smuts wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 7:50 am
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63808516
2 hour wait now for an ambulance in Cornwall for emergencies.
Funnily enough I was in one of these queues last night. Fortunately haven't needed a hospital visit since before COVID but the change (in this area at least) is stark.
GP requested an ambulance for mum. It took 2 hours to come, this is about the same as it always was for a GP request one.
I met them at the hospital and (this is new) they were sat in the car park in the ambulance, along with 8 other vehicles. Last time we used the a&e the system was you queued in the passage inside to use one of the 4 handover/assessment rooms they have. 2 of those rooms are now almost entirely unused as they are for covid symptomatic arrivals only. What has changed (again covid related) is where the queue is (and the knock on effect on ambulances).
Instead of a queue in a corridor after being handed over there is a queue in a car park before hand over. A&E itself was much calmer and less crowded but ambulance crews are not able to do their job so well.
As you are all good people I know you will ask, she is ok (as ok as possible). Her dementia has declined a bit and she has had an infection both things put her off eating and drinking so she got dehydrated. GP saw a spike in her sodium and sent for the ambulance. At about 1am they put her on a drip and admitted her.
Hopefully some liquids and an adjustment in her care plan for meal times will sort it. It's one of those visits that could be avoided if there was some sort of medical/nursing service available in care homes.
Once she is ok getting her back to the home is the next challenge. Took a fortnight last time.
DaveWHU1964 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 12:09 pm
Good luck to your mum Sammy. And to you - not a nice time for you and yours. All the best. Dave.
cheers bud. Didn't really want it to turn into this (should have know with you nice people). It was more about the ambulances and queues, the 2 guys last night were really peed off with the way it was all being organised. For me sitting patients in a corridor isn't great but it has to be a better option than having a car park full of highly trained and professional ambulance crews.
On the other side of the coin I guess the a&e staff were as chilled as I have ever known them.
Its got to be about reducing some of the demand (not necessarily service) imo. If you were staring a state health system from scratch today would it look like the NHS? There is just too much institutional baggage weighing the thing down to be able to really change much.
A few weeks ago my mum collapsed at home (rural N Wales) with a suspected heart attack.
Was told the ambulance would be 6 hours, luckily mu dad was able to take her in the caf. She was parked in a corridor for once she had been seen initially. It was 22 hours before they found her a bed.
When I went to see her, there were 8 ambulances sat outside a&e ticking over. Each with a patient and crew sat with them. A couple of times people were wheeled into hospital off the ambulance to use the loo, then wheeled back again. The ambulance crew were just acting as highly qualified child-minders / porters.
Thankfully it wasn't a heart attack. The only advantage of them initially thinking it was, was that she was seen in triage (?) quicker when she arrived.
I felt sorry for the staff but I don't necessarily think it was under staffing, there was just nowhere to put people. There were too many people.
Denbighammer wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 2:07 pm
A few weeks ago my mum collapsed at home (rural N Wales) with a suspected heart attack.
Was told the ambulance would be 6 hours, luckily mu dad was able to take her in the caf. She was parked in a corridor for once she had been seen initially. It was 22 hours before they found her a bed.
When I went to see her, there were 8 ambulances sat outside a&e ticking over. Each with a patient and crew sat with them. A couple of times people were wheeled into hospital off the ambulance to use the loo, then wheeled back again. The ambulance crew were just acting as highly qualified child-minders / porters.
Thankfully it wasn't a heart attack. The only advantage of them initially thinking it was, was that she was seen in triage (?) quicker when she arrived.
I felt sorry for the staff but I don't necessarily think it was under staffing, there was just nowhere to put people. There were too many people.
Hope she is ok .
I know people have been over this on here but a big problem is everyone is shunted towards the general hospital. Even without extra restrictions that would create a logjam. Growing up, anyone getting as far as the general hospital was a big thing, now its the first port of call.
Thanks both. She's now on the mend. Had to have an operation but was a success so all is good. Funnily enough, it was nothing to do with her heart in the end.
I think a huge part of the problem is bed blocking. After her op she wasn't seen by the surgeon til 6pm, he prescribed some meds but she had to stay in because the pharmacy had closed for the day by that point.
SammyLeeWasOffside wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 9:28 amAs you are all good people I know you will ask, she is ok (as ok as possible). Her dementia has declined a bit and she has had an infection both things put her off eating and drinking so she got dehydrated. GP saw a spike in her sodium and sent for the ambulance. At about 1am they put her on a drip and admitted her.
I hope she's soon as right as rain, Sammy.
As you probably know, I lost my lovely mum in July (aspirated in her care home. I could say they caused it but let's not go there..) so posts like yours, move me somewhat.
Might she be able to try this new dementia drug, at some point?
Samba wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 12:28 am
I hope she's soon as right as rain, Sammy.
As you probably know, I lost my lovely mum in July (aspirated in her care home. I could say they caused it but let's not go there..) so posts like yours, move me somewhat.
Might she be able to try this new dementia drug, at some point?
Pleased your mum's on the mend, Denbigh.
Sorry for continuing off topic.
From what I've read it's for very early on in the illness so would be a bit too late.
We've been lucky with the home. A couple of blips but generally they have been great. It's such a tough job they do especially as they aren't medical people. Tbh if I was betting I would say what's happened this time is mum's behaviour has changed but theirs hasn't. She has always been fine eating but that may now have changed and she will need more help. Nobody picked up on the change in her and she got dehydrated.
All the best to those who've got family in the hospital - hoping everyone improves.
York Ham(mer) wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 10:14 am
Worse result for the Conservatives in the Chester by-election since 1832. Not helpful for Rishi.
Not sure it'll really matter - first off he can point to the previous two PMs as reasons why support has fallen, then he can add in the high majority Labour already had and the low turnout in his defence.
Might just be Tory voters staying home rather than going out on a parky December night.
York Ham(mer) wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 10:14 am
Worse result for the Conservatives in the Chester by-election since 1832. Not helpful for Rishi.
There was talk about them being left with 3 MPs not long ago. This swing would give labour a narrow majority. Not sure there will be champagne corks popping in any of the party HQs tbh (maybe lib dems).
2 years to go, probably back to a coalition outcome by then.
YorksHammer wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 10:25 am
All the best to those who've got family in the hospital - hoping everyone improves.
Not sure it'll really matter - first off he can point to the previous two PMs as reasons why support has fallen, then he can add in the high majority Labour already had and the low turnout in his defence.
Might just be Tory voters staying home rather than going out on a parky December night.
By-elections always have low turnout cold nights or no cold nights - all you can do is look at who did turn out - and that was the highest percentage to ever vote for Labour in Chester and the lowest percentage to vote Tory there in 190 years.
Anyway, what Sunak definitely can't do is to say I've significantly improved things for us. Some honeymoon period and what is on the horizon to improve things for him/ them? If the polls continue as they are, then they have become such a deluded, bat-**** crazy party that I wouldn't rule out another Tory leader before the general election.
SammyLeeWasOffside wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 10:49 am
There was talk about them being left with 3 MPs not long ago. This swing would give labour a narrow majority. Not sure there will be champagne corks popping in any of the party HQs tbh (maybe lib dems).
2 years to go, probably back to a coalition outcome by then.
They're heading for a battering, the only question is quite how bad. Not a chance someone like Javid announces he's stepping down if they think there's even a chance of them winning power in the next GE.
Danny's Dyer Acting wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 4:15 pm
They're heading for a battering, the only question is quite how bad. Not a chance someone like Javid announces he's stepping down if they think there's even a chance of them winning power in the next GE.
TBF that's a slightly different argument. A bettering is one thing a landslide would need something much more.
The 14% swing in Chester repeated across the country go ets labour a majority of under 40. That's a battering for the Tories, a huge turnaround but not a landslide win.
If it was a Tory govt sub 40 would be wafer thin considering the nutty wing. Labour it's a bit more secure as lots of the smaller parties would back or at least abstain rather that oppose.