For starters it tells me that if I have a hangover, grazed knee, sore throat or a bit of a cough I should not dial 999 and summon an ambulance but that I should try to self care. In other words, retire to bed with plenty of fluids and some paracetamol.
However, the leaflet tells me that should I fell unwell or experience diarrhoea or vomiting then I must pick up the phone and call NHS Direct. If things should worsen, though, then the trained nurses at NHS Direct should be dumped in favour of my local pharmacist who can handle my back ache, runny nose, painful cough or headache. Are you with me so far? Now, should I discover any lumps, bumps, constant aches and pains then I'm told it might be advisable for me to toddle off to my GP.
So far so good... but if I were to cut myself, strain a muscle, get and itch or sprain an ankle then I need to hotfoot it to an NHS Walk-in Centre or an MIU (that's a Minor Injury Unit, apparently). Finally, if I choke, develop chest pains, black out or lose a significant quantity of blood then I have the NHS's blessing to call and ambulance or proceed directly to my local casualty/A&E unit.
I don't know what makes me angrier... the waste of time, money, paper and ink on this sort of nannying shite or the fact that such a leaflet may actually be necessary because a few window lickers choose to call an ambulance every time they sneeze or get an itch. On second thoughts, my leaflet says I need to go to the Walk-in Centre for one of those.
If you need to see how many idiots dial 999 inappropriately you need to read these blogs.
ReplyDeletehttp://randomreality.blogware.com
http://theparamedicsdiary.blogspot.com
http://www.neenaw.co.uk
I feel sorry for everyone on the frontline having to deal with these half-wits and drunks.
Unfortunately I think a leaflet is needed! It's a pity but so many people waste A&E's and Ambulance's time with inappropriate calls.
ReplyDeleteAhhh such wise advice from a service that makes you more nausious than you were before you read the leaflet....someone pass the puke bucket please.
ReplyDeleteWAiting times in A&E would be much reduced if people used the service properly.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how many times I have seen very inappropriate attenders in my department. It is horrendous!
However, I am not sure what good a leaflet is going to do in this nanny state. People need to learn to stand on their own two feet (no insult intended XTM!) and learn how to cope with basics of first aid themselves. THen they would know when things really need input from a GP or MIU or A&E and we would have a much smoother running NHS with far less wasted time and resources!
I mean, how difficult is it to put a plaster on a little cut on a finger yourself? How hard is this? How hard is it to go to the chemist shop and BUY a tubigrip if you sprain your ankle?
I frequently dislocate, or partially dislocate, various joints. This is a long standing problem which, assuming everything goes according to plan, I deal with myself. I know when I need to seek help. I get so grumpy when people come in to A&E and havent even bothered to try taking a simple dose of Paracetamol for pain as they 'don't like taking tablets'! What am I going to do? Give them tablets! LOL!!!
**Climbs down off soap box and slinks off in to a corner licking wounds** LOL!
It is difficult. I have taken a family member to my GP who said I should have gone to Minor Injuries, and vice versa (no need to go to Emergency, should have seen GP instead).
ReplyDeleteEither way you feel like a moron. Guidelines please?
Cora
Just to clarify: on both occasions, the injury was a suspected broken bone in the hand.
ReplyDeleteCora
I also know from experience the leaflet is needed. Numerous patients attend A&E some even admitted unnecessarily for many reasons We need more walk in clinics where people can seek out of hours advice. More GP's whom we can have confidence in to attend
ReplyDeleteAs a society we have become so fragmented its difficult to get reassurance support from extended families as perhaps we once did. Also media headlines are actually believed by some people and if isolated they are very easily frightened.
Add in the mix horror stories about out of hours advice and practitioners lack of confidence in the own judgement for many reasons in the end a large portion of the general public feel they need to see a 'real doctor' 'have an x ray or some sort of treatment otherwise they won't get better.
A leaflet isn't the total answer I've seen some pretty good ads in papers too. Its a start. Pharmacist have excellent training and those I've worked with have on occasions had better medical knowledge than junior doctors
Funny thing because of many other issues those who finally get seen in A&E aren't always too happy with the outcome!
The problem with a leaflet like this is that the only people who will read it are those that already know not to call an ambulance for a runny nose. Those that will call an ambulance for a stubbed toe will toss it straight on the ground without even glancing at it.
ReplyDeleteI don`t know if it is my warped mind ... but the design on the leaflet looks rather rude to me, they could have chosen a better diagram, or is it an intended sly insult aimed at the public. I mean, Jeremy Clarkson always calls people by a certain expression.... Is the NHS trying to do the same ?
ReplyDeleteSorry , I could be totally wrong , but ... then again I could be right ...lol.
Ness..
Cock up or conspiracy, that's the question!
ReplyDeleteyes, it does look rather phallic - as a previous poster wrote, the people who are silly enough and selfish enough to call an ambulance and dial 999 for anything other than a true emergency are not going to take the time and effort needed to read and remember the guidelines anyway.
ReplyDeletetut tut ! It's a thermometer ;o)
ReplyDeleteMust be an age thing with me then... nifty nymphomaniac after age 50...lol
ReplyDeleteNess..
What's really bad is if you have ME - however severe (I'm having weird heart-related symptoms at present) - the NHS has nothing useful to offer whatsoever. I shall remain firmly entrenched at home.
ReplyDelete