Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Blogathon Day 23 - Job Sharing

I have discovered that many ideas that the UK Government are "covertly trying to bring in" thereby destroying everything good about the UK, because, as we know, that is what the Tories do. You only have to look at Facebook to realise that as you can't move for posts saying that the Government has destroyed this, that, or the other. Anyway, I digress, as Ronnie Corbett would say.

I have already mentioned that it is cheaper to see a doctor and get a prescription here than it is in the UK even though we have a dreaded pay for health system as oppose to the good ols free NHS, which isn't free. Admittedly, the sticking point is that it is free at the point of access in the UK. Though to be quite honest I would think the majority of people could afford to pay £20 to see a doctor and get a prescription and get £16 refunded a week later, but there you go. Anyway, I digress again.

What I intended to blog about today was another thing that the UK government has suggested which happens here but has caused much outrage in the UK and that is the idea of Firemen acting as paramedics. Now, I know that part of the controversy is that they are talking about merging the two systems whereas here, if firemen are nearer to an injury than paramedics, the emergncy services will send the firemen.

Our builder and colleague Chris has experienced this for himself via a friend. One of his mates, having had a somewhat overindugent liquid birthday celebration managed to fall down 8 concrete steps and landing on his face. It hurt and his head decided to issue forth with much blood. The blokes wife decided to call Chris to see what to do so he went round and discovered he was definitely still breathing so rang the emergency services. (Not sure why the wife didn't do that, but heigh ho). The despatcher sent a local firecrew. Now, by chance, when they got there 10 minutes later, a doctor had just beaten then to it but once he had done an initial check he left the firecrew to deal with it. They spent an hour going over the guy from top to bottom, trating everything they could at the scene to make it easier to transport him to hospital and then they organised the ambulance to take him to Carcassonne, the nearest hospital.

Now, he had suffered a broken collar bone, broken eye socket and broken nose apart from a number of other head traumas but the firebrigade were able to deal with all that in the way the paramedics could which meant a) he got treated quicker than waiting for paramedics, b) the doctor could go to something more serious knowing he was in good hands and 3) despite the French loving a good strike, nobody felt that someone had done someone else's job.

Of course, the UK doesn't want any of these damn foreign ideas, which is a good thing to remember when you next wait an hour for an ambulance to turn up.

4 comments:

Masher said...

That's quite a good idea, I s'pose.

Does it work both ways? If there is a cat stuck up a tree, does the nearest paramedic come along with a ladder?

kennamatic said...

It probably would but in reality if there is a cat stuck up a tree you either a) chuck bricks at it until it comes down, b) chop the tree down, c) gather tyres at a major intersection and burn them whist demanding more money to be put in to the Comman Agricultural Policy for French farmers.

See how I have already acclimatised to thinking like a Frenchie!

Masher said...

It's like you already have the froggy passport!

Brennig said...

Of course, the UK doesn't want any of these damn foreign ideas, which is a good thing to remember when you next wait an hour for an ambulance to turn up. To put your house fire out.

Sorry, couldn't help that.

Yes, it's a brilliant idea. And one which has been put in to practice in the British military since the second world war. Joint trades were a thing when I wore a blue suit to work. There are cut-off points, obv. But I think military bandsmen have been medics since the Crimean War?