Should self inflicted wounded people use our A&E departments?

Andy From Sligo

throwing it out there to see what others think. Here's what I think .

HSE A&E departments across the land choc a block with waiting hours sometimes around the 4hour wait. The name is 'accident and emergency'

If someone chooses to climb a mountain and falls and hurts themselves , is that an accident?

If someone gets blind drunk and falls over and hurt themselves or gets into a fight , is that an accident ?

if someone decides to run a marathon ( ) and falls down due to exhaustion or has a heart attack , is that an accident?

those kind of things, and loads more like those situations , i am going to go out on a limb and say "no one forced you to do those things, and they are not 'accidents' " and so why should these kind of people block up A&E departments across the country - far better to take them to some kind of private hospital and charge them for the medical treatment they receive?


If someone is involved in a car accident through no fault of their own , its an accident and could also be an emergency situation.

If someone accidentally falls over at home and breaks a bone or a hip or something ... thats an accident.

if someone has a stroke at home , that is an emergency

If a child swallows a lego brick thats an emergency.

Why are we chocking up A&E departments with all and sundry people who for want of a better word has caused their own injury stretching the services and waiting times for other people who find themselves in A&E through no fault of their own?

Should we have some kind of an ambulance system whereby if an ambulance/paramedics is called out that they can determine on the spot where the person they pick up should go to ? ie either a HSE A&E department or a private hospital where the patient who has self inflicted wounds on themselves pick up the tab for their treatment too?

it could help to cut down A&E waiting times greatly for those that really need it?

Inquitus

meh!

Water John

A & E don't make moral judgement calls. They work to save lives.

x Purple Pawprints x

Sigh.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

Was you being born an accident ?

Andy From Sligo

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

Was you being born an accident ?

I was born at home

Andy From Sligo

Water John wrote: »

A & E don't make moral judgement calls. They work to save lives.

not all the time - most of the time they just patch up people

maybe its long overdue to do things like make moral judgement calls

Firstly this has to be the most stupid thing I’ve ever read.

Secondly, being brought by ambulance, walking yourself in or flying your private helicopter to A&E doesn’t matter, you will be charged €100 unless you’ve got a doctors letter sending you to A&E.

As well as that without a medical card the treatment in a public hospital is not free. You pay €80 per night up to I think it’s €800 or 10 nights. So your idea is ridiculous in more ways than one.

Andy From Sligo

Sonny Faint GrocerMGS wrote: »

Firstly this has to be the most stupid thing I’ve ever read.

why?

Sonny Faint GrocerMGS wrote: »

Secondly, being brought by ambulance, walking yourself in or flying your private helicopter to A&E doesn’t matter, you will be charged €100 unless you’ve got a doctors letter sending you to A&E.

when does that happen? - I havent heard of that

Andy From Sligo

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

why?




when does that happen? - I havent heard of that

Yeah by the sounds of your OP theres a lot of things you’ve never heard of.

Go to any A&E with no doctors letter you’re charged €100 w/o a medical card. Some will send a bill some (Waterford hospital) charge you on the spot.

Duckworth_Luas

like even in the cases of non accidents you describe where a drunk person falls and cracks their head that’s an accident, they didn’t throw themselves headfirst to the pavement.

meeeeh

Hospitals sending away people with life threatening injuries because they came to public and not private a&e? Ambulance waiting for guards to decide who caused car accident so they can drive off to the right unit? That will work.

Andy From Sligo

OK - money aside .. for the waiting times alone and the pressure it causes to A&E departments would it be better for people not to chock up waiting rooms with self inflicted injuries?

Water John

There may be a case for drunk tanks such as used in Australia. Other than that the whole discussion is rubbish.

KERSPLAT!

Jesus you talk some shyte.

Andy From Sligo

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

OK - money aside .. for the waiting times alone and the pressure it causes to A&E departments would it be better for people not to chock up waiting rooms with self inflicted injuries?

You do realise A&E’s operate on a priority basis? The most urgent cases are seen first? If you’re waiting for hours it’s because the triage nurse has deemed you fit to wait above everyone before you. OP serious question have you ever been to an A&E??

One eyed Jack

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

OK - money aside .. for the waiting times alone and the pressure it causes to A&E departments would it be better for people not to chock up waiting rooms with self inflicted injuries?

When you said ‘self inflicted’, I thought you meant things like people cutting themselves on purpose, or leaping off buildings on purpose, or generally doing things on purpose that would require a visit to A&E. The list you gave isn’t people doing things on purpose. They’re accidents, which require emergency treatment.

My answer would still be ‘yes’ all the same.

Andy From Sligo

Sonny Faint GrocerMGS wrote: »

You do realise A&E’s operate on a priority basis? The most urgent cases are seen first? If you’re waiting for hours it’s because the triage nurse has deemed you fit to wait above everyone before you. OP serious question have you ever been to an A&E??

I try not to make a habit of it - when i have before its been circa 3 or 4 hour wait from memory - there were also clearly some people in there that could have gone to their GP for what they went to A&E for (although I am not medically trained to asses their predicaments I have to add )

naw, I havent been for years , thanks be to God

BeerFarts

I bet Peter Casey is livid he missed out on this idea.

Roger Hassenforder

Water John wrote: »

There may be a case for drunk tanks such as used in Australia. Other than that the whole discussion is rubbish.

This

/thread interest

Andy From Sligo

I dont have to go to A&E to know that there are big problems and people waiting in corridors on trolleys waiting to be seen - sure I hear it on the news loads of times - overcrowded A&E departments

bassy

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

throwing it out there to see what others think. Here's what I think .

HSE A&E departments across the land choc a block with waiting hours sometimes around the 4hour wait. The name is 'accident and emergency'

If someone chooses to climb a mountain and falls and hurts themselves , is that an accident?

If someone gets blind drunk and falls over and hurt themselves or gets into a fight , is that an accident ?

if someone decides to run a marathon ( ) and falls down due to exhaustion or has a heart attack , is that an accident?

those kind of things, and loads more like those situations , i am going to go out on a limb and say "no one forced you to do those things, and they are not 'accidents' " and so why should these kind of people block up A&E departments across the country - far better to take them to some kind of private hospital and charge them for the medical treatment they receive?


If someone is involved in a car accident through no fault of their own , its an accident and could also be an emergency situation.

If someone accidentally falls over at home and breaks a bone or a hip or something ... thats an accident.

if someone has a stroke at home , that is an emergency

If a child swallows a lego brick thats an emergency.

Why are we chocking up A&E departments with all and sundry people who for want of a better word has caused their own injury stretching the services and waiting times for other people who find themselves in A&E through no fault of their own?

Should we have some kind of an ambulance system whereby if an ambulance/paramedics is called out that they can determine on the spot where the person they pick up should go to ? ie either a HSE A&E department or a private hospital where the patient who has self inflicted wounds on themselves pick up the tab for their treatment too?

it could help to cut down A&E waiting times greatly for those that really need it?

ask yourself the same question if it was one of yours............................

Andy From Sligo

bassy wrote: »

ask yourself the same question if it was one of yours............................

i'm not even going to think about it - its the subject I am putting forward (and I am getting it now, people think its a stupid suggestion)

, its not about me or my family - off the top of my head there is nothing I can think of recreational wise where we would ever find ourselves in that situation that I could think of - you know like we dont go climbing mountans (we not me personly or my kids ) nor run marathons .. nor go out jogging nor do any dangerous activities .. so I think the only way we would find ourselves in A&E would be for reasons of an accident or emergency out of our control

bassy

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

i'm not even going to think about it - its the subject I am putting forward (and I am getting it now, people think its a stupid suggestion)

, its not about me or my family - off the top of my head there is nothing I can think of recreational wise where we would ever find ourselves in that situation that I could think of - you know like we dont go climbing mountans (we not me personly or my kids ) nor run marathons .. nor go out jogging nor do any dangerous activities .. so I think the only way we would find ourselves in A&E would be for reasons of an accident or emergency out of our control

Hows ann ?.

Andy From Sligo

bassy wrote: »

Hows ann ?.

I dont know an ann

Signore Fancy Pants

This is beyond stupid.

Andy From Sligo

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

I dont have to go to A&E to know that there are big problems and people waiting in corridors on trolleys waiting to be seen - sure I hear it on the news loads of times - overcrowded A&E departments

That is a staffing issue. Not people going unnecessarily, despite the fact it does happen, the main reason is understaffing. The HSE isn’t paying staff a decent wage and because of that doctors and nurses are emigrating to countries where they will be paid well.

cbreeze

I've spent many hours in Emergency Departments - once for me but mostly for a seriously ill family member. Its hard to see who does not deserve to be cared for. Nobody really wants to be in whatever situation drives them to a place like an Irish ED.
You are never alone in the ED so you are alert to all the sounds around you when you are sitting or lying on the floor or luckily in a chair (once you are past triage and are waiting for treatment).

There is pain, and crying and shock, but also great care and consideration from the medical staff. The trolley comes round with refreshments, the staff come round to check on you and you might get a upgrade when they do the shift change as your nearest and dearest gets worse by the minute.

The trolleys come and go as the lucky few get beds in the wards. The ambulances bring in more and more people and this affects your place on the queue. You wait through the night as you get moved from an armchair to a trolley, the trolley you are in is near the ever opening and closing doors to the outer are - the ever opening and closing doors under the fluorescent lights which never go off. If you are lucky after 15 hours or so you can be promoted to a cubicle. You are nearer to a bed then and the shift changes and the new consultant comes round and you wait, and wait. And you get more and more exhausted and you wish you had never come in.

Andy From Sligo

Sonny Faint GrocerMGS wrote: »

That is a staffing issue. Not people going unnecessarily, despite the fact it does happen, the main reason is understaffing. The HSE isn’t paying staff a decent wage and because of that doctors and nurses are emigrating to countries where they will be paid well.

if its under-staffing one of the things they could try doing then is off-loading some of the patients onto a private institution then to alleviate the pressures in the hse A&E department

yo what ED did you go to where they have a refreshment trolley? Mother**** the two I’ve been to (Wexford and Waterford) would watch you starve before offering anything :pac: in fairness to Waterford the nurses offered tea and coffee once admitted while waiting on a ward.