At what point to contact the A&E?

duchy

oopsadaisydoddle wrote: »

Oh my! I cannot believe OP has even asked this question! An ambulance HOME?!! I can just see it, dial 999 for NHS taxis!

I cannot also understand that people don't have an emergency fund for unforseen situations. I know some people are on the breadline but if they stopped (or even just cut down) smoking, maybe they could save some money to tuck away for such eventualities.

So only people who smoke are on the breadline ?
Interesting logic
I can just see it now -I'm sorry you have no money for food or electric but as you don't smoke you must have a secret emergency fund so no crisis loan for you :think:

pmduk

The serevice can refuse to send a vehicle, but once there at the scene I have been told by ambulance staff (and seen it repeated on tv programmes such as "999, whats your emergency") that an ambulance crew has no discretion in this.

pmduk

j.e.j. wrote: »

I remember years ago my mum going to hospital in an ambulance when she was giving birth to my sister, but these days I don't think they send an ambulance out, you're expected to get yourself there (in labour!).

Unless there's a problem with the labour, it's not an emergency. Mum's had 9 months to arrange transport!

j.e.j.

pmduk wrote: »

Unless there's a problem with the labour, it's not an emergency. Mum's had 9 months to arrange transport!

Yep, I think that's the attitude these days!

oopsadaisydoddle

duchy wrote: »

So only people who smoke are on the breadline ?
Interesting logic
I can just see it now -I'm sorry you have no money for food or electric but as you don't smoke you must have a secret emergency fund so no crisis loan for you :think:

What on Earth are you on about??

I never said anything about only smokers being on the breadline, anywhere in my post.

I pointed out that OP had mentioned smoking so if he could cut down, he might save money to put by an emergency tenner or so.

And I have been there where my ex left me with loads of debt but i still had an emergency fund tucked away in my airing cupboard!

WolfSong2000

I've only been seriously ill a handful of times, and all but one of those times without even thinking about it, I made my own way to A&E. One time, however, I woke up in the middle of the night with absolutely crippling abdominal pain to the point where I was having trouble breathing properly. I was at uni at the time (and no, hadn't been drinking, etc). I woke a flatmate tried calling for an ambulance and was asked "is she conscious?" (yes) and is she having a heart attack (no). Their response was, until either of those things happens they were not going to send out an ambulance. I wouldn't mind so much, except every friday and saturday night there were multiple ambulances on the main street in town tending to idiots who had gotten so drunk they were at risk from alcohol poisoning. In the end, my friend called a cab and I made it to hospital....next time something similar happened, I just called a cab straight away.

Person_one

If you're not sure whether or not to call an ambulance, the best thing to do is to either call NHS Direct or use this website and follow the advice on there: https://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/CheckSymptoms/SATs/aaRouterWeb.aspx

Examples of situations when you definitely need to call and shouldn't faff about doing anything else are where the patient isn't breathing or is having serious trouble breathing, where they are unconscious and you can't wake them up, where they are bleeding profusely and it isn't stopping, or where they are showing the signs of either a stroke or a heart attack.

Feeling sick on its own doesn't merit an ambulance. They are not a means of transport as such, they are first responders to medical emergencies. They are they to provide the first vital treatments such as oxygen or adrenaline or a defibrillator, not to save you the cost of a taxi.

As for A&E wait times, the last time I was there was with a gravely ill relative and she was in a bed on a monitor with two lines in within 10 minutes of us arriving. Cases like that are why you have to wait a bit for your nausea to be dealt with.

loulou123

I've (fortunately) only had to call an ambulance once and that was when my grandad who was suffering from lung cancer started to hemorrhage HUGE quantities of blood.

To me you'd only call an ambulance in a complete emergency - where someone's life is potentially in danger. My husband suffered from 2 collapsed lungs and nearly died the 1st time - I took him to a NHS walk in centre and they called the ambulance, I was told off for not calling 999 myself and taking him to the walk centre!

Id also only go to a and e if the situation was serious enough. If you are seriously ill you usually get seen and treated very quickly in my experiance, if its something that will not harm you to wait (such as when I broke my hand - painful yes, but wasn't going to suddenly make me unwell, so i of course waited hours.)

adandem

I've recently had a medical 'episode'. I was sent home from A&E with painkillers fro severe back pain, 2 days later I was literally unable to move.
Hubby called and ambulance as there was no way I could have got to hospital. They sent a lead ambulance (car) who then called out an emergency GP service for injections. Two days later I was still unable to move, my own GP ordered the ambulance. I could not walk and had to be stretchered out of the house to be admitted to hospital.

kittendothroar

Due to ill health a while back, I had 5 separate attendances at A&E, twice being admitted very quickly due to rapid deterioration in my condition. Fortunately I live nearby and 4 of the times I actually walked/ semi carried by friend into a&e, the only time my ex reluctantly called an ambulance was when I couldn't breathe and was turning grey and couldn't even sit up right. Even then I felt bad for doing it! Last year I actually passed out twice at home with severe anaemia but I didn't want to call 999 for such a short journey (!), I laid flat until the dizziness eased and then hobbled over! Even then spent 5 hours wait in a&e before getting admitted. After 5 days and an op later I actually walked home with my mum! I would never expect them to arrange my travel home. I was just grateful at that point to get home!