[Closed] When to go to A&E

Is there a Minor Injuries Clinic nearby?

Minors as above- a lot of a and es might have one that they would triage you into anywsys?

Get to A&E

go and get it checked..

Just tell them that it's not right and ask if they can take a look, what's the worst that can happen..?

I'll tell you what the worst that can happen is..
You injure yourself, and it's pretty sore, but decide that you can carry on and MTFU..

2 and a half years later and the injury is still giving you tons of grief, only the doctors can't precisely identify the problem as anything that may have occurred has healed and can't be seen on a scan or x-ray, or maybe it simply hasn't healed correctly for one reason or another, maybe you needed a course of physio so you've now got a shortened or lengthened ligament perhaps, and you're basically lumbered for the rest of your life with a sore joint or bone or tendon that can and does prevent you from riding half or even a quarter as much as you'd like..

I wouldn't recommend it

Go to a&e. Last year I broke my leg and thought it was just a sprain so didn't get it looked at properly. 5 months of riding later I get it looked at properly to find that I broke it and it needed operating on. Its now buggered.

Get it checked out properly and insist on an x-ray.

No point going to minor injuries when its internal, they won't have any scanning equipment.

Surely if I can ride a bike with it off road, it can't be broken?

Minor injuries is where you need to be if there is one, after that A&E may triage you so pick a quiet time and take a book. NHS Direct (or whatever it is now) may be able to direct you to the right place.
Failing that GP

Get to A&E and get them to X ray it just to be on the safe side. Although Hopefully your experience is better than mine.

"Ooooooooooh its just a sprain Mr Gardner" 12 weeks later a, nwb for 4 weeks, 8 weeks in a Hinged brace and Physio twice a week for 3 weeks and its just about ready for work.

I hurt my wrist 2 years ago, went to gp, he said 'its not broken, its just sore.'

Was due to go offshore so employer suggested I get it xrayed, so went to a&e and came out with a cast on for my broken scaphoid.

A&E is for accidents and emergencies, not long-term injuries FFS! It may have escaped your notice but Britain's A&E departments are clogged to crisis point with people who could be waiting until next morning and going to see their GP, which is making those who have suffered accidents wait in pain for three to four hours to be seen.

I am simply staggered that people on here think it's OK to go bothering the A&E staff SEVERAL DAYS afrer a minor accident! I thought STW readers had more sense!

If you've lived with it until now and even chopped wood it's clearly not an emergency.

A&E. If you went to your Docs too tgey advise you to A&E just after they've said 'it'll probably be ok'.

The NHS is there for a reason.

If it's hurting a lot as you described get it looked at in ae.. could easily be a fractured scaphoid which can easily be confused with a sprained wrist in pain terms. Take a book or iPad for the waiting room.

Whatever you do DONT say its a bike injury. Say you tripped and fell.

Minor injuries unit if you have one as it's over a week old and tell them how you did it don't lie as it doesn't help with them being able to diagnose it.

Go to the gp. They can refer you directly for x-rays.

Do you have walk in clinics. My wife went to the one in Newcastle a week after having her foot trod on by a horse*. They were in the same hospital so she was referred for xray immediately.

*the week delay was due to location issues, she was in the middle of nowhere so the local hospital was a helicopter evac. and big insurance claim away. She thought she'd just bruised it but it didn't stop hurting. She broke one of the bones can't remember which.

+1 for minor injuries unit. They see this sort of thing all day every day. Much better than going to a GP or wasting resources at A&E

I had the same experience as paladin. Several visits to various GPs until I got referred to xray, eventually ending up with surgery years later. This time I went to minor injuries. Xray and diagnosis straight away.

hora - Member
Whatever you do DONT say its a bike injury. Say you tripped and fell.

Why?

Not everywhere has minor injuries departments. We certainly don't.

[img] [/img]

Why? A ex-Rugby playing Physiotherapist and a Triage Nurse told me. The Triage nurse told me (in private) that certain sports injuries can be classed as 'self-inflicted'. So if you've got a fall down the stairs/trip and a gnarl-fest steed riding 6 grand fro-rider, the innocent fallee' goes first 😆 Why self-inflicted? You put yourself in harms way/know the risks so you can wait.

I'm not being overly negative(!) on the above graphic but where does someone draw the line? Its difficult for a non-professional and even professionals can be surprised no?

Say flu-like symptoms with a small infant/child? Some of the criteria ticked but not all? I_ache's situation with his 'sprain'? It might create 'more work' however if there wasn't that many people coming through they'd be job cuts on the front line as there wouldn't that much of a need? More people would go to GP's - overloading them?

ANOTHER thread topic but target bloody alcohol related injuries and CHARGE £100+VAT for each admission.

Exactly thats why A&E are binning X Ray machines and installing skills loops....

😀

find your nearest walk in clinic and get it checked out

Either you are they are talking shite Hora. The cause is not an issue we need to know as I've already mentioned for accurate diagnosis.

Not everywhere has minor injuries departments. We certainly don't.

[i]A&E is for accidents and emergencies, not long-term injuries FFS! It may have escaped your notice but Britain's A&E departments are clogged to crisis point with people who could be waiting until next morning and going to see their GP, which is making those who have suffered accidents wait in pain for three to four hours to be seen.[/i]

Have you actually tried to get an appointment at your GP? This is why A&E are 'clogged'.

I fell off about 2 months ago, it still hurt the next day so popped into A&E after dropping my son at school. I was the only one there.

Saw the Triage Nurse, then Doctor. X-Ray'd and sent on my way within the hour. Turned out I'd separated my A-C.

According to the woman interviewed on the Today Programme this morning, a fungal nail infection would appear to be sufficiently serious to go to A&E....

Have you actually tried to get an appointment at your GP?

Yes, I can ring my GP and get an appointment for the same afternoon or the next day. Recently I saw my GP about knee pain and she sent me to the new walk-in centre in the town for an x-ray; I turned up, parked, took the lift straight up to Reception and was seen by a friendly radiographer within 15 minutes. No need to clog up A&E.

Docs "Is it an emergency"

Erm

"The earliest appointments that we have are for next week/end of week is that ok"

Ah ok.

"You could always go to your nearest walk in centre (closed down) or A&E"

According to the woman interviewed on the Today Programme this morning, a fungal nail infection would appear to be sufficiently serious to go to A&E....

That's a serious condition compared to what others go in with.

Have you actually tried to get an appointment at your GP? This is why A&E are 'clogged'.

It doesn't help but neither does going to A&E with minor injuries.

So the nearest one closed down Hora, where is the next nearest?

A&E is for accidents and emergencies, not long-term injuries FFS! It may have escaped your notice but Britain's A&E departments are clogged to crisis point with people who could be waiting until next morning and going to see their GP, which is making those who have suffered accidents wait in pain for three to four hours to be seen.

This + a million

I thought STW readers had more sense!

Lol

Go to the gp. They can refer you directly for x-rays.

This...

GP, NHS direct, Minor injuries clinic.

Can you make your own way to A&E?

You probably don't need A&E then.

James Herriot once said that if he couldn't catch an animal he was supposed to be looking at, it was probably not that bad. I'd like to see that sort of system implemented in hospitals.

Sounds a bit Benny Hill to me.

nickjb - Member

There should be one pretty close. There is one in Elgin. Its a great service that should be publicised more to free up A&E

It certainly should be publicised more, as I'm 5 miles from Elgin and never heard of it! Where is it?

Drac - Moderator
Minor injuries unit if you have one as it's over a week old and tell them how you did it don't lie as it doesn't help with them being able to diagnose it.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22529561

[i]As well as highlighting the workforce problem, the college also said more needed to be done to reduce unnecessary attendances.

It believes between 15% and 30% of patients do not need A&E care and instead could be treated in non-emergency settings.[/i]

Stop railing against people in general. Not everyone who walks into A&E is a timewaster are they?

I've got an eye infection for a few days, I've used Brolene. My next stop is the GP.

Stop muddling up what I'm saying with bloody timewasters. Some people (including one mod) seem to be angry/wound up and venting. Chill FFS.

ANOTHER thread topic but target bloody alcohol related injuries and CHARGE £100+VAT for each admission.

Will you be the one at the door, telling the pissed up people you want £100 before you'll let them in? 😀

[img] [/img]

ffs its more than a week a go it folks like you blocking up a and e that is literally killing folk..

go see your gp they ll make the best decsion.

[i]It believes between 15% and 30% of patients do not need A&E care and instead could be treated in non-emergency settings.[/i]

I'd put that figure much higher myself. Last time we were there (with my wife who was constantly vomiting and screaming in pain with a stomach problem), a succession of people who looked just fine got treated in front of her. There was one girl with a black eye and another guy with a little bandage on his finger.

Once their major issues had been sorted we were in! Only 6 hours. Brilliant!

I'm definitely thinking the benny hill approach is worth trying. There's various parts of that image which are working for me.

Stop muddling up what I'm saying with bloody timewasters. Some people (including one mod) seem to be angry/wound up and venting. Chill FFS.

Yes I'm frustrated as you're posting drivel about something I know a lot about. Suggesting A&E and then saying don't tell them how you did it is bad advice. 😀

No and not everyone who attends A&E is a time waster but there are a lot.

I'm definitely thinking the benny hill approach is worth trying.

Its Benny Hill. Show some respekt.

Why is everybody focussing on the E of A&E? It is for Accidents as well as Emergencies. The clue is in the name.

I go to mine when I decide I need to. However after last year I don't trust them and will now always ask for what I think is necessary. I had two misdiagnoses in the space of 6 week last year. Funnily enough (or not) I was told both times that I had a sprain. The first I had damaged the Ulnar nerve in my hand enough to have two numb fingers for 10 months and the second was the broken leg.

Whether you can ride or not is no guarantee that there is nothing reasonably serious wrong with you.

A&E is for accidents and emergencies, not long-term injuries FFS! It may have escaped your notice but Britain's A&E departments are clogged to crisis point with people who could be waiting until next morning and going to see their GP, which is making those who have suffered accidents wait in pain for three to four hours to be seen.

I am simply staggered that people on here think it's OK to go bothering the A&E staff SEVERAL DAYS afrer a minor accident! I thought STW readers had more sense!

If you've lived with it until now and even chopped wood it's clearly not an emergency.

+1 A&E is for potential life or death situations.

Why is everybody focussing on the E of A&E? It is for Accidents as well as Emergencies. The clue is in the name.

exactly this

it's busy at certain times maybe but no more clogged than a busy GPs surgery
there's some media led panic rather than real world experience being spouted here.. as per

And if A+E is clogged then you can thank NHS direct for sending pretty much every single call ever there..

You've started well by posting on the STW, this is ALWAYS the first action to take. Next you should Google the symptons, there's lots of advice out there on other websites (not as useful as STW though).

Once you've gathered lots of opinions, the next step is to take a photo of your injury and post here (I can't believe you haven't done this already). The combined wisdom of STW can then expertly diagnose the problem.

As I Ache has shown, Doctors (be they GPs, working at A and E or walk-in centres) know jack-sh*t about mtb injuries. let the experts on STW help.

It might also help to buy a pair of X-ray specs, so that you can have a look inside (they're also great for looking through ladies skirts - you can see their legs and everything!!)

+1 A&E is for potential life or death situations.

So where/how do you make the call if you, a lameman hasn't had any medical training at all?

So you bugger your knee, you should wait, make an appointment for the GP then get a referral to the hospital bypassing A&E which is for 'emergencies and life and death situations'?

Or should you mitigate any further damage to your injury and go to A&E?

Wouldn't it be better for the health of the NHS as a whole to nip/sort the issue now than spend countless future appointments where the health professional says 'we should really have caught this sooner'?

People at the gate/at the front line will always moan about the obvious timewasters but what if a problem wasn't seen soon enough and wastes more time further down the line in regular surgery hours/wards?

Possibly a broken scaphoid, its worth getting an xray JIC.

So you bugger your knee, you should wait, make an appointment for the GP then get a referral to the hospital bypassing A&E which is for 'emergencies and life and death situations'?

Or should you mitigate any further damage to your injury and go to A&E?

or, you could go straight to a walk in clinic.

Which would be the same as seeing the GP. You'd either be pushed to A&E or given a referral to wait.

Was it an accident and is it an emergency? If the answer to that is no, dont go. Minor injuries unit is where you want to go. They do x-rays there too, but the wait isnt as long.

So where/how do you make the call if you, a lameman hasn't had any medical training at all?

So you bugger your knee, you should wait, make an appointment for the GP then get a referral to the hospital bypassing A+E which is for 'emergencies and life and death situations'?

Or should you mitigate any further damage to your injury and go to A+E?

Wouldn't it be better for the health of the NHS as a whole to nip/sort the issue now than spend countless future appointments where the health professional says 'we should really have caught this sooner'?

People at the gate/at the front line will always moan about the obvious timewasters but what if a problem wasn't seen soon enough and wastes more time further down the line in regular surgery hours/wards?

I see it as being similar to calling out Mountain Rescue. If you think you might die or become permanently injured if you don't, or if your injuries, by going untreated, could lead to further complications eg potential for internal bleeding then go to A+E.

Don't think you need any training for this. Just some common sense and a bit of life experience.

Which would be the same as seeing the GP. You'd either be pushed to A&E or given a referral to wait.

Not sure which one you're talking about but pretty all the minor injuries units or walk in clinics around my neck of the woods (London) will x-ray limbs and treat as required for fractures and refer you to an Orthopaedic Dept if it's serious enough to require surgery.

It's nothing like seeing a GP, I've yet to see a GP who will x-ray then treat a fractured hand/wrist.

Why is everybody focussing on the E of A&E? It is for Accidents as well as Emergencies. The clue is in the name.

That's exactly why they're changing the names to Emergency departments as so many people think just like that. "Oh it's an accident I cut my finger that means A&E".

So where/how do you make the call if you,

NHS Direct?

IME they'll almost certainly tell you to go to A&E, so when you get to A&E you can say they told you to come.

I've had a few trips to A&E through pushing the limits a bit too often, generally they've been positive when I say I've been out doing something active rather than drinking or being off my head on something but that could be a reflection of my local A&E

I tend to go to my GP if I want some meds or referring for something, from my experience they're not usually up to speed on the kind of stuff I need

I have a good sports physio that I see for checking some stuff out, it costs but its not loads and chances are I'm going to be back for treatment too, and they're used to seeing sports injuries (well mine is), and because I keep going back I get some kind of continuity

Not sure which one you're talking about but pretty all the minor injuries units or walk in clinics around my neck of the woods (London) will x-ray limbs and treat as required for fractures and refer you to an Orthopaedic Dept if it's serious enough to require surgery.

It's nothing like seeing a GP, I've yet to see a GP who will x-ray then treat a fractured hand/wrist.

In the same way A&E on a Saturday night will be exclusively treating pissed people who've glassed each other, or shagging injuries incurred round the back of a kebab house, On a Saturday afternoon they tend to be treating sporting injuries on blokes who are old enough to know better

Just go then, in some muddy cycling gear to make it look convincing, you'll be able to fit right in. Everyone else will be in football/rugby kits

there's some media led panic rather than real world experience being spouted here.

I do this for a living so you can't get much real world experience than that.

OP.. do the jam jar test.. then maybe post a few pics of your hand/wrist

It's A AND E, not A OR E...

[url= http://www.know-who-to-turn-to.com/minor_injuries_clinic2.html ]For Paladin[/url]

What you need to do is apply triage to the services. If you can get to a minor injuries unit at say 10'o'clock on a Tuesday morning it'll be pretty quiet. I wouldn't go to A+E when it's busy even if I was dead.

I do this for a living so you can't get much real world experience than that.

I know that

That's exactly why they're changing the names to Emergency departments as so many people think just like that

Fair enough, If there really is a crisis then that's a good idea.. and does everywhere now have a walk in centre..?
And why are people that really [i]shouldn't[/i] be at a hospital even being entertained..?
Where do I go if I need my hand or head stitching, if cuts are a waste of time..?
I'm confused..

samuri - Member

Can you make your own way to A&E?

You probably don't need A&E then.

Ooh now that's obviously not right. I needed a bunch of stitches in my hand, but I could walk so I went to A&E under my own power- no reason to inconvenience anyone else, certainly not a blue light job.

glupton1976 - Member
It's A AND E, not A OR E...

Where do you go if there is an Emergency that isn't an Accident? Say if somebody stabbed you on purpose or if you decided to jump off the top of a car park? Would you just turn them around and say 'No, there was no accident you have to go and see your GP or trek to the other side of town to the horrible Minor Injuries unit in the middle of a shitty council estate?'

Fair enough, If there really is a crisis then that's a good idea.. and does everywhere now have a walk in centre..?

They've been rolling them out for over 10 years so many areas do yes.

Ooh now that's obviously not right. I needed a bunch of stitches in my hand, but I could walk so I went to A&E under my own power- no reason to inconvenience anyone else, certainly not a blue light job.

Depending on the severity a minor injuries could have dealt with that.

so basically the role and definition is changing/has changed and has been split into sub-sections..?

fair enough

What you need to do is apply triage to the services

So minor injuries about now would be good,

Save the A&E for when you really need it, you don't want to get a rep with the triage nurse!

I've found minor injury units very good: used them for my last two bike injuries, both this year, two seperate units (Horsham & Caterham) and with only half hour wait max before initially seen. Both involved x-rays being done: 1st thing nothing broken, just ligament damage, 2nd comminuted distal radius fracture (Broken wrist).

Where do you go if there is an Emergency that isn't an Accident? Say if somebody stabbed you on purpose or if you decided to jump off the top of a car park? Would you just turn them around and say 'No, there was no accident you have to go and see your GP or trek to the other side of town to the horrible Minor Injuries unit in the middle of a shitty council estate?'

In both of those cases you'd probably spend very little time if any in A&E. You probably bypass them and go to an acute receiving unit/ surgery/morgue or some such other thing. There are lots of other ways to access hospital care other than going to A&E.

My local minor injuries unit is in the old A&E dept of the local hospital.

Just for everybodys reference you can use this to find where your nearest MIU apparently is.

http://www.nhs.uk/service-search

Interestingly when I select MIU it searches for exactly the same thing as if I put A&E, Urgent Care Services. I know for a fact that there is a MIU closer to me than the second hospital on the list. What are people supposed to do if the NHS is giving them the wrong info?

One of our local a and e units is next door to each other on the same hospital site, while waiting outside for a lift, it was surprising how many people visited a and e and then saw the queue and went into minor injuries and on another day obviously ansd e was quiet so they trooped into there, strange how some could walk quiite happily accross the car park then within feet of the door and once inside started to limp/moan, talk loudly about what their injury was/is.

Phoned GP for advice they told me to go to A&E.

No point going to minor injuries when its internal, they won't have any scanning equipment.

This is exactly what the doctor said.

But after reading this thread I've opted for amputation instead.

If I use I_Ache's link to look for my nearest MIU it tells me that the closest one is Crowborough War Memorial MIU in Sussex. I live in Edinburgh....

[i]OP.. do the jam jar test.. then maybe post a few pics of your hand/wrist [/i]

this is brilliant advice. I think if Dave can fill a jam jar there's clearly nothing wrong with his hand.

this is brilliant advice. I think if Dave can fill a jam jar there's clearly nothing wrong with his hand.

A new sprain has appeared elsewhere now.

Drac - Moderator

Depending on the severity a minor injuries could have dealt with that.

They said "What are you doing here? Go next door to A&E, you crazy fool. And stop bleeding on our floor" 🙂 I'd have gone to minor injuries when I broke my hip but luckily my dad took over and delivered me to A&E. Hard to argue under the circumstances.

Judging by some of the replies and advice/crap being spouted on this thread, I'm surprised some of you make it to work on your own or are even able to wipe your own arse!