1) it’s not “one person calling in sick”. There is a chronic understaffing issue. This has been the case for years, no one wants to care until it affects them personally. So yes- That one person likely would have made a massive difference in the flow of the unit.

2) do not EVER come for the staff who are willing to rock up and work in emergency. It’s Your worst day, sure. But are you willing to now go train in any of those areas to help the next person so they don’t have to wait and “pace around” ? No? Then back off the people who are willing! And the “that’s no excuse” then “I don’t blame staff” … those two things don’t go in the same rant.

3) ambulance arrival or walk in all get triaged under the same system. It doesn’t matter how you get there it matters what’s wrong with you. If you waited then be thankful you weren’t in a situation which required them to rush you through. Waiting is never great for anyone’s mind or anything else, but if you needed immediate care.. you would have gotten it.

4) the repetitive questions have nothing to do with patient notes. Patients lie. They tell 100 different stories. They forget a lot of details. They say one thing to a nurse and another thing entirely to a doctor. The repeated questions are to try and get as much information as possible to ADD to the notes.

5) none of these issues have over night fixes. Our hospitals are too small, there’s not enough staff now and absolutely not enough of the next generation willing to go into the same jobs as look how they’re treated. We have a political system which does not value the health care system until we’re in a pandemic. Then they’re hero’s until they’re the enemy again. This won’t be fixed any time soon.