No Complaints?

[Zeeby]

It is good to see no complaints about the ambulance service. Myself & friends & family have had dealings with paramedics, other ambulance staff, emergency call takes, etc, and I can honestly say they are always, in our experience, wonderful people, very professional, caring, and tolerant.

Remember this, if you're thinking of posting a complaint. Nine times out of ten when people are unhappy with their service from an ambulance, the root cause is underfunding rather than incompetent staff. Lack of staff and ambulances is bound to lead to slower response times.

Actually the biggest problem is the public. So many people call 999 just for a chat, or to report a very minor injury, or to get a free taxi-ride into hospital (eg when going into labour), or when drunk, or just as a hoax "for fun". I don't know any figures, but I'd be willing to bet that well over half of the money spent on ambulancing is wasted on these stupid people. If there were some way to eliminate these timewasters (fines, perhaps?) then it would allow the ambulance service to give top class treatment to all the genuinely needy.

[keef]

Just found this forum today, just received the reply to complaints from the Healthcare Commission this week, still reading over it,
quick summary so far, ambulance service NHS Trust has disregarded a previous Health Service Ombudsman report, has been applying Zero Tolerance Policy when it shouldn't have been doing so, actually as no such policy existed and national guidelines had not been followed, recommending that a new policy is drafted, approved and implemented. Further recommending that staff should receive training in the new policy to ensure it is understood and implemented correctly. Also recommending that the NHS trust reviews its systems to identify any other patients who may have had zero tolerance invoked, as these decisions may not have followed national guidelines. Sounds good from the Healthcare Commission, don't know if it will do any good since the NHS Trust has previously not taken notice of recommendations from a Health Service Ombudsman's report.

[craigwalsh]

Hi, Keef ---

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you here.

has been applying Zero Tolerance Policy when it shouldn't have been doing so

I feel like I've walked into the middle of a movie. What's a Zero Tolerance Policy? Zero tolerance of what?

[zippyRN]

Hi, Keef ---

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you here.

I feel like I've walked into the middle of a movie. What's a Zero Tolerance Policy? Zero tolerance of what?

zero tolerance of abuse, aggression and violence, actual or threatened against NHS staff or contractors.

[craigwalsh]

Zero tolerance of abuse, aggression and violence, actual or threatened against NHS staff or contractors

Absolutely. This is certainly correct. But I think it should also be reciprocal. I have a zero tolerance policy, too. I should not accept "abuse, aggression and violence, actual or threatened" from NHS staff or contractors.

Agreed?

My tale of woe with the NHS and it's out-of-hours GP service is posted at:

http://www.sucks.org.uk/?p=12#more-12

Sister Haines was horrible to me, and when I politely asked her to please not interrupt me, she summoned the rent-a-cops. In the end, I had to call an ambulance to take me from the front of the Worcester Royal Infirmary to A&E in the back.

I have since obtained, under the Data Protection Act, copies of the rent-a-cop reports, and even the CCTV footage. It shows me --- an old man, in pain, in a wheelchair.

My experience was horrible. It was "abuse" by any standard. When I filed a formal complaint with the NHS, I was told that the problem lay with the original telephone call --- where I had not been properly "triaged." But nobody had listened to the actual call, even though they are all recorded. In other words, the problem lay with a call that nobody took the time to even review.

I have asked, repeatedly, for a copy of the call. My requests have been ignored.

I agree entirely with the Zero Tolerance policy --- applied in both directions.

http://www.walsh.li/images/violence-against-staff.jpg