Triage in Veterans Hospitals are a bit more attuned to preventing mortality for older vets but remarkably poor on psychiatric emergency. ...so veterans who walk out are too often suicidal

Yes I have

yes a couple of times, a few of them to try another hospital or find a doctor somewhere, a couple of times gave up and had to make do ourselves. We do have private hospitals here with A&E, you have to be wealthy or have good private cover. Generally an ambulance takes you to a public hospital.

Yes I have ....... I had a deep cut in my thumb pad and waited for at least four hours and decided to tell them I was going home, the nurse said, wait and I will close the cut with a number of " tie across plasters " She told me to see my doctor next day. I did and he said it is too good to disturb, forget it.

Another disturbing occasion was when I took my granddaughter in to A&E in agony, after being X rayed at another doctors. They detected constipation, the A&E assumed this to be the case.
After 5 hours of waiting I approached the nurse 4 times and was told to wait. Eventually they relented and admitted her. She turned out to have a strangulated ovary, which had died and was black She was operated on and recovered successfully. NEVER ASUME AN X RAY IS SHOWING THE TRUE PROBLEM.....TAKE A BLOOD TEST FOR INFECTION, .

If I am in an emergency room I usually am not able to walk out. I usually arrive via ambulance. Last time 3 years ago-yay.

I broke my elbow a few months ago when I fell coming out of work. The company Dr. told me to go to the emergency room for an x-ray. When I got there, the room was packed. It was about 6:30 pm. I checked in and sat for a little while. But I've made many trips to the ER not just for myself but my kids and grandkids. I know how long you can sit there. I went to the desk and let them know I was going home and the attendant told me to come back around 4:00 am. I would get right in then. So that's what I did. It went very well then!

I have been in an emergency room twice in my life, once each in two different cities. No problem.