Homelessness

GirlFromMars_2

Guest101 wrote: »

No, A&E is designed for ACCIDENTS AND EMERGENCIES.


A stab wound for example would be appropriate


Getting hit by a vehicle


Losing consciousness


Severe bleeding


Suspected hypothermia can be diagnosed by a paramedic in a response vehicle.

Wow, you really don't appear to understand the difference between A&E and an Ambulance or Paramedic. I hope I don't suffer any kind of emergency when you're the only person around to assist!

Emergency vehicles are there to get first responders to someone who is in a life threatening condition, and needs to get treatment & hospital attention immediately. Paramedics are not there to provide assistance to someone who may or may not have a serious condition that may require treatment, but where the person has another way to get to hospital or a walk in centre, and isn't in immediate danger.

If you require emergency care, but can get to A&E yourself without putting your life or someone elses in danger then you should do so.

Ambulances are for people who are having an emergency with imminent threat to life. ie, a heart attack, trouble breathing, a stroke, major blood loss. Or who have had an accident that requires immediate transport to hospital, that couldn't be achieved any other way.

The correct response in this situation would have been to dial the NHS 111 service & have them triage the situation. If the homeless person didn't want help, then calling the Police Non-Emergency line would have been another option. Or a homeless charity that assists rough sleepers like St Mungos.

And if the NHS have got their planning sorted out properly , you will often find a Walk in Centre situated adjacent to A&E if the problem turns out to be less urgent than you initially believed.

Please don't call out the ambulance service for anything less than an absolute EMERGENCY where you need immediate assistance.

Guest101

GirlFromMars wrote: »

Wow, you really don't appear to understand the difference between A&E and an Ambulance or Paramedic. I hope I don't suffer any kind of emergency when you're the only person around to assist!

Emergency vehicles are there to get first responders to someone who is in a life threatening condition, and needs to get treatment & hospital attention immediately. Paramedics are not there to provide assistance to someone who may or may not have a serious condition that may require treatment, but where the person has another way to get to hospital or a walk in centre, and isn't in immediate danger.

If you require emergency care, but can get to A&E yourself without putting your life or someone elses in danger then you should do so.

Ambulances are for people who are having an emergency with imminent threat to life. ie, a heart attack, trouble breathing, a stroke, major blood loss. Or who have had an accident that requires immediate transport to hospital, that couldn't be achieved any other way.

The correct response in this situation would have been to dial the NHS 111 service & have them triage the situation. If the homeless person didn't want help, then calling the Police Non-Emergency line would have been another option. Or a homeless charity that assists rough sleepers like St Mungos.

And if the NHS have got their planning sorted out properly , you will often find a Walk in Centre situated adjacent to A&E if the problem turns out to be less urgent than you initially believed.

Please don't call out the ambulance service for anything less than an absolute EMERGENCY where you need immediate assistance.

If you can get to A&E yourself, you don't need A&E treatment.

I didn't say call 999 even once. I said go to a walk in. Repeatedly.

If the choice is A&E or a response vehicle, the ambulance service should be preferred.

How about you read the thread and not just pick out the one but that suits your argument.

Poppie68

Guest101 wrote: »

The advice you give is quite shocking (and the attitude is a significant part of why the system is over stretched)

I'm not the one giving advice, your the one telling others not to take others to A&E so is that not advice?. I've not once said don't call an ambulance but you have more than once said don't take them to A&E.

Hypothermia can kill....It's potentially lethal if that doesn't warrant hospital then what does? Regardless of how you get them there, they need proper diagnosis...

Poppie68

Guest101 wrote: »

If you can get to A&E yourself, you don't need A&E treatment.

I didn't say call 999 even once. I said go to a walk in. Repeatedly.

If the choice is A&E or a response vehicle, the ambulance service should be preferred.

How about you read the thread and not just pick out the one but that suits your argument.

What a load of croak.......I didn't use an ambulance to get to A&E but I still had a stroke, many people make their own way to hospital with life threatening conditions. People have died waiting for ambulances because it's drummed into them to call an ambulance and wait but unfortunately the wait has turned out to be too long.

GirlFromMars_2

Guest101 wrote: »

If you can get to A&E yourself, you don't need A&E treatment.

I didn't say call 999 even once. I said go to a walk in. Repeatedly.

If the choice is A&E or a response vehicle, the ambulance service should be preferred.

How about you read the thread and not just pick out the one but that suits your argument.

Plenty of people who need emergency treatment are able to get to A&E themselves.

Going to a walk in centre isn't terrible advice - especially if it's located next to an A&E as then they can filter you towards the most appropriate option. Or if you don't know how serious your ailment is you can just phone 111 and they will assess you and give you appropriate advice.

How do you think you're going to get your mystical ambulance to come visit you if you don't call 999 (or if 111 don't put you through)

You are entirely wrong to think of the ambulance service as a service to use, when you aren't quite bad enough for A&E. Ambulances are for major emergencies, not just because you can't be bothered to get yourself to see a doctor.

I have read the entire thread thanks. And you are wrong throughout where it comes to calling paramedics to attend situations that in your opinion don't quite warrant a visit to A&E. You should only call an ambulance if you expect to have to go to A&E. The paramedic may decide otherwise when they get to you, but you should not already be of the opinion that you're not sick enough for A&E when you call out an emergency vehicle.

It costs far more to have an emergency vehicle staffed with paramedics come to you, than it does for you to go to an A&E department & wait until they can see you.

GwylimT

Guest101 wrote: »

If you can get to A&E yourself, you don't need A&E treatment.

I didn't say call 999 even once. I said go to a walk in. Repeatedly.

If the choice is A&E or a response vehicle, the ambulance service should be preferred.

How about you read the thread and not just pick out the one but that suits your argument.

I was able to get myself to A&E in my early twenties, I was suffering from sepsis and nearly lost my life. Clearly, I didn't need to go to A&E.

I was also able to get myself there with a broken leg, disslocated shoulder and a cracked head, not all at the same time, I'm not that clumsy.

Poppie68

GwylimT wrote: »

I was able to get myself to A&E in my early twenties, I was suffering from sepsis and nearly lost my life. Clearly, I didn't need to go to A&E.

I was also able to get myself there with a broken leg, disslocated shoulder and a cracked head, not all at the same time, I'm not that clumsy.

Strangely enough I got myself to hospital with sepsis age 17 ended up in ICU, my MIL got herself there and that night underwent emergency surgery for aneurysm s and had 3 titanium clips fitted, my daughter's boyfriend drove himself to hospital very recently to be rapidly transferred to a renal unit for end stage renal failure.... It's ridiculous to think unless you need or go in ambulance then you don't need emergency treatment.





The thing is though nobody here is actually saying go to A&E for every ache and pain as we all agree that would be abusing the system. The topic of this thread is about a homeless person who the op suspected was suffering from Hypothermia, as it's potentially life threatening it can be classed as an emergency until told otherwise... calling an ambulance, getting them there by car or on a ruddy donkey shouldn't matter... Plenty of patients turn up in ambulances and are promptly sent on their way after tests establish there is no problem.

Guest101

GwylimT wrote: »

I was able to get myself to A&E in my early twenties, I was suffering from sepsis and nearly lost my life. Clearly, I didn't need to go to A&E.

I was also able to get myself there with a broken leg, disslocated shoulder and a cracked head, not all at the same time, I'm not that clumsy.

But you didn't need A&E, you needed hospital treatment.

you needed a way into the system that's all.

Guest101

Poppie68 wrote: »

I'm not the one giving advice, your the one telling others not to take others to A&E so is that not advice?. I've not once said don't call an ambulance but you have more than once said don't take them to A&E.

Hypothermia can kill....It's potentially lethal if that doesn't warrant hospital then what does? Regardless of how you get them there, they need proper diagnosis...

The whole point is HOW you get there.

Does it have to be via A&E, or is a walk in better?

Does it have to be hospital or would a health centre be sufficient.

Guest101

Poppie68 wrote: »

What a load of croak.......I didn't use an ambulance to get to A&E but I still had a stroke, many people make their own way to hospital with life threatening conditions. People have died waiting for ambulances because it's drummed into them to call an ambulance and wait but unfortunately the wait has turned out to be too long.

An ambulance starts treatment straight away.

back seat of your mates car doesn't. But you'd expect the system to pick up the mess.