A&E disasters. Surely there must be a better way?

Hi Rainbow Warrior 

So sorry to read your story, I can sort of relate to how my wife was over 10 years ago when almost is seemed nobody knew what to do - and as her partner/carer I was totally lost.

A&E is often an adventure, I recently was advised to attend after a significant rectal bleed and I was 16 hours there before they decided to admit me. Been there quite a bit with my wife too - she has Leiomysarcoma. The staff all seem to be really genuine and hard working but there is just so much going on all the time.

I know when my wife was on chemotherapy there was a separate triage process run out of the cancer centre that was not "go to A&E", do you have anything like that. It also meant we were talking to cancer experts straight away and that seemed helpful, it does not sound like that works quite so well for you though. 

<<hugs>>

Steve

No clear idea here either! My husband (also on end-of-life care now) was directed by hospice hotline to GP and from GP to A+E - spent 25.5hrs in A+E for essentially a null result. After 1hr they'd taken bloods, after 5hrs he'd got out of "the stack" which was an uncomfortable railway like waiting room (not great for a man who had been lying in bed for a fortnight), to a bed to be assessed. After 8hrs (it was 3am) they'd decided no acute infection and had given fluids so we expected to go - but on seeing him retch and bring up blood insisted he must stay to see Max Fac, who'd be in at 7am. They actually came at 10am, and it was a junior who decided he was too complex and needed to be seen by a senior ... At 2pm we decided we'd had enough and we're going - then another junior arrived, who did her absolute best to get attention and information for us, ending with an endoscopy, confirming no actual blockage or damage above the larynx..but that was 25hrs after we started. They'd found nothing they felt able to treat, and we went home to continue as we were... Never felt more stuck in the system! Our ReSPECT form has since been completed. Now we would decline to visit A+E and ask for a visit from GP or hospice the next day!

I’m sorry to read this. I came back on here to see how people I’d met on here are faring. Can your palliative team help more now? It seems to me that acute & A&E services in hospitals can only do so much for incurable patients. Maybe your husband now needs hospice care 24/7, in a hospice maybe (unless he wanted to be at home). I would say get a referral sooner than later. Referrals can be made by your GP, cancer consultant or palliative or district nurse teams. Took me some enquiries to find out the process. And it may be a day or more before your loved one can get a place in a hospice, if that’s what you choose to do.