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Waiting time targets at A&E to be scrapped!

(30 Posts)
wildswan16 Thu 16-Jan-20 12:51:35

I would much rather be in A&E for 5, 6 or 10 hours if that meant my treatment was carefully thought through, organised and given.

Xrays, lab tests, etc do not appear out of thin air - they take time to process and to be read. Obviously all hospital departments need to be as time-efficient as possible, but if a cardiac arrest comes in while they are treating my broken arm - I expect to wait for as long as it takes.

The only solution is more staff in all departments.

Caramac Thu 16-Jan-20 12:23:51

When I woke up with a very inflamed eyelid I was in A&E before 8am. Transferred to eye clinic at 8am. Assessed, vision normal, antibiotics definitely needed, IV. Told I needed to be seen by ENT as I’d had surgery 8 days previously. At 12 noon I was transferred to ENT ward to be seen by one of the ENT clinic doctors. My daughters arrived with coffee and sandwiches as no food offered and I’m T2 diabetic.
Eventually seen at 5pm and admitted for what turned out to be a 4 night stay. First antibiotics given at 4 am the following day.
I was only moved to ward because of the 4 hour waiting time. Had I stayed in A&E I would have been admitted sooner and treatment started sooner too. A catch-all system doesn’t always work.

Teetime Thu 16-Jan-20 11:58:29

Time targets are totally inappropriate in an emergency clinical area where only clinical criteria should be used to assess and treat. I'm glad they are going they have hamstrung the clinical staff for decades now causing the problem we have.

notanan2 Thu 16-Jan-20 10:31:55

Targets punish the busiest hospitals. I imagine a&e workers will welcome this

Yehbutnobut Thu 16-Jan-20 10:24:54

4-hour wait in A&E target to be scrapped

Seems Matt Hancock is about to do away with the 4-hour target. The rot has begun. Let’s see who can justify this!