Your A & E experiences, good and bad

left_behind

When i was in the USA for work i broke my ankle. Work covered my insurance. I had seen the doctor got xrays, casted and got my apoinment for the operation i needed in under 2hours 30mins. I was impressed with the nurses and doctors and the attention i got but then i had the insurance.

owenc

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.

yep and under 18 or something like that... you get free subscribtions so if the tablet was £50 you would still get it free. and i didnt know you had to pay to see the doctor!:eek:

Alessandra

yerayeah wrote: »

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 know yes. I think at home because we are paying (those of us that are not entitled to a medical card) they are more willing to prescribe drugs. I'm glad to avoid instances when I don't in fact need anti-biotics. In the UK it is more likely that I make repeated trips to the doctor when my illness won't clear up itself and I need the prescribed medication in the end..

Alessandra

owenc wrote: »

yep and under 18 or something like that... you get free subscribtions so if the tablet was £50 you would still get it free. and i didnt know you had to pay to see the doctor!:eek:

Yep you have to pay in the South to visit the doctor unless you are in receipt of a medical card. I still pay £7 odd to get prescriptions in the UK though.

owenc

Alessandra wrote: »

Yep you have to pay in the South to visit the doctor unless you are in receipt of a medical card. I still pay £7 odd to get prescriptions in the UK though.

oh yea i know that... you pay for prescriptions once you reach a certain age but your health treatments and seeing doctors are usually free? I think thats a discrace that you have to pay!

LavaLamp

Only experienced A&E once over here - and compared to A&E in the UK it was a pleasure. Trip wasn't for me, so I went prepared with food, drink and a good book, expecting to be waiting around for hours as in UK. Instead we were in and out within 45 mins, having had x-rays and everything. I was gobsmacked!

Didn't even have to pay to park in the car park which totally floored me from the start

First impressions (and hopefully last!) of Irish A&E is a very positive one to say the least.

Wouldn't go near A&E unless I was literally dying.

I think people's willingness to go for really small things is one of the reasons for such a wait. A&E is always full of scum - I don't know why they are so prone to injuring themselves. Of course they don't pay for it so why would they worry about creating a backlog.

RMD

Only been to the A&E twice, as a kid in Temple street. Both times were alright, didn't have to wait for more than a hour the first time (appendicitis) till I got a bed, got X-rays 20 minutes later and was released 1 hour later when they realised it was something else.

Second time I was there I was brought in by ambulance and got a bed straight away. I came off the bike and landed on the cross bar hard, they were worried I might have ruptured a vessel around the groin area. Took a piss, it was clear so basically told the doctor "I'm fine I can go home, no blood". Got 5 days of painkillers to deal with the pain and that was that. Jacinta and Deco's lovely little wailing pube of a child beside me though pissed me off, the accent and his choice of words went through my head so ****ing annoying.

Fortunately I haven't dealt with adult hospitals yet, not looking forward to it when I have to.

Neyite

Visit 1:hand injury:
got asked when was my last masturbation :eek:. Doc was not irish and meant when was my last menstruation as he wanted to send me for an X-ray and checking that i wasnt pregnant:D a mere 4 hours pumping blood before they bandaged me up.

Visit 2:really bad back/abdominal pain.
managed to drive myself there at 11 at night. nurse gave me a pain tablet, an anti imflammatory, trolley and blankie. that was it until 8am. no information, until a young doc came in and diagnosed a bad kidney infection.

Tail Wagger

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. 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!!!!

Oh here we go again, I was enjoying this thread? now it's turned into another Mary Harney bashing thread...!

JuliusCaesar

Look lads. I worked in A&E in the UK and I work for the HSE here.

We have a number of problems, not least the recruitment freeze which has been going on for the last two years. If people leave the HSE, they are not replaced. If people retire, they are not replaced. And given the concerns about the implementation of taxing the lump sum when you retire, many people are taking early retirement. So less and less clinicians are available to treat the public. Where there used to be 24 nurses and 2 doctors might have now 18 nurses and 1 doctor, still trying to cover 24hr shifts. Anyone goes off sick, or on maternity leave, we're sunk. The only way to get cover is to pull staff off other wards or duties - to somewhere that might not be their specialty.

We have a mad health policy, trying to get health to pay for itself. It's like trying to get education to pay for itself. Should we bring back fees for all secondary schools? Harney's policy is to create more private hospitals. Private hospitals make their money on planned surgery - not emergencies, not care for chronic conditions, not care for the elderly/handicapped/whatever. If you have private health insurance, and develop a mental problem, sure you'll be treated in a private hospital. But when your insurance runs out, you'll be thrown into the chronically underfunded HSE.

Then we have the massaging of figure from an administration that has lost touch with the point of a health service. Clinicians see people in need and want to treat them to the best of their ability; administrators see money going out. What were all those unopened referral letters about? If they opened them, they'd have to be put on the waiting list. And then the hospital would look bad/be fined due to the long waiting lists. If they don't open the letters, the people don't exist, and they can report to the DOHC that their hospital is doing well on its reduced budget and despite the recruitment freeze.

Please please (as I tell my patients) don't just complain to me or on internet discussion boards - email Mary Harney and tell her that her American Republican policies aren't working: Minister's_Office@health.irlgov.ie and read this

dubtom

I've not been to a+e many times but certainly the last two were positive. Waited about 90 minutes to be seen in Tallaght for peranoidal sinas (sp),Doctor saw me,called a hot surgeon,signed a admittance form, then the surgeon decided to have a go on the spot,cut me there and then,problem solved,home in about 6 hours in total.
Most recent in James,same problem as the last time,waited 3 or 4 hours,admitted me,operated on that night,home in two days. Can't fault the care I received in both hospitals.

aDeener

How exactly could a visit to "accident & emergency" be good?

aDeener

Neyite wrote: »

Visit 1:hand injury:
got asked when was my last masturbation :eek:. Doc was not irish and meant when was my last menstruation as he wanted to send me for an X-ray and checking that i wasnt pregnant:D a mere 4 hours pumping blood before they bandaged me up.

Visit 2:really bad back/abdominal pain.
managed to drive myself there at 11 at night. nurse gave me a pain tablet, an anti imflammatory, trolley and blankie. that was it until 8am. no information, until a young doc came in and diagnosed a bad kidney infection.

Well?

nucking futs

nibtrix wrote: »

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!

Matt Smith?

Cerocco

Was brought in by ambulance from the docs office with an asthma attack, underlying chest infection. The dreadful experience in A&E lasted 15 hours 13 of which were waiting on the ****ty uncomfortable plastic waiting area chairs. I wouldn't mind but only the doc insisted that I had to go to hospital I wouldn't have bothered. I'm a nurse and know how ****ty the place is but needed nebulisers so couldn't really refuse. The staff were rude and the place was boggin. I just feel sorry for people who don't know what to expect from a visit to the A&E. Nxt time i think i'll take my chances at home :mad:

chocgirl

Have had two A and E experiences. First time about 3 years ago brought into Loughlinstown with suspected meningitis, saw triage nurse within 5 minutes, given a bed straight away and saw the SHO within about 15 mins. Had no problems with the treatment I received at all, staff were all brilliant and extremely pleasant.

Took my mother into Loughlinstown again about two weeks ago with a colles fracture. It was a Sunday evening and pretty busy, quite a few elderly people waiting and a few children/teenagers. We had to wait about an hour to see a doctor and then another half hour for an x-ray. I suppose she was sorted and out in about 2.5 hours in all. I expected we'd be a lot longer so was pretty pleased in all. Felt very sorry for a couple of the older patients waiting they looked extremely uncomfortable and tired in the waiting area. Have to say the poor triage nurse was getting an awful lot of abuse as well.

opinion guy

nibtrix wrote: »

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.

THey probably decided to glue as you would not be left with so bad a scar.

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

Please please (as I tell my patients) don't just complain to me or on internet discussion boards - email Mary Harney and tell her that her American Republican policies aren't working: Minister's_Office@health.irlgov.ie and read this

I agree with this sentiment thou I don't think Harney gives a ****. I think maybe wirting to your local TD might be more affective as they can put pressure on from within

kowloon

Been in four Irish hospitals, Drogheda was the one that looked like it needed the most investment, but they could all do with a massive reform backed by hard cash put in the right place, not just pissed away like most government investment.

The local NHS hospital here is much nicer by comparison, everything's more spread out and it certainly seemed to me like there were more staff and less patients. That said, by the time the busy weekend period had started I'd been moved to isolation.

marco_polo

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.

Maybe you had a viral and not a bacterial infection . Minor details like that don't matter to GPs here so much.

Claregirl

About 4 years ago one Christmas Eve I developed an allergy to penicillin. At the time we lived 20 minutes from our local hospital in Ennis. I had severe chest pains and difficulty breathing so instead of waiting 20 mins for the ambulance my OH fired me into the car and took me to Ennis A&E. He rang them on the way to let them know we were coming and a nurse and doctor were waiting for us when we got there with heart monitor and a selection of injections ready for me. I couldn't praise them enough for the treatment I got that day.

Ennis General Hospital has since been "downgraded" and the A&E now only operates from 8am to 8pm outside of these hours we would have to go to Limerick which would have taken an additional 40 mins to get to. If this had been in operation when I had my allergic reaction I probably would not have made it to Limerick.

I haven't needed a trip to the A&E since then but given that both Ennis & Nenagh A&E facilities are now lumped in with an already overstreched Limerick I hope to God I never do.

OutlawPete

Claregirl wrote: »

If this had been in operation when I had my allergic reaction I probably would not have made it to Limerick.

Great example ClareGirl, of how this downgrading costs lives.

I believe the same thing is happening in Monaghan and Cavan.

Even in the height of our so called 'tiger economy' they were downgrading hospitals A&E hours.

It's nothing short of a fcuking disgrace.

moonpurple

in reply to OP

we need to end the glorious reign of medical consultants, pharoahs of our time

Vorsprung

moonpurple wrote: »

in reply to OP

we need to end the glorious reign of medical consultants, pharoahs of our time

Why is this always the answer to any problem in the health system?? I work in healthcare, I've worked in the Irish system as crap as it is and the vast majority of problems in it have nothing to do with consultants. If anything, from my experience it was the consultants who were pushing change but ended up smacking their heads off brick walls constructed of a seemingly endless supply of managers.

What's your experience of working in the health service/being treated in the health service moonpurple?

wicklowgal

I was taken into Loughlinstown nearly 2 years ago with suspected appendicitis. It was 6am on a Friday morning and I was the only patient there. I saw the triage nurse straight away who insisted I pee into a cup. I told her I actually couldn't, that I hadn't been able to eat or drink or keep anything down for over 24 hours. She gave me the cup back and told me to try harder! I was seen by a Junior Doctor at 8am and given a bed in A&E, he told me straight out that he reckoned it was appendicitis.

After an ultrasound showing up nothing, I was in and out of surgery by 6pm that evening. Personally, I thought it was great service, probably cuz I was expecting not to come out of their alive or not riddled with MRSA!

Abrasax

I suffered a suspected broken wrist a few years back and went to Beaumont where I was seen after about half an hour by the triage nurse then saw the doctor about an hour after that.
They x-rayed me, said the bone was flapping about near the artery and that I'd need surgery ASAP. They plastered me up, told me to come back the next morning where they performed surgery in the morning, gave me some drugs to sleep it off in the afternoon and let me go that evening.
I got a bill for 60 euros for the lot. There was very little waiting around and I thought the service was excellent.
Going against the trend, I know, but such was my experience.

The basic consensus I'm getting here confirms my personal experiences. If you need attention you will get it, if you can wait you will wait.

opinion guy

Claregirl wrote: »

Ennis General Hospital has since been "downgraded" and the A&E now only operates from 8am to 8pm outside of these hours we would have to go to Limerick which would have taken an additional 40 mins to get to. If this had been in operation when I had my allergic reaction I probably would not have made it to Limerick.

This is their other scummy tactic. They know they can't close down a well functioning local department so they use a policy of underinvestment and "make-it-****-first" so people will accept the eventual closedown.

Vorsprung wrote: »

Why is this always the answer to any problem in the health system?? I work in healthcare, I've worked in the Irish system as crap as it is and the vast majority of problems in it have nothing to do with consultants. If anything, from my experience it was the consultants who were pushing change but ended up smacking their heads off brick walls constructed of a seemingly endless supply of managers.

What's your experience of working in the health service/being treated in the health service moonpurple?

I disagree. Whilst I don't think consultants are "pharaohs of our time" I do think they could do ALOT more to fight the HSE's lunactic "management" policies.

opinion guy

Abrasax wrote: »

I suffered a suspected wrist a few years back and went to Beaumont where I was seen after about half an hour by the triage nurse then saw the doctor about an hour after that.

They weren't sure if you had a wrist or not ? That is pretty shocking!!

Abrasax

opinion guy wrote: »

They weren't sure if you had a wrist or not ? That is pretty shocking!!

It was suspected of a crime it didn't commit.
Thanks, btw. (as a noob I don't have access to the thanks button yet, so you'll have to mentally add this one to your thanks count)