Unhelpful A & E receptionist

madison's_mum

Had a v worrying time on Weds, DD (just turned 3) had had temp since Mon & had been throwing up & full of cold. On weds she woke up with a purple rash which didn't go when i did the glass test, so of course i panicked & immediately assumed "shes got meningitis".

When i got to the hospital tho & explained to the receptionist just very off-handedly said "oh everyone worries about the rash, its never anything to worry about" !!!!!!!! We then had to wait about half an hour while 3 other people went thru triage so by the time we went in it had spread & her temp was 39.9 & we got taken straight thru to the back of A & E & then had 4 hours on the childrens ward. I thought they prioritised little kids?

Luckily it was just a viral infection which had brought her out in a rash but i just cant help thinking what if it did turn out to be worse, she isn't a doctor & hadn't seen the spots!!

Guinea_2

I'm so sorry about your ordeal! Hope your little girl is okay soon.

I'm going to really generalise here but don't all receptionists think they are doctors or nurses?! My local practise receptionists think that they know best and it really gets to me!

inkie

Had a v worrying time on Weds, DD (just turned 3) had had temp since Mon & had been throwing up & full of cold. On weds she woke up with a purple rash which didn't go when i did the glass test, so of course i panicked & immediately assumed "shes got meningitis".

When i got to the hospital tho & explained to the receptionist just very off-handedly said "oh everyone worries about the rash, its never anything to worry about" !!!!!!!! We then had to wait about half an hour while 3 other people went thru triage so by the time we went in it had spread & her temp was 39.9 & we got taken straight thru to the back of A & E & then had 4 hours on the childrens ward. I thought they prioritised little kids?

Luckily it was just a viral infection which had brought her out in a rash but i just cant help thinking what if it did turn out to be worse, she isn't a doctor & hadn't seen the spots!!

I don't think that it is necessarily kids that should be prioitised, but in view of the sx that DD was presenting with the receptionist should have flagged this up with the triage. It seems from what you have said that there seems to be a lack of capacity with the traige - our unit runs so slick that as soon as the patient is booked in, then they are taken in a room immediately adjacent to the reception area by a qualified health professional and prioriised accordingly.
As a regustered nurse myself what worries me is that statement that this lady made as a) it is not in the public interest and potentially dangerous, and b) leaving herself wide open by giving medical advice which she is not qualified to do so!

For both of the above points you need to offer this is writing to the manager of the A & E Dept - who will take your concerns very seriously.

pink_phantom

I think sometimes these receptionists see so many people that they become a little dehamanised and they fail to see that what they see everyday, many people have never seen before and are worried. Maybe she was trying to make you reassure you by being blaze about it .

Unfortunatley, kiddies temps can quickly spiral and it is very dangerous when they are high and can cause fitting so I am a little surprised that they didn't try to reduce the temperature quicker with paracetamol?

madison's_mum

Unfortunatley, kiddies temps can quickly spiral and it is very dangerous when they are high and can cause fitting so I am a little surprised that they didn't try to reduce the temperature quicker with paracetamol?

They did give her paracetamol & ibruprofen but not until we got into triage which was about half an hour we got there

For both of the above points you need to offer this is writing to the manager of the A & E Dept - who will take your concerns very seriously

.

Can i do this even if i don't know the name of the woman?

pink_phantom

madison's_mum wrote:

They did give her paracetamol & ibruprofen but not until we got into triage which was about half an hour we got there

.

Can i do this even if i don't know the name of the woman?

You should be able to yes because the time you arrived should have been documented and who ever documented it on the computer would have to have signed in to do it.

tazz233

:eek: I am so sorry! This wasn't at the Royal Sussex at Brighton was it?
A couple of months ago, My mum had a severe reaction to her chemotherapy and was being very ill with a temperature. We phoned the nurses and they told us to take her to A and E. We then waited for one hour while she was being sick in the waiting room. Eventually we were taken to a side room, where we waited for 3 hours to see a doctor. We were told this was normal! We were outraged at the service- Chemotherapy is dreadful at the best of times but when you have been sick constantly for 24 hours.. she was dehydrated and extremely faint.

Sorry had to get that off my chest!

madison's_mum

No it was the conquest in hastings. maybe it's something to do with being on the south coast!!

squashy

That's awful.

Another bad experience here- I went to A&E as I was having a miscarriage and started to haemmorage. We didn't call an ambulance but I could barely stand and sitting was painful, especially as I had had to grab a handful of face flannels as padding (sorry if TMI). My husband told the receptionist and they booked it in. One and a half hours they left me sat there crying with pain, nearly falling off the hard metal seats from dizziness, I was losing more and more blood by sitting upright, eventually my husband complained and they went to check...the printer had run out of paper in triage so NOONE had been referred through. GRRRRR

As soon as they did see me they were great, they hooked me up to fluids and sent me in an ambulance to the maternity hospital- I wish I'd gone straight there now but was told it should be A&E!

Sarahjovi

I went to my local A & E with an allergic reation, I had swollen up and gone spotty! When the receptionist told me to take a seat I was expecting to wait the usual hour+, however a nurse came straight out and took me through to begin treatment for which I was very grateful! Its the one time I've never had to wait! Although I did end up being admitted for a couple of days!

Sarah

CFC

You should definitely write and raise your concerns to the unit manager. Giving the date, time, sex and hair colour should be enough. The receptionist doesn't have the medical knowledge to dismiss the standard tests that parents are advised to do. Those standard tests are the markers to refer the child ASAP to someone with clinical knowledge, surely!