I had to take my elderly Dad to a London hospital this week due to his severe and worsening breathlessness. They were amazing. No delay - they immediately identified his low oxygen sats level in the (empty) waiting area, and rushed him through for urgent assessment in A&E. They were very clear that seeking urgent help was the right thing to do and people must not be reluctant to seek medical attention for dangerous conditions.
I was not allowed to go in with him, but the staff were great and kept me updated on his condition by phone.
His chest x-ray showed lung signs consistent with Covid but which could have been caused by another condition. He was not swabbed for Covid because they only swab people who are admitted. Once his oxygen sats had stabilised they explained to me that they were not admitting him as if he didn’t already have the virus he would catch it there. Instead he is being actively monitored by hospital staff at home, with home visits every other day and phone calls in between.
