As you will have surmised from the previous post there have been some domestic goings-on which have interfered with the normally smooth production of this distinguished blog. Whilst they are not entirely settled - nothing in life ever is! - they are on their way. The elderly relative is in hospital being cared for by the people who (usually! hopefully?) know best. We shall see.
One aspect of the 'kerfuffle' has scarred my mind for ever. Do not, except under extreme circumstances, ever telephone for an ambulance. You will be met with a woman with all the charm and perception of a 'Speak Your Weight' machine. She will proceed to ask an endlessly long list of mostly irrelevant questions, many of which merely repeat themselves using different terminology. She, of course, is ticking boxes whilst the victim continues to lie on the floor suffering. I should add that the actual paramedics, when they arrive, are superb but the 'wimmin' on the telephones should suffer unspeakable tortures in hell!
More later when I catch up with what passes for news!
Alas, the women on the phones are only obeying orders. They'll probably lose their jobs if they "cut to the chase".
Posted by: Laban | Friday, 05 August 2016 at 11:50
Do they ask who will be footing the bill for transport?
Posted by: Whitewall | Friday, 05 August 2016 at 12:42
Not in Australia.
When you call for an ambulance it is dispatched instantly and is on the way while the questions are asked and there really aren't that many questions.
And the ambulance service is free here - we all pay a small levy with our electricity bills and that's the end of it.
It goes without saying that the paramedics are absolutely wonderful and I know of which I speak. I have had occasion to use their services several times in the past few years. They stay and attend to the patient in the hospital until such time as the patient is actually on a bed and being seen by a doctor.
Marvelous, the whole bunch of them, ambos and doctors and nurses. And to think they are all regularly abused and attacked by patients and drunken louts on so many occasions. There's where the medals should be going - not to mention more money.
Posted by: Andra | Friday, 05 August 2016 at 19:38
I have had the experience of calling for an ambulance twice in my life -- once in New Mexico and once in Florida. Both times the ambulance arrived within minutes of my call, along with an accompanying fire engine and crew (I presume that is the custom here in America just in case the emergency is fire related).
Posted by: TheBigHenry | Saturday, 06 August 2016 at 00:00
Free? Maybe in Queensland Andra. In the Democratic Socialist Republic of Victoria you can either join the Ambulance Fund on an annual fee basis or take the risk and if you are not a subscriber incur a debt equal to the National Debt.
The Ambos themselves are great.
Posted by: AussieD | Saturday, 06 August 2016 at 03:05
Aussie D, I didn't know that. I assumed it was nation-wide.
Before this system came in, about 15 years ago, it certainly cost an alarming amount to use the service.
Of course, one of the pitfalls of this free service is that some people will call an ambulance if they have a cut finger and go to Emergency.
Posted by: Andra | Saturday, 06 August 2016 at 20:49