Sick Kids Saturday....

My two kids have been unwell for a few days so following the NHS website advice i took my youngest to minor injuries clinic at about 10am yesterday.

Everything was broken, the lift, the coffee machine, the vending machines everything had scrappy sings on saying "out of order" that looked like they had been there for a long time. But the heating was working and on full blast roasting everyone in the waiting area!!

No receptionist, had to take a ticket and wait for my number to be called. I was third in the queue and watched as the two other people went into the room for 5mins and came back out into the waiting room.

40min later my number got called, allowing me to speak to someone about why I was there (23month old with 40degree temp been left roasting in an overheating waiting room)

Just as the two other had before me, I spent 5mins explaining why I was there before being sent back to the waiting room to slow cook some more.

Another 40mins later eventually we got seen by a nurse who explained they couldn't do anything other than call an ambulance if they decided the situation was life threatening. I asked what I should do next and was told they couldn't give advice and the decision was upto me, either go home or take my son to A&E.

Since they weren't allowed to give advice I said "ok well I'll deduce from the fact you're not on the phone to an ambulance that's its not life threatening, but I'm still in the same position as I was before I came with the same decision to make - Hospital or Home."

We said our goodbyes and we left. A total waste of time and simply exposed us both to more bugs in overheated, hospital with all facilities broken and medical staff who were not allowed to give advice...

So I called my other half to explain and she said she would take the boy to A&E. She was seen by two doctors who couldn't work out why his temperature was so high and couldn't discharge him as they didn't know what was wrong. They started preparing to admit him overnight before as luck would have it a specialist popped in, checked his ears chest and throat and quickly diagnosted him as having tonsillitis. Prescribed some penicillin and off they went...

All done in less than 5mins and apparently the specialist gave the doctors a disapproving look as if to say they really should have picked that up immediately not wasted best part of a day confused about tonsillitis...

So they eventually got home at 7pm. Full day wasted many NHS staff involved, loads of waiting in bug ridden hospitals for a simple tonsillitis diagnosis that took one man 5mins.

Going back in time a bit at around 2pm whilst my son was stuck in hospital I was home with my daughter. She was asleep on the sofa with a 40degree fever so i phoned 111 to ask some advice. I explained the whole situation and was told the out of hours doctor would call me back shortly..

By the time my son got home at 7pm the out of hours doctor hadn't called so I decided to take my daughter to minor injuries... Big mistake. Exactly the same experience as before, waiting in roasting waiting room eventually saw the nurse who said nothing they could do as it was now 7:45pm and they close at 8pm and once again they couldn't advise me what to do but they didn't feel the need for an ambulance...

By this point I'm bored of hospitals so I took my daughter to the pharmacy in sainsbos and explained the situation to her. She'd heard the same story may times before from many frustrated parents who had wasted time taking sick children to the minor injuries clinic. We bought some more Calpol and Nurophen and left 18quid lighter.

My partner still thought we should go to hospital so after dropping the drugs home (and having an ice lolly) me and my daughter drove off the the hospital where my son had spent most of the day.

We got seen pretty quickly. The triage nurse was good and we saw a doctor within an hour or so. The doctor checked her out and felt she was past the worst of it so we should go home and just keep doing what we were doing... Not a waste of time as we had her checked out and now knew it wasn't serious. We finally got home at around 10:30pm so she fell asleep pretty quickly and I could finally get some me time.

Watching TV, surfing the web, trolling people on twitter, time flew by.. then at 00:47 my phone rang ... It was the out of hours doctor that was supposed to call me shortly after 2pm!!

And this entire post has been typed one handed with me sat on the sofa with my son fast asleep on my chest...

TLDR;

Sick kids + crumbling NHS = wasted weekend ..

Yes i'm afraid that many of the systems they have put in place are crap. NHS Direct worked but had high expenses because the staff were well trained. Out of hours should be better though, should be nurse prescribers and Gp s.

Needs more funds, a removal of anywilling provider. True nationalisation. Streamlining what is available truer triage and so in

Fortunately my oldest school friend (and ex-girlfriend from about 22 years ago) is a surgeon in our local hospital, and whenever we need to go in (which isn't often, fortunately) she always pops down to make sure everything's going smoothly and kick some arse if it isn't.

Top lass. Actually, come to think of it she is one of three straight women to have told me that if they were otherwise inclined they'd happily get it on with my wife. Hmmm... food for thought there...

Oh and the second time I was there I watched a little old lady come hobbling in on two walking sticks. She walked straight in and stood waiting at the reception desk. How was she possibly supposed to read the sign flat on the counter that said "reception unmanned, please take a ticket"...

So I took a ticket for her and had to try to explain why a scruffy looking bloke in ripped jeans was handing her a bit of paper with a number on and telling her not to keep waiting for the receptionist to return...

Sorry to hear that. On the plus side they'll leave home in like 15 years and they'll only want your money then, so you'll get some time back.

Oh the services are really struggling or something at the minute, we had a similar experience. We phoned up because the laddo was ill, we wanted some advice and they ended up thinking he needed an ambulance - for constipation . We knew he was constipated he was just having a rough time, but they said they were referring us to the ambulance service. They phoned within an hour (nurse) and said they didn't think he needed an ambulance but would get a doctor to phone us back. Doctor phoned us at 3am, about 6-7 hours after we were first told he needed an ambulance. By this point said turd had already dispatched itself and the boyo was more than happily asleep.

Sorry to hear that. On the plus side they'll leave home in like 15 years and they'll only want your money then, so you'll get some time back.

Oh no they won't! They keep coming back or getting you round to their place. This year my summer break was spent painting the outside of one daughter's house and fitting a kitchen in the other's. This afternoon I am servicing one of their cars. On the plus side they both earn more than me so they've stopped asking for money.

It’s so depressing. I love the NHS, it should be looked after.

It’s so depressing. I love the NHS, it should be looked after.

">

It could help it's self in so many ways!!

My cases yesterday are prime examples of complete waste of time. The minor injuries clinic knew they couldn't actually do anything to help yet left us waiting hours just so they could send us away saying it wasn't life threatening and what I did next was up to me!!

What a complete waste of everyones time and efforts!! They added zero value and left me in exactly the same position I was in hours earlier but with a hungry, tired, overheating child... I'd go so far as to say they made the situation worse as they forced my son to wait longer before going to a pediatric department, and they didn't even advise that we should take him there. Other people may have easily misunderstood their lack of recommendation as saying the child didn't need to goto hospital...

And as for the 111 service, that's just a box ticking excercise asking totally unrelated questions and then fobbing me off with "the doctor will call you later" when they know for a fact any responsibile parent will have already taken their child to A&E as GP surgeries aren't open at weekends!!! And calling at 00:47.. if it had been any other organisation i would have probably lectured them on how pointless their service was... Maybe they actually do need to be told so they wake up and realise?? Or do they know but don't have the balls to speak up??

Its a total mess that needs a massive shake up. Wastage all the way through the system is blatently obviouse to everyone so why arent the management dealing with it???

I've got private healthcare so I probably should have just used that, but that's a sad state of affairs when you have to go private just to get tonsillitis diagnosed...

It makes my heart break.

They have fractured and destroyed something that means people have no faith or inclination to use it unless desperate.

But that is the aim. A guy (who would be shot!) wrote a book in the 80s about how to destroy the NHS. It involves starving the service of money, fragmenting the care into so many pieces it can’t work, privatising by the back door (just google Sir John Nash for nepotism gone mad) and making people lose faith in it to the extent they will pay rather than use it. It’s being followed almost to the letter.

Meanwhile decent people who want to provide good care are frustrated (and frightened of the consequences of their instructed actions) and are leaving in droves (myself included) because watching the NHS’s demise takes its toll.

Of course your child would be better at home but a temp of 40 degrees is so far over the line I’m surpirsed you didn’t see fitting.

They would know that too, they also know there’s no beds so will only admit people who might actually die right now.

I sincerely hope you received advise about what methods to use to cool him down (too fast is also dangerous) and were told what to look for if you needed to attend A&E but you probably weren’t.

A&E tried to discharge my son whilst having an anaphylatic reaction but I knew it wasn’t over so stood (in my bloody nurses uniform) in front of them and said NO

Turned out ok in the end but only just.

Sorry you’ve had a shite experience. I can guarantee you the people working there are squeezed and not enjoying themselves either.

Be demanding and don’t give the staff grief, just make sure you MP knows this is something that matters.

Nope, wasn't given any advice, just left to roast in a waiting room for ages before being told they can't advise what we should do, it was entirely up to us.

No advice on cooling the child down either.

Best advice came from the pharmacist to be honest.

Both kids are fine today, very slight temperatures this morning but all good now, no thanks to the local minor injuries clinic or the 111 box ticking service...

This pic was taken yesterday afternoon before I calledd 111 for my daughter.

I’m so sorry, that’s just plain wrong.

If your kids overheat again it’s imperative to bring the temp down. Cell death occurs at 40 (bit below depending on the study) so it is serious and the sooner you recognise the temperature increase and take action the sooner you’ll be avoiding calamity.

Strip them off. Put a fan on (oscillating not direct) then if there’s no joy it’s luke warm bath time (pray they don’t remember that!)

If it’s chilly take them out to the car.

The best piece of advice I was given (that works) is this-

“I appreciate it’s difficult for you to advise me so I won’t ask what I should do but perhaps you could tell me what you might do in this situation?”

Legally they have given you no advice. They’ve only stated what they might do if it was them. Big difference and generally you get good advice.

It makes my heart break.

They have fractured and destroyed something that means people have no faith or inclination to use it unless desperate.

But that is the aim. A guy (who would be shot!) wrote a book in the 80s about how to destroy the NHS. It involves starving the service of money, fragmenting the care into so many pieces it can’t work, privatising by the back door (just google Sir John Nash for nepotism gone mad) and making people lose faith in it to the extent they will pay rather than use it. It’s being followed almost to the letter.

Meanwhile decent people who want to provide good care are frustrated (and frightened of the consequences of their instructed actions) and are leaving in droves (myself included) because watching the NHS’s demise takes its toll.

Of course your child would be better at home but a temp of 40 degrees is so far over the line I’m surpirsed you didn’t see fitting.

They would know that too, they also know there’s no beds so will only admit people who might actually die right now.

I sincerely hope you received advise about what methods to use to cool him down (too fast is also dangerous) and were told what to look for if you needed to attend A&E but you probably weren’t.

A&E tried to discharge my son whilst having an anaphylatic reaction but I knew it wasn’t over so stood (in my bloody nurses uniform) in front of them and said NO

Turned out ok in the end but only just.

Sorry you’ve had a shite experience. I can guarantee you the people working there are squeezed and not enjoying themselves either.

Be demanding and don’t give the staff grief, just make sure you MP knows this is something that matters.

Hopefully, there will be an election soon. When you vote, just remember who has created this shit-storm. Just remember who has been systematically dismantling and destroying the NHS since 1979. Just remember who wrote a book called "Direct Democracy: An Agenda For A New Model Party" which called for the 'denationalisation' of the NHS - and set out how to do it.. If you can't remember I'll tell you: it was someone called Jeremy Hunt. Next time your bike gets nicked or vandalised, just remember who has slashed police budgets to the point that they won't even investigate thefts taking place in front of witnesses - but that's OK, because if you live in a well-to-do area you can pay for a private police force to patrol your streets.

I'm all right, Jack.

But it doesn't have to be like this.

I’m so sorry, that’s just plain wrong.

If your kids overheat again it’s imperative to bring the temp down. Cell death occurs at 40 (bit below depending on the study) so it is serious and the sooner you recognise the temperature increase and take action the sooner you’ll be avoiding calamity.

Strip them off. Put a fan on (oscillating not direct) then if there’s no joy it’s luke warm bath time (pray they don’t remember that!)

If it’s chilly take them out to the car.

The best piece of advice I was given (that works) is this-

“I appreciate it’s difficult for you to advise me so I won’t ask what I should do but perhaps you could tell me what you might do in this situation?”

Legally they have given you no advice. They’ve only stated what they might do if it was them. Big difference and generally you get good advice.

Good advice, but we shouldn't have to know the "secret pass phrase" in order to get medical advice from medical professionals in a hospital.

If they aren't qualified to make a judgement or provide advice, why keep us waiting so long? Why not just send us somewhere we can get professional medical advice??

Their excuse that they are only there to decide if it's life threatening or not was nonsense. They left us waiting ages with potentially life threatening temperatures.

They basically served zero purpose, delayed the diagnosis, dealyed the administering of drugs to lower his temperature and expected us to sit in extreme high temperature waiting room likely full of bugs whilst they faffed about not treating the other patients either.

We actually waited in the doorway causing the automatic doors to the outside world to go a bit nuts. My lad in just a t-shirt and shorts burning hot so no way I was going to wait in the hot waiting room with radiators on full blast.

Still, at least it's free right??

Good advice, but we shouldn't have to know the "secret pass phrase" in order to get medical advice from medical professionals in a hospital.

If they aren't qualified to make a judgement or provide advice, why keep us waiting so long? Why not just send us somewhere we can get professional medical advice??

Their excuse that they are only there to decide if it's life threatening or not was nonsense. They left us waiting ages with potentially life threatening temperatures.

They basically served zero purpose, delayed the diagnosis, dealyed the administering of drugs to lower his temperature and expected us to sit in extreme high temperature waiting room likely full of bugs whilst they faffed about not treating the other patients either.

We actually waited in the doorway causing the automatic doors to the outside world to go a bit nuts. My lad in just a t-shirt and shorts burning hot so no way I was going to wait in the hot waiting room with radiators on full blast.

Still, at least it's free right??

But that's OK.....if you haven't got private insurance, why should you have the temerity to expect to receive "something for nothing"? Anyway, you don't matter - Tories and their ilk don't care whether you live or die, as long as you've been alive long enough to pay some taxes toward the really important stuff like royal weddings, etc. Just understand that "YOU DON'T MATTER" and it all falls into place.

Troll where you like for fun. This is not fun.

You know that, make a fuss where fuss should be made.

Aah joeman why keep you waiting?

They have no choice.

Do they want to do the things they are doing? No.

No one should have to know a secret phrase but the point is the service has been denuded to nothing right in front of us while we whinge about individual treatment and don’t bash down the doors of the people doing the destruction. -Urr not saying ur whinging it’s just a common experience.

Complain loud and at the right people.

Or perhaps watch your lovelies get second rate treatment and no-one gives two hoots about preserving something decent.

You are spot on, no one should need to know a phrase to get correctly treated but it’s your baby and then your baby’s baby who needs to know who to stand up to so I share the words.

When I have had to use 111 they have been good. One time they where exceptional, as there was a risk I was having a stroke. 111, ambulance and A&E where all bloody fantastic and there was no time being wasted by any of them.

GP surgeries and clinics like you went to seem to be the worst aspects of the NHS from my experience. A&E is some of the best people.

My sister works in the NHS (has been for about a year now) and she is already massively disheartened by some of the people she has had to work with who clearly didn't give a rat's arse.

When things go very wrong the NHS have been fantastic in my experience.

My premature kids. Weeks in intensive care baby unit.

Parents heart attacks n subsequent by passes etc.

My spinal surgery.

To name but a few.

I feel especially around here it's where you land. We have probably 5 or 6 hospitals with accident and emergency departments within a 10 mile radius. Thus we don't have the clinics.

Warning long post from a nurse who quit.

[mention]NeilM[/mention] There has been a distinct change in the way care is administered in the last couple of years. The criteria for whether something is considered worth treating has been tightened to the extent often only the very worse cases can be treated, if it’s possible to send you home they will send you home.

Private healthcare is not the answer. You can’t make a profit from illness. It takes time and money to fix broken people.

Who hasn’t come away from the vets, the dentist, the opticians quite a few quid lighter wondering if what they’ve been sold was actually necessary. Or the iatrogenic medicine practised in America where it’s such a financial benefit to the hospital to perform interventions people are made ill from unnecessary treatments.

[mention]MarkW[/mention] It’s is disheartening and the disillusioned leave in droves. There’s a huge skill split than runs roughly like this-

If your working in the admin or managerial side you have a transferable skill so if your good enough then eventually (I’d estimate 1-2years max) you’ll be voting with your feet and getting a better paid job somewhere else. Which leaves the place being run by people who aren’t good enough to get a job anywhere else. There are lovely exceptions (who often don’t understand themselves why they’re still there) but mainly you’re not talking to skilled people who care.

The shortage of decent admin and managers means it’s used as a stepping stone by people who want to move onto bigger and better things so they come along to cut their teeth before leaving. We had a new chief in charge every 2years for longer than I can remember. This sort often enforce a change that looks great on paper (ignoring all the people who’ve been there donkeys explaining why it won’t work) then leave using the brilliant plan they got their name next to to secure a better job in corporate world. Leaving us to unpick the mess they’ve left and revert back to what works. This happens so frequently your in constant flux encountering headache problems that means it’s difficult for anything to run smoothly.

Then there are the medical staff who often love what they do patient contact wise but who’s spirits are crushed by the bollo they have to work in. Fortunately for the NHS they don’t have transferable skills so spend endless hours discussing what else they could do, never reach a satisfactory conclusion and trudge on. There was not one nurse when I left in April who didn’t tell me how jealous they were and they were desperate to get out. 33,000 nurses left last year.

[mention]Slowlycatchymonkey[/mention]

100% agree . Private health care is not the answer.

The system is in decay though and has been for 30 year.

What I was saying is. When the shit really hits the fan then there is country better than ours.

Yep I’d rather be treated here on the NHS than anywhere else. Which hospital though is a different matter!

Agreed that standards do truly vary. My wife is a midwife and she says the standard of midwifes that come out of and work at a certain uni and hospital near us are nowhere near the level she would be happy being treated by or working with!!

Yup - my surgeon friend is highly skilled, and wants out: she keeps asking if there are any jobs going in our lab!

She said the UK ranks pretty badly in the WHO healthcare listing: I can't remember where we come now and can't be arsed to look, but I think several European countries and Australia (or maybe she said Austria) come ahead of us. I don't think the US fared too well (unsurprisingly) but then she gets very annoyed when people suggest that if we didn't have the NHS we'd have the American system, as though they were the only two options for healthcare provision.

We're going over for Sunday lunch in a couple of weeks, so I'll fill her with red wine and see what I can get out of her.

Legally they have given you no advice. They’ve only stated what they might do if it was them. Big difference and generally you get good advice.

 

Good advice, but we shouldn't have to know the "secret pass phrase" in order to get medical advice from medical professionals in a hospital.

Yup.