I don't think I am but I'm willing to be corrected

[QueenOfCats]

If somebody knocked on your door at 9pm and said that someone was lying injured in the road a few houses down, would you say "sorry, I'm busy, call an ambulance" and close the door?

If you were a qualified doctor, would your answer be any different?

what even when she is in her own home? futterby

perhaps she hadn't had the appropriate training.

She will have had more training than a first aider.

paramedics are very well trained i believe

Yes waikikamookau. She's needed in an urgent medical situation. It's the same as me; student nurse and even though I don't have my qualification yet I'm obligated to help in a medical emergency to the best of my ability.

Of course Yanbu, disgusted she didn't help.

Maybe she thought it wad one of the boy's mate's who had hurt himself say twisted his ankle playing footie and assumed - albeit wrongly - that it was just a minor injury or something that she didn't want to get involved in as she was just about to take a cake out of the oven or go to the loo or whatever.

If it comes up now in conversation, I'll bet she says something like she didn't realise it was a big emergency where her skills could have made a difference.

Or she recognised the shouts of the person in the street, realised it was a long term troubled patient and didn't want to get involved or let the patient realise where she lived and thought she would use statement above to excuse herself.

It does beg the question though - at which point should a doctor go to help just because someone says so anddoes what you are in the middle of doing make a difference?

maybe something bad has happened in the past when she has helped. I heard that they are advised not to help as they could get sued

YANBU

Anyone who isn't a doctor should attempt to help to the limits of their ability, which would involve going out to look at the poor bloke. For a GP not to even do that is very very peculiar

and i heard that nurses have to cover up their uniform when out to make it less likely that they are asked to help.

OTOH the GP might have decided that given he was conscious it wasn't a life-threatening situation. Still think she's probably better equipped to help than anyone else. Especially when they've shown their lack of confidence in dealing with him by directly asking her

YADNBU.

For God's sake, someone was lying injured in the street and she couldn't be bothered to take a look?

waikiki

BIL and SIL are both nurses out and they have helped out on several occasions - putting themselves forward without being asked. Including trying to assist someone in a nasty climbing fall, who subsequently died.

Perhaps she felt it was outside her competence. Paramedics are better equipped and better qualified to deal with trauma and injuries than a gp. She was either scared or cba.

waikiki, nurses aren't even supposed to wear their uniform outside the ward due to risk of infection. Can you imagine sitting on a filthy seat on a public bus on your way into work in the hospital and bringing all the bacteria in to, say, an immuno-suppressed patient?

Jamie, just because someone is conscious doesn't mean their condition isn't life-threatening. A GP would know that.

I've looked it up and it's a legal issue. See it here.

Futterby

Yes, you are right, was clutching at straws. I'm not a GP, and I still think it's really off for them not to to help.

How long does a GP train for? It is years at medical school and then further PG study, I don't know the detail - hopefully someone does.

I think that the suggestions that she doesn't have the relevant training are ridiculous, she will not have the equipment but would be able to assess the situation and if necessary provide basic first aid, e.g. staunch blood loss. If she doesn't have that level of competence, and I bet it is higher GPs are really well trained, I wouldn't want her treating me at all. I also thought that they were under a duty of care to assist where required.

By the way, if she had gone out to help and the patient had died, she would only be successfully sued if she had treated him negligently, not simply because he died.

It's not just off, it's downright illegal

GMC Good medical practice states a Dr should:
" Protect and promote the health of patients and the public."
And
"26. You must offer help if emergencies arise in clinical settings or in the community, taking account of your own safety, your competence and the availability of other options for care."

To me it sounds like she neglected her duty or care as a registered dr, as she didn't even look at the injured party to assess her ability to be of assistance. Calling for an ambulance is insufficient, the person made have needed immediate resus, how does she know if there is anyone else available to provide that before the paramedics arrive?

X posts blueberry.

And again, really must type faster.

A G.P.s medical insurance doesn't always cover good Samaritan acts. They could help and then end up being sued.

Not possible bruno. As has been said, they will only be sued if they have been negligent in their care towards a patient. There are laws in place to stop that kind of thing happening.

Perhaps she had just finished an incredibly long shift and physically and mentally could not bring herself to be of any use ?