When Husband was in A&E waiting to be transferred to a ward we asked a doctor how long he would have to wait. The doctor was very helpful and talked to us about the NHS, the differences between England and Wales, and the way the system worked, in order to explain why he didn't have a clue how long it would be.
Basically - and obviously I suppose - you have to wait for a bed to become available. 'You have to wait for someone to die, you mean?' I said.
Even as the words were coming out of my mouth my brain was saying, 'Don't say this! Don't say this!' But I did. Everyone looked at me, grimacing slightly, before choosing to ignore my contribution and carry on with the conversation.
Still he's out now.
5 comments:
If the NHS were so unsuccessful that no one voluntarily used it, preferring witchdoctors, there really would be headlines!
Actually it's very like waiting for a place in an old people's home.
Liz:
What is A&E? I am king of assuming it may be what we refer to as the “Emergency Room” here in the US? A&E her refers to a cable television channel... “Arts & Entertainment”. :)
PipeTobacco
Sorry... “king” in the above was meant to be “kind”. Damn autocorrect that I missed before posting. :)
PipeTobacco
Ambulance and Emergency, Pipe Tobacco. So, yes, like your Emergency room.
Glad to hear husband is now on the mend. A&E (and the bed situation) is very unpredictable. I was once in and out of A&E in 20 minutes but some people wait for hours and hours. Right now I'm grateful for the Out of Hours Service which prescribed me some powerful painkillers for severe back pain. I can't see the doctor until Wednesday and the pain was pretty bad.
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