Car or ambulance?

[Lynne]

I had to go to Kings A and E recently, and, given that it's so near and the ambulance service is so stretched, we went by car.

After 9 hours in A and E I couldn't help wondering if I'd have been better off calling an ambulance as I watched paramedics wheel people in.

Does anyone know which is the best approach?

[Spartacus]

It all depends on how urgent you are, not on how you arrive

The triage nurse will assign you a space in the queue depending on your symptoms.

However if you are unlucky enough to call an ambulance and they deem you a blue light case, urgent, then you will go to the top of the queue, but if they deem you non urgent then it's down to the triage nurse when you get there.

Long answer to say that it possibly didn't make any real difference how you arrived, it's how serious your symptoms or condition is that will make a difference.

[ontheedge]

If you were able to get there by car I can?t even begin to imagine why you would even contemplate calling an ambulance! Ambulances are hugely overstretched and quite often so because of inappropriate call outs

[Lynne]

I was having a heart attack. Is this urgent enough?

[Alan Medic]

Do you mean the best approach to be seen quickly?

[Castleton]

I was having a heart attack. Is this urgent enough?

When I experienced sharp chest pain in the middle of the night a few years ago, the words chest pain triggered a visit from an emergency medic (non ambulance) to quickly ascertain if it was a heart attack.

It wasn't thankfully, and he then called the ambulance to take me. I wonder if things have changed what with covid

[Spartacus]

Sorry to hear that Lynne, hope you are recovering now.

As the adverts say dial 999 if you suspect you are having a heart attack or stroke as they are time critical.

[JohnL]

I once was being sick with bright luminous green stuff - straight to the front of the queue and in the operation room in under 3 hours.

Seems that ambulance patients are triaged in the ambulance (I think)

[j.a.]

Lynne Wrote:

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> I was having a heart attack. Is this urgent

> enough?

I recently went into Kings with what turned out to be a heart attack. It was the middle of the night and I actually took an Uber in as I thought it most likely I had some kind of insane indigestion (apparently people roll up thinking that when it?s actually a heart attack more often than you?d think).

It was made very clear to me that if I get chest pains again that I?m to call an ambulance, as they will call ahead and alert cardiology.

Hope you?re on the road to recovery.

[ontheedge]

Lynne Wrote:

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> I was having a heart attack. Is this urgent

> enough?

My apologies I didn?t mean to cause offence or upset. I?m really sorry surprised that with such a serious problem they let you wait so long, did they not do observations BP, pulse & ecg on arrival as that would have given them a good indication as to what was going on.unfortunately and the moment there can be several hours wait for ambulances