Today for the first time in my 45 years I had to call the Emergency Services number 999
You know,
The one number that those of us of a certain age were warned “Never call unless your arms are hanging off, an angry mob was just about to break into the house or you are actually on fire”
The one number your parents told you that if you wasted the Emergency Services time by calling it improperly “Other people may die!!” and you would go to prison and then burn in Hell.
The one number I was told that was chosen because on the old rotary dial telephones it was practically impossible to dial accidentally.[now comprehensively refuted: see the comments below the post]
And I never did,
I’ve not had any dealings with the Police that required it (No angry mobs), same for the Fire Brigade (Never been on fire), as for an Ambulance, I’ve normally shifted the casualty myself to A&E or if it was me, made my own way there, the dire parental warnings still ringing in my ears.
Until today.
I was woken early from Sunday morning slumber by a call from my Grandmother [84] that she could not move and needed to go to hospital.
She had mentioned to me on Wednesday that she thought she may have pulled a muscle in her groin and it was painful, so I told her to take it easy and rest, then when I spoke to her on Thursday she informed me it was ‘still painful’ So I asked my father to call her on Friday and offer to take her to the Doctors, which he did and which offer was refused (Old people eh.). I heard nothing on Saturday and assumed it was improving (I go over on Sundays anyway, so would check up then). Until the call this morning.
I dashed over there, she had got herself up, dressed and downstairs, but now having sat down, the pain involved in standing or walking was too great.
Thinking that perhaps an ambulance for a groin strain was a bit much (see above) I called NHS Direct for a home doctor visit. A doctor called back within 30 minutes and after listening to the symptoms, suggested that perhaps she had fractured her hip and not realised it. (something I hadn’t even considered) I told him that she had not fallen and he said it was not uncommon in women of her age and could be done with a ‘bump’ or even sitting down too hard, well I never.
He then said that it would need to x-rayed even if a Doctor did come out, so best just to call an Ambulance.
So there I was with my digit poised over the ‘9’ button and even then with my poor ailing Grandmother sitting there, I hesitated, was there someway, anyway, I could get her to Hospital without using up the time of a valuable Ambulance and crew. White Van,? Removal Lorry?, strapped to the roof rack? Put on roller skates and pushed there? Wheelbarrow?
But no, she need to be moved in a ’chair’ by professionals.
So the button was pressed thrice and those words I’ve heard so many times on TV, but never personally were uttered “Emergency, which service please?”
“Ambulance please”
A ‘first’ for the Cat.
The requested ambulance duly arrived after a follow up call by the LAS (There would be a bit of a wait they said as it was non-urgent, something Nan and I already understood)
The Ambulance crew were exemplary examples of their profession, courteous, professional and did everything to put a frightened, in pain, 84 year old at ease.
The same was also true of the staff at A&E, whilst the wait was long, it was not a horror story, we arrived at 12:10 and she was admitted to the ward at 18:10.
She has indeed broken her hip and is on the list for surgery in the next few days.
There is one upside to this though.
Her doctor is an absolute stunner.
.
