Refused an ambulance

[therascal 10]

just over a year ago my wife collapsed and could not stand up - this was after about 2/3 weeks attending the doctors with numbness and tingling in both her legs

an ambulance was called and refused telling us to go to a "walk in clinic"--which we did attend and I had to almost carry my wife to this clinic and after over an hour and 2 doctors making a decision that this was a case for our doctor----------a week later I paid to see a specialist and within 30 minutes she was admitted to the Hallamshire where she spent 10 weeks

after she had been in hospital 7 weeks the diagnosis was "sarcoidosis"

she lost over 2 stone and nearly her life

15 months after coming out of hospital she has just managed to walk again.

I got an apology from South Yorkshire Ambulances ==

The day she was refused an ambulance is a day she wont forget ---it was on her 67th birthday.

 

I did hear a program a couple of weeks ago that some people actually receive a bonus for getting a non attendance --

 

 

How did you manage to get an apology from South Yorkshire Ambulance ?, they ceased to exist several years ago when the cretins at Yorkshire Ambulance took over the ambulance service in this region. Yorkshire ambulance service has a very bad record with regards to their services. When they took over the service in South Yorkshire the service just went into a decline.

[ratter71 10]

I cant find a link but i read an article about the ambulance service now using the new "charles darwin software" voice recognition system. A computer analyzes your voice & if it deems you of significant intelligence an ambulance is immediately dispatched. If the software doesn't believe you are of benefit to society you are left to survive on your wits, if you can.

[medusa 16]

A&E traffic is very peaky, Friday and Saturday night are the busiest times of the week by far. By the sounds of it he could have gone to a minor injury clinic on Monday when it was nearly empty.

 

Actually the busiest time in virtually all A&E departments is on a Monday morning, presumably because of all of the people who don't want to go there at night or over the weekend.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/4307766/Mondays-are-busiest-day-in-AandE.html

 

http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/news/10193987.Busiest_time_at_A_E_is_Monday_11am/

 

http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/accident-and-emergency/mondays-are-busiest-time-for-ae-staff/5053969.article

[Cyclone 10]

It's not up to you if you have a ambulance anymore nhs direct use a system which rules you out Anything life threatening and decides on the best option for you we can not over ride this system it's a way of saving money

 

Hopefully it was never up to "you" if "you" was the person phoning up.

 

---------- Post added 11-02-2013 at 08:32 ----------

 

Actually the busiest time in virtually all A&E departments is on a Monday morning, presumably because of all of the people who don't want to go there at night or over the weekend.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/4307766/Mondays-are-busiest-day-in-AandE.html

 

http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/news/10193987.Busiest_time_at_A_E_is_Monday_11am/

 

http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/accident-and-emergency/mondays-are-busiest-time-for-ae-staff/5053969.article

 

Fair enough, live and learn.

 

When is the quietest time (for future reference)?

[172-125 10]

Last summer when my daughter was extremely ill every time I phoned for an ambulance around a week or so later I would receive a questionnaire from the ambulance service asking what we thought of their response time & what was the outcome of the ambulance attending ( ie: did they take us to hospital or did they just give advice after / if any treatment was given ) I think after sending them out to us around 15 times one month they stopped sending the forms out.

Just before New Year my son took me to A&E because I had pain & tightness in my chest & was struggling to breathe, I didn't want to start ringing round Drs after hrs & NHS direct...I was gobsmacked to find I had a PE I was taken onto a ward & kept in over new year. About 10 days prior I had slipped on ice and hurt my knees, because I couldn't put weight on them & they kept giving way I got my sister to take me to A&E, they didn't do anything, the Dr even felt through my jeans to check for swelling I was told to just have Ibuprofen. I now know it's possible a blood clot formed & traveled to my lung.

[medusa 16]

Fair enough, live and learn.

 

When is the quietest time (for future reference)?

 

There's a morning peak, mostly because the peak for heart, CVA and similar problems is first thing in the morning, plus that's when carers find clients who have deteriorated overnight for all sorts of reasons. There's also another peak just after office closing, for all of the people who didn't want to miss work to go to their GP (rightly or wrongly, they self-refer into A&E often) and the alcohol related peak late in the evening.

 

There's the days of the week peaks on Satyrday, Sunday and particularly Monday too, so with all of that taken into consideration the best time to have a dreadful accident and need A&E is probably late morning or early afternoon sometime in the middle of the week.

[tigsthecat 10]

Do not spout utter wikipedia clap trap, this lady needed urgent attention. At any age a DVT is serious but at 67 years of age she would have needed a scan to find the clot, more than likely needed Fragmin injected for speedy treatment and a ECG to determine what if any irregularities her heart was showing,then admitting for observation and Warfarin given.

 

You did the correct thing Dolly, the NHS advice line is giving out so much bad advice they are putting peoples health at risk not helping. If Sheffield's so called paramedics are as unfit and unmotivated as Rotherham then you will expect more treatment like this in the future but take comfort in the fact that these issues are being looked into.

 

Why would he/she need an ECG. Clot would be in peripheral area. Venous clot will not impact on the arteries. Won't cause a heart attack. Your more likely to develop a PE. Arrhythmia for that we be a PEA arrest. Which would not be picked up on a routine ECG. You may have right sided strain showing but you would be symptomatic at that point. Can't believe what I am reading. DVTs do not require an ambulance. Self present at a&e unless symptomatic with breathlessness, dizziness or chest pain.