Be careful

[d000hg]

Because if you get into serious problems, you're screwed. Having to wait a long time for an ambulance for a non-critical injury is one thing, but being left in said ambulance at the hospital for a whole night and day?! And if you can't even get through on 999 what hope do you have for a real emergency.

A 90-year-old woman waited 40 hours for an ambulance to arrive after a serious fall.
Stephen Syms said his mother, from Cornwall, fell on Sunday evening and was made a priority by NHS 111 at 11:00 BST on Monday.
An ambulance arrived on Tuesday afternoon and she was in the vehicle for 20 hours at the Royal Cornwall Hospital before being admitted.
...
He said it took nine minutes before his 999 call was answered.
"If that was a cardiac arrest, nine minutes is much too long, it's the end of somebody's life," he said.

[SueEllen]

Just hope you don't have a fall.

With lots of other emergencies you can get a family member, neighbour, friend or even random stranger e.g. taxi driver to dump you at the doors of A&E

[xoggoth]

Gawd. Will the news ever get less depressing? Maybe they are just trying to get rid of the old farts like me.

[SueEllen]

I've dumped a few people at the doors of A&E before all this stuff happened.

A couple of them got seen immediately but an ambulance wouldn't come out to them as they weren't in a priority category.

[TheDude]

My local A&E always has a queue of about 10 ambulances outside with patients waiting to be seen.

A&E is being clogged with people who can't get GP appointments.

[SueEllen]

My local A&E always has a queue of about 10 ambulances outside with patients waiting to be seen.

A&E is being clogged with people who can't get GP appointments.

Some A&Es have GPs on hand to deal with those patients. They have also put in place in some areas that you have to ring 111 who will tell you if you are allowed to go to A&E.

[vetran]

I've dumped a few people at the doors of A&E before all this stuff happened.

A couple of them got seen immediately but an ambulance wouldn't come out to them as they weren't in a priority category.

I have a vision of SueEllen doing a dump and run of a gunshot victim by A&E.

[SueEllen]

I have a vision of SueEllen doing a dump and run of a gunshot victim by A&E.

I wish....

[Paddy]

Friend in London who has a history of heart attracts had another hear attack last year. The ETA for an ambulance was three hours so he drove himself to AE. The hospital gave immediate treatment and fitted a stent. His doctor said he would a died had he waited for an ambulance.