We were in Harrogate town centre and mum tripped and fell. Always problematic for an 89 years old and she was very shaken. My first concern was that she might have broken something, having recently had a new knee and hip fitted, and this would entail time in hospital which she hates.
Off we went to A&E at HGH where she was seen immediately in triage and then whisked in to see a doctor. The wait here was about 30 minutes and she was discharge after xrays showed she had only broken a bone in her hand. All the staff were excellent, sympathetic and caring.
OK, she might have had to wait longer on a Friday or Saturday night but it wasn't and she received good treatment. Thank goodness for the NHS I say.
My personal experience of A&E has been very good but I know a lot of people who have been dealt with shoddily. So much depends on the area and the hospital, I think. A&E must be hell to work in if the patients are abusive, violent, drunk and generally low life.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your mum's mishap and I'm glad it turned out well. A broken bone in her hand is not nice but it could have been so much worse.
I agree Jean. Just felt that they needed a bit of good publicity for a change.
DeleteSorry to hear about your Mum Alex - glad that the damage wasn't too severe.
ReplyDeleteOur A&E is over stretched. We've had mixed results - from less than an hour to several hours to conclusion.
But for free, it's a remarkable service.
I still think that the French model is best though, although perhaps not sustainable. Pay a little either yourself or via top up insurance and you're not faced with waiting periods. They also seem much better at pro active care. I used to have my blood checked annually there. Never been mentioned here and I'm going to my GP this week to insist on it - even if I have to pay for it.
The French model is superb and they are very proactive. It's the place to be ill. I got so fed up with having blood tests that I asked to increase the intervals. They were finding it difficult to tap the veins.
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