a half hours in the waiting room before I got to see a doctor or trolley.Shame on Harney!!!!

Same as me

Well it wasn't something to smile about at the time ha

3hn2givr7mx1sc

I went in there one Saturday night at roughly 6 o'clock with a sore *ahem*, if ya get me.:pac: The way in was savage cos we got a Garda escort through match traffic(there was a football match on with a few thousand fans at it).

I spent an hour on a wheelchair, which I had to squeeze my legs into, which seriously increased the pain. I was moved to a big chair then, which was nice and then a foreign man came in, he just had a car crash. He was off his face on something and he started trying to attack the nurses who were attempting to help him, they called a work colleague to come in and sit with him, who didn't even know his name(:rolleyes:). Eventually they put him to sleep and he was having fúcking nightmares so he was roaring in his slepp.:mad:

Then this auld lad of about 80 came in on a trolley. Apparently he's there at lest 5 nights a week. He came in the door praying to Allah(he was Irish) and the put him on a bed around the corner, which he then proceeded to roll off and crawl away when nobody was watching, he was then dragged across the floor by a porter and put back on the bed. Again, he rolled off and crawled away, this time towards me and he started barking. The porteer dragged him back and they left him on the floor and gave out to him like he was a fúcking 3 year old, then he started praying to God and Jesus and kept saying "Oh take me now Good Lord, take me now!" and "I'm ready to die Jesus, fúck sake I'm ready to die". It was actually quite sad.:(

I got moved to a patients bed anyway and whilst waiting for the doc the oldman came crawling over to the nurses station(straight across from my bed) and proceeded to talk gibberish and stare at their boobs. They closed my curtain(the bítches:mad:) and brought him back. Then the doctor came to see me, he looked like Krishnan Guru-Murthy, he checked the soldiers and told me to come back on Monday for an ultrasound. I felt so used!:pac:

Got home at two o'clock, just in time for a sangwidge and 'White Boys Can't Jump'. Nice.:cool:

Min

I have never been but some relations have to Kilkenny's St Luke's and no problem with length of time, it is said to be one of the best in the country so naturally the HSE has plans to close it.

bazmaiden

Min wrote: »

I have never been but some relations have to Kilkenny's St Luke's and no problem with length of time, it is said to be one of the best in the country so naturally the HSE has plans to close it.

It's making the others look bad,

Alessandra

Voltwad wrote: »

Apologies in advance if this comes across as pedantic or inconsiderate but I'm enraged at the current state of affairs. On Tuesday my brother had to go the A & E in order to sort out a gastric problem. He spent 8 hours there to find out that theere were only junior staff available. The junior doctor that did speak to us could barely string a sentence together in English. At one stage he asked my brother repeatedly, "today, you womit?" It took us a while to figure out that he meant 'vomit'.

Effectively, there was nothing they could do for him and during the 8 hours we spent there they kept insisting that he take Nurofen on a regular basis. All that this trip to the A & E has done for him and my family is bring the vomiting bug into our house. I'm sure many of you know how unpleasant and difficult to manage this can be.

I'm told that years ago things weren't this bad, even when the nuns were running the Hospitals you could still get a bed. It's hard to believe that when times were good we opted for mass development of hotels and apartments rather than looking after the sick, the weak and the poor. What is it about this country we live in? We apparently copy a lot of the things that Britain does (our constitution for example is pretty much a carbon copy) but the one thing that may have been of use more than anything was the way in which after WW2 they established the NHS.

It's time for wholesale changes in the HSE as I'm now of the opinion that it's better to stay home, grin and bear whatever the problem is rather than wait in A & E and catch something worse while waiting to be seen by often unhelpful medical staff.

/rant

Sorry the UK does not have a codified (written) constitution so the Irish constitution cannot be a "carbon copy". They get their law from court judgements, statutes and treaties.

Dozen Wicked Words

Min wrote: »

I have never been but some relations have to Kilkenny's St Luke's and no problem with length of time, it is said to be one of the best in the country so naturally the HSE has plans to close it.

Not lately it isn't. You can enjoy a night on a trolley in the outpatients department or day ward, that way, your stay counts as being out of A and E and not in their numbers.

The Volt

Alessandra wrote: »

Sorry the UK does not have a codified (written) constitution so the Irish constitution cannot be a "carbon copy". They get their law from court judgements, statutes and treaties.

A lot of our legislation is quite similar to yours. I was simply making a point that Health legislation would've been useful

Wibbs

I've been to A&E a fair few times over the years, thankfully not for myself and I've only had one experience which would be considered OK. I've had experience of of A&E in two other countries and the contrast couldnt have been more marked. Indeed this goes for hospital stays and the medical field in this country overall. Its dire. Delays, mismanagement and yes medical staff incompetence to boot. People are dying on a daily basis from this dire service. It was not always thus either. In the 70's people on sun trips to spain etc would worry if they had to go to a local hospital. Now they would be blessed if they had to.

artanevilla

VHI swiftcare. :pac:

opinion guy

dooferoaks wrote: »

Not lately it isn't. You can enjoy a night on a trolley in the outpatients department or day ward, that way, your stay counts as being out of A and E and not in their numbers.

Fiddling the numbers like that is standard HSE practice. Its disgraceful

discus

Beaumount Hospital - both times I was waiting 15 mins to be seen, and saw a consultant right away.

Alessandra

Voltwad wrote: »

A lot of our legislation is quite similar to yours. I was simply making a point that Health legislation would've been useful

I'm Irish. I just wanted to clear that up re the constitution.

Anyway the Irish healthcare system is a joke. I'm a student in the UK and can see my doctor for FREE. Some of my friends (also Irish) have been to A&E and have only good things to say of their experience. I'm sure the NHS has its flaws but I agree that Ireland could follow their example.

opinion guy

Alessandra wrote: »

I'm Irish. I just wanted to clear that up re the constitution.

Anyway the Irish healthcare system is a joke. I'm a student in the UK and can see my doctor for FREE. Some of my friends (also Irish) have been to A&E and have only good things to say of their experience. I'm sure the NHS has its flaws but I agree that Ireland could follow their example.

Actually i don't agree with doctors visits being completely free. I don't think it should be 50EUR a pop either, but if you make it free then people go every time they scratch their knee and waste resources. So I dunno - maybe 20EUR s reasonable. This being said - alot of poeple don't realise that they are often overcharged by their GP's. If you have to go back to your GP for a second time with the same complaint they are not supposed to charge you for example

murf313

maybe if people didnt turn up to a&e with the stupidist of complaints there wouldnt be such backlogs!
so many times ive brought in someone on an ambulance trolly who is sick but has to wait because there are eejits taking up the beds with sore tummys etc.
btw dont phone 999 for an ambulance if you think you can go straight to the top of the que, you cant!:mad:

Alessandra

opinion guy wrote: »

Actually i don't agree with doctors visits being completely free. I don't think it should be 50EUR a pop either, but if you make it free then people go every time they scratch their knee and waste resources. So I dunno - maybe 20EUR s reasonable. This being said - alot of poeple don't realise that they are often overcharged by their GP's. If you have to go back to your GP for a second time with the same complaint they are not supposed to charge you for example

That's a good point. I think 20eu would be a reasonable amount. I have often paid 60euro I didn't have. Many times I couldn't go because I couldn't afford it and once ended up in hospital as a result.
The times I have been to the doctor here I have found they are less willing to prescribe anti-biotics etc than at home(because of cost I would imagine). I think the French system works really well as well.

themorrigan

I had a rant recently about A&E in another forum here on boards. I don't blame the staff, they seemed burned out and stressed - all of them from admins, to nurses to doctors. The situation is worse today than ever. I can only talk about my local A&E (St James) as it's the only one I've ever had to attend with either myself or family member.

- I was speaking to someone who works at the hospital (not in A/E) but I was telling them my recent experience, about the very long waits in the waiting room and the fact that St James have a "Non visitor policy" in their A.E - meaning that no matter how ill or elderly a family member is - they will not allow someone in to visit them while they are in A/E - so hours go by and it's almost impossible to get any info on how they are doing/how ill they are/if they are fretting...etc. - it's very frustrating.

But this person was telling me that last Monday, I think they said, was the busiest 24 hours in the hospitals A/E history... Over 50 something catagory 2 patients, which is people in very urgent need of medical attention and over 120+ people registered to see a doctor - so much so that the waits were a staggering 24 hours? Standing room only in the waiting room.

If it's true it's not funny I think for anyone. Staff or patients. Again I don't fault the staff - most are grand - some are wagons.

nibtrix

When I was about 14 (a few years ago now) I was hit by a car and brought into Loughlinstown, had a lovely cut across my forehead. I saw a junior doctor who decided he would glue my cut closed rather than bothering with stitches. He did a really pi$$-poor job on it.

I was kept in overnight. I kept calling the nurse because of the blood oozing across my face, she came and gave out to me for getting blood on the pillow!! She went off, I thought to get the doctor, then came back with a towel which she shoved under my face and told me to go to sleep!

Overflow

I sat in the A&E for 8 hours with a collapsed lung before anyone looked at me. They didn't take me seriously because they asked what i was doing before i couldn't breathe, i said i was in the pub having a pint. It was a Sunday afternoon and i was just on my first pint when it happened. I think they assumed i was just drunk or something, which i was far from.

Anyway i sat there for 8 hours crouched over in a wheel chair gasping for air. Until finally i was sent for an x-ray, as soon as the radiologist seen the x-ray i was rushed into a bed and put on oxygen.

That wasn't the end of it though. There were no beds left in the wards so i had to spend a week on a bed in A&E listening to all sorts of people coming in during the night, drunk and screaming. If they needed the space were i was in the A&E they would wake me up and wheel me out to the hall until a space was free again. What a feckin knightmare!!

Misty Chaos

Back when I was 10, I got knocked down at lunch time and ended up in CUH. Fortunately, apart from a few scratches and a sore leg, I was unhurt. I was out by about 4pm. They just took some x-rays of me.

More recently, I was in an A&E because I had gotten a very bad panic attack a few days before, which I thought was heart related. The doctor give a me slip to go there because I was worried. Turns out it wasn't but I was left waiting for over 7 hours to be told that. I was at least relieved to hear it wasn't cardiac.

Yeah, I went in that day on an empty stomach, was ravenous by the time I got out!

bnt

I had four trips to A&E in the years I lived in South Africa, and in all cases there was basically no waiting. I was in surgery within 1/2 hour of arriving with appendicitis. Another time (different town) the hospital was so quiet they could have no doctors on staff, so they had to call out my GP to look at me and say "keep him over".

My only experience of A&E in Ireland was an eye problem. It was something that was not urgent, but for which I thought it was pointless to go to my GP. So I thought I should go straight to where I knew there were specialists: the Royal Victoria Eye & Ear Hospital. Well, there were specialists there, but I didn't get to see them straight away, and only saw a doctor after four hours. Sure enough, she didn't understand the problem (optic neuritis), and I saw specialists anyway: two weeks later.

I'm extremely careful when crossing roads, since I've been hearing stories like the above for years now, including one from a former flatmate who developed gallstones. She went to her GP, who sent her to A&E, where she waited eight hours to be seen. At least she got surgery quickly enough - in a private hospital, thanks to health insurance.

yerayeah

Alessandra wrote: »

That's a good point. I think 20eu would be a reasonable amount. I have often paid 60euro I didn't have. Many times I couldn't go because I couldn't afford it and once ended up in hospital as a result.
The times I have been to the doctor here I have found they are less willing to prescribe anti-biotics etc than at home(because of cost I would imagine). I think the French system works really well as well.

To be fair to the doctors, it's an awful lot more likely you didn't need an antibiotic than because of any financial reason...

I've been to the A and E 3 times in the last year or so, in James', Tralee and CUH, only once for myself and the longest I've been waiting is about an hour so I've been fairly lucky!!

Mc Love

baz2009 wrote: »

Then this auld lad of about 80 came in on a trolley. Apparently he's there at lest 5 nights a week. He came in the door praying to Allah(he was Irish) and the put him on a bed around the corner, which he then proceeded to roll off and crawl away when nobody was watching, he was then dragged across the floor by a porter and put back on the bed. Again, he rolled off and crawled away, this time towards me and he started barking. The porteer dragged him back and they left him on the floor and gave out to him like he was a fúcking 3 year old, then he started praying to God and Jesus and kept saying "Oh take me now Good Lord, take me now!" and "I'm ready to die Jesus, fúck sake I'm ready to die". It was actually quite sad.:(

There was an old lad like that in the trolley next to mine. He kept trying to get up even though his leg was in a cast and his toes/nails were in desperate need of a clean up. He was like nearly crying, saying why wont they leave him go downstairs (even though we were on the ground floor) for his keys and then he was going on about his dog. In his attempts to get up he caught his leg in between trolley bed and the railings (and i got that arrrgh feeling, the same some people get when the hear nails on a blackboard).
Paramedics had to come over a few times and restrain him. Finally the moved his trolley into the corner away from me, so he couldnt get out.

Then they put another old fella beside me who was in a deep sleep, his snoring could have woken the dead.

I hate A&E's apart from some of the nurses and hot female junior doctors hubba hubba