Balham

Sad news that this should happen. If ones calls for help then one should get it.   Sadly the EMD was following the protocol that was set down by the powers that be. Have a go at them rather than the EMD. Years ago an EMD* (or then a CAII*) would have more freedom in questioning a patient and calls were not prioritised by a computer. CAIIs were well trained to answer the calls and deal with them and had the knowledge required for the job. Now a days more and more rules and regulations are piled on people that work in the ambulance serivces . Too many protocols perhaps taking away the common sense approach. Everything has to fit into to a rule, be covered by a regulation or something.   It is the national guidelines that should be brought into question.  "The call was assessed using national guidelines based on the information provided by the caller".             *Various grades in the service.

Can someone delete the shorter f the two replies I put please, the one times at 19h27. Thanks. Ran out of time to delete it !!!!

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]Postcodes again.[/quote] Usually health matter are runs on geographical boundaries, not postal. As an example (albrit obscure) from 1948 to 1965 Ealing was covered by the Middlesex ambulance service because despite being W5 and W13 it was geographically in Middlesex. In 1965 it became part of London so the borders of the ambulances service changed to match London from 1965 on. Wimbledon was another, SW19 but was in Surrey so had Surrey Ambulance Service until 1965.  People sem to have a thing about postcodes.   Can't seem to be able to copy bit to put the two posts together . . .

[quote user="Frederick"]There are fully trained paramedics sitting in local Ambulance stations  watching the TV waiting to be called out . [/quote] Simple idea but there is the problem that if ione goes to an ambulance station there is not certain that a crew will be there. They could be out on a call already and goodness only knows when they will be back. When I was on the road (probably the same now) eacch station had outise a telephone that when you picked it up would put you through to the ambulance control (or did you have to dial 999 . . .  a few years ago now). Another downside a crew is treating someone on station and a call comes in for an asthma attack . . . . . . . they'd have to stop dealing with the 'minor injury \ illness' to go on that call, Or, they would tell control they are dealing on station with someone and they'll be shown off the road . . .. .  what happens to the asthma attack then? Next nearest staion has to deal with it perhaps.   An idea that would be unworkable. The crews are on the stations for a reason (sitting watching TV waiting to be called out  . . . no . . . . . ) or out on EA cover or out working. [quote user="You can call me Betty"]Postcodes[/quote]    Usually health matter are runs on geographical boundaries, not postal. As an example (albrit obscure) from 1948 to 1965 Ealing was covered by the Middlesex ambulance service because despite being W5 and W13 it was geographically in Middlesex. In 1965 it became part of London so the borders of the ambulances service changed to match London from 1965 on. Wimbledon was another, SW19 but was in Surrey so had Surrey Ambulance Service until 1965.  People sem to have a thing about postcodes.  

I had never been able to get a smiley in here, always used those that are available form other sites like [img]http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/cool/cool0012.gifg[/img] and typing in the img bit. Though eve nthat isn't working as seen by the fact the smiley is not visible. [8-) This one I tried from here and it didn't work, hey ho . . .

[quote user="sweet 17"]Don't know if it's at all relevant but neither of them speak more than a few words of French.[/quote] Now there's an interesting point. The people that I know that want to move do not speak French, or perhaps one or two words type of thing, enough to buy the occasional sheet of plasterboard or whatever but no way enough to sit through an evening of French television or to be able to use it all day everyday without thinking about it. In that case I buck the trend, I speak French, read it, write it, the full Monty. Theoretically I should be better off with that.

[quote user="Quillan"]makes you wonder if some secretly regret making the move. [/quote] No secret about it for me,  I'll be quite open about it, though don't know if I regret making themove in the first place. For several reasons though wish I had moved out of France earlier, years ago. It just isn't for me now, there are lots of people I know with similar thoughts that really really want to get out.

Very true nectarine, hadn't thought of it like that, so come on down, perhaps the price is right, sell sell sell!

I feel a bit sorry for Liz now, came here with an idea and oups! Hey ho. You want a winner programme, get a guy who likes pink shirts, pastel coloured jackets and who looks at everything with a schoolboys enthusiasm, then put him on a journey around the country by train, ah, taking care to avoid strike days (not heard too much about those recently, not the striking season yet [img]http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/expressive/scratchchin.gif[/img]). Could be far more entertaining and give people the chance to see more of the country as  programmes that concentrate on just a few properties with people know are not real. My sister often remarks that you never see anyone actually buy a property at  the end of it all. As for the chap with a liking for pink shirts, well, I'm a total fan and am now following him and his nineteenth century Bradshaws to find a place in England to move to[img]http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/happy/thumbsup.gif[/img].

I had a look in settings, there's nothing there.

Many people thought in England the quick way was to call an ambulance but then they'd still wait for yonks in casualty. Others might walk in with chest pain and be seen straight away. Most odd call I went to. . . . . . chap dialed 999 wanting an ambulance as he  had a splinter, he had got this splinter a few hours earlier!

Am intrigued by this idea of queue jumping if one arrives by ambulance. Hospital here not automatically better than anywhere else in Europe, then again probably no worse.

[quote user="Cerise"]I think you"d be completely barmy to move to France . . . . . . .[/quote] Love it [img]http://www.anchoredbygrace.com/smileys/icon_super.gif[/img] - especially with no money.  [quote user="Cerise"] I often wonder why I ever bothered as I deal with all the bothersome administration that goes with being legal and watch those who aren't just get on with their lives. I wouldn't do what you want to do, but if you do so long as you don't ask for assistance I don't think anyone will bother you. [/quote] Am tempted to agree, ah what the hell, I will agree. What is 'bxb' though?

On Firefox still have to type in [url*][/url*], same for image. Alas no way to embed video, be it Youtube, Dailymotion or what ever. Agree with Sid about links.

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]I thought the received wisdom was that the UK would do well to take a leaf out of France's book. It seems the botte is on the other pied. [/quote] I had last week to turn  down seeing a surgeon for this reason, sector 2 and the charges.  No way could I afford them. England has a lot of good things that one perhaps doesn't realise until one tries things elsewhere.

Was unable to log in. Didn't get redirected from old 'address'. But the lavender is pleasing to look at (it is lavender isn't it, just right for my mood).

There was an item on M6 last night, Capital, about doctors that work in the 'private' sector leaving the 'public' sector devoid of some specialities. That in some towns the only way to get treated for some things is to go private, to a polyclinique where the doctors are free to fix their own fees. This meaning that for many treatment is simply not possible as they can not afford to follow this path. 

[quote user="Russethouse"]Balham - you only sign on with your dentist for a course of treatment, once you are dentally fit you are free to go anywhere....as long as they will have you of course [/quote] That I know, hence getting through three of them!

[quote user="powerdesal"]I don't think it's necessarily the training but rather the individual.[/quote] Or my bad luck  . . . . . . three individuals in the same jobs like that . . . . . that is bad luck for me. [quote user="Val_2"]Seems it is a very perilous period of life now and if you make it to 60,you can live to a good age.[/quote] Panic ye not. When I worked in the NHS I saw people of all ages die. More old people than of any other age group though (if that's any consolation?).

Eeeeek, a spelling mistake, I typed depsite, should have typed despite. [quote user="NormanH"]Of course it all depends on what you mean by 'do better'. [/quote] I think do better is a term that one might have to define according to ones own definitions of do better (could Sir Humphrey have put it any better?). For my part I think I would suggest that the countries (or groups of) that I mentioned, well, just seem to have more get up and go. Now ask me to define get and go [img]http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/surprised/boggled.gif[/img] . . . . .

Apart from the who should be covered (foreigners etc) . . . . . . .  there are those that are too 'rich' to be covered by the CMU (or to recieve any other help) yet poor enough to be classed as poor.  The idea that one might be too scared  to call for a doctor or an ambulance because of the bills is still an idea that horrifies me. When in England I only changed doctor \ dentist what ever if there was a reason to, a move, a retirement or similar. I moved back to London in the early nineties and for ten years had the same doctor (at least stayed with same surgery) and stayed with the dentist there for similar amount of time. In France I am on my fourth dentist here now, have found one who is not French and who did not train in France (who so far is excellent). Based on previous experiences (not good so far) would not be too keen to chance it with another 'French dentist' (last one I refer to as Marathon Man. Am on my third doctor. Have very mixed feelings, experiences. Sufficient enough perhaps for me to ask myself if I really want to stay in France (though there are other contributory factors in this).  

[quote user="Cerise"]when I tried to protest was given to understand that it was the likes of me and my wishy washy anglo saxon ideas that was causing the country to fall apart. [/quote] Oh, I think the French are more than capable of making the country fall apart without the help of wishy wash ideas from other countries (if indeed it has not already fallen apart?). There seems to be a paradox though . . . the Anglo Saxon and [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_languages]Germanic [/url] people seem to do better than the latin countries depsite the wishy washy ideas.

[quote user="NormanH"]( . . . . .  if we stay with WW11) [/quote] World War Eleven? I saw the programe, interesting but a bit creepy. The more I learn the more I change my views. I suppose learning history does that to one though.

Cerise, it won't bother people until it happens to them. It is relatively easy to live anywhere while healthy but it takes little to take one off the path of good health, hopefully for most this deviation is short before good health is restored. For those that are unable to afford even basic healthcare a minor ailment  that is left can soon lead to further ailments.

Perhaps Cerise because people don't want to know, because people always have an an answer of how they (perhaps with their finances) can sort things but there really is another side to here, it is not all as portrayed in various programe but if they said on some of these programes "oh, do bear in mind that unless your are quite well off health care could be a problem" then it wouldn't go down too well. There was an item on the news last night about Italy, a hospital there where people were waiting up to 72 hours on a trolley in casualty to be seen. It isn't just France that there are problems but it is (the state of) France that concerns us more perhaps.