Forum Topic

CHR this afternoon

At least 9 emergency vehicles outside Mint Velvet and M and S - anyone know what happened? Fire engine shot off down the cycle lane, ambulance blocked in and unable to move for some time.

Lynette Royle ● 473d11 Comments

They always ask the age of the person when you call for an ambulance and I truly believe there is an ageist policy.  I think it is the same in hospital in deciding which ward - despite the fact that many people are working and paying taxes well into their 70s there seems to be an obsession with 65!

Philippa Bond ● 467d

I hope you reported your situation, we believed there were no ambulances available, a very different matter

Maggie Dodge ● 467d

Tania, we had a similar issue  with an elderly neighbour a good few years ago . Broke her hip and was laying on her landing. They were equally unemotional and although she got treatment eventually, she died within a matter of months

Maggie Dodge ● 467d

My 92 year old father fell and broke his hip in the house. Lying on the floor, unable to move and in absolute agony, I was told there were no ambulances and it would take hours to attend, he would just have to wait and to not call them back (unbelievable the tone they used, as if we were an inconvenience to them). He began to have breathing problems, so I called them back. Ten minutes later a paramedic car AND an ambulance turned up, both saying we were lucky as they were waiting for jobs because it was very quiet.  I told them what the dispatch said, and they couldn't understand it because they were  sitting round waiting for jobs. It made me wonder if some of the ambulance delays are being done on purpose for political means. Why else would they lie about not having anybody free? 

Tania Bapuji ● 467d

Have to agree Mark. I had a similar experience with an horrendous ankle break. Needed urgent attention to address the dislocation first to restore blood flow. Fortunately my neighbour had a large vehicle and got me to A & E where a waiting  ambulance crew recognised the urgency and took over my  care

Maggie Dodge ● 467d

I hope you are on the mend Mark and the effects aren't long lasting.  You could be asked by your optician when you are next checked if you have had a fall.  Although you consider your fall your own fault many falls are caused by kerbstones and paving stones damaged by heavy vehicles driving over them and dislodging and breaking them.  Seven years on I still have problems putting weight on one leg when climbing stairs which has changed what I can do as I  cannot carry wriggling grandchildren or anything else heavy.  So grandparent help and support was severely compromised. Please everybody don't drive over the pavement and if you see damaged stones report them to the Council - Hounslow Highways in Hounslow - not everybody is lucky enough to get up again and recover from a fall.

Philippa Bond ● 467d

The wait in A&E without the necessary attention can be hours long but aren't you triaged on arrival?  Remember the ambulance queues outside hospitals as they monitor patients in them while stuck waiting to hand them over to staff inside the hospital?  Then if you need to be admitted there is another problem of lack of beds.  I read that a woman caught up in chemical attack had to spend more than 7 hours in A&E but not sure how long before treatment.  Whenever I've been it has been a great many hours!  Luckily we haven't had to do it very recently.

Philippa Bond ● 467d

I feel I have to add to this discussion due to an accident I had a week ago. Completely my fault - running with a small group, I tripped over a curb and fell headfirst into a metal bollard on the pavement. I received quite a nasty head injury that required a CT scan to confirm I had not cracked my skull or had a bleed on the brain. Luckily I was OK, but spent the night in casualty and ended up having eleven stitches to my head. The point of this post is, when my fellow runners called for an ambulance, we were told it was not an emergency, and I should either make my own way or get a lift to the hospital. In hindsight this was probably right, particularly with resources being tight, but it does beg the question as to why so many resources were needed on this occasion? If one person is involved, however serious the situation might be, surely just the one emergency vehicle would be needed?

Mark Edwards ● 468d

Do you really think there are spare teams floating about? I hear horror stories about not getting an ambulance for hours in end, you literally have to be not breathing to get attention

Maggie Dodge ● 468d

Ambulances are far more equipped nowadays to deal with emergencies in situ rather than just picking casualties up and rushing them off to hospital.

Philippa Bond ● 469d

Looking at the pictures you supplied for the article on this incident it does seem that the number of vehicles sent was excessive but I presume the thinking is that if teams of paramedics are out on a call and not needed they are primed and ready to go if another call comes in.Hopefully the lady who collapsed makes a full recovery.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 469d