A&E Registrar - you were great!
This"is a story of a funny turn & a ride in an ambulance. We had someone very dear staying with us last year who has had a colourful psychological past, including a couple of brief psychotic episodes & others of severe depression; if I had money on it I'd say bi-polar, but all the consultants he's seen say different. I've worked in voluntary & statutory MH settings in the past for over a decade, so I may have some sort of clue...
The person in question - I'm being deliberately vague for obvious reasons - struggled downstairs to collapse on the sofa, seemingly having limited control of movement and couldn't/wouldn't speak. He did manage to change his expression in response to Mrs Fringehead's & my questions. We were worried - he'd seemed pretty down, but otherwise ok last night. Realising we were out of our depth (I'd never seen this happen to him or anyone else who hadn't had a stroke!), we called NHS Direct, having little other choice...
That's when we had confirmed how fantastic, there's no other word, the NHS can be, especially here in sunny Leeds. Of course, YMMV - i know of lousy staff here, & have heard friends' horror stories, and read a few here!
But the paramedic, nurses and particularly the (ex-psychiatric - thank fuck!) registrar were brilliant. Gradually my friend came round, thanks to patience & calm, no suggestion of fakery. He was offered advice, a letter to his home professionals and we went home relieved, leaving the staff to clear up after the frequent flier homeless guy from the next cubicle who deliberately pissed all over it once treated for his seizure and declined a bed...
Length? Sorry, didn't look.
(sarcastic fringehead feet of clay, buns of steel, head of lettuce, Thu 18 Mar 2010, 14:38, Reply)