To think this was a gross misuse of the emergency services

[retainertrainer]

DSis phoned me this morning. I missed the call as I was in work. I couldn’t talk but was able to send her a text asking if she was ok (she knew I was working so I thought something must be wrong for her to ring). She messed back saying she’d fallen down the stairs and couldn’t get up. I obviously called her straight back. She was crying but calmed down enough to explain that she’d actually missed the bottom step and landed at an awkward angle,her ankle was in a lot of pain. In the time it’d taken me to ring her back she’d also called 999 for an ambulance,her DP and our Dad (who lives a street away). By the end of our phone call her partner had arrived home and my Dad followed shortly.

The 3 of them then sat and waited 30 minutes for an ambulance. They all drive, 3 cars were at the house. No attempt made to get sis on her feet and into the car. They could have been to a&e themselves in 15! I understand she panicked when it first happened and for all she knew it could have been broken but for none of them to even attempt to get her on her feet and drive her themselves astounds me! Turns out it’s a bad sprain. I’m so cross with them all!

YABU. If it had been broken, being lifted by people who don't know what they're doing, walking on it, and getting in and out of a car, could have caused irreparable damage. If she couldn't get up under her own steam, waiting for the professionals was a good idea.

This.

I don't really know much about broken bones, if it was broken would she have been best to wait until ambulance got there?

she didn't know if it was a sprain or broken, I've done both, and couldn't tell them apart.

When I broke my ankle I wanted to walk two steps into a friends car, but my friends wouldn't let me, and the ambulance crew confirmed they had been right not to let me, as it could have turned simple six-weeks-in-plaster -to-mend break into a complicated spiral requiring operations, plates, screws and hospital admissions.

They were correct in not moving her if there was any chance of a break as moving some who is injured can cause the problem to get worse.

Oh, I would be cross too.

A possible broken ankle + two people there with cars = get there under your own steam. If neither her DP nor your Dad has a car, a taxi is the next option.

Obviously, if her bone was sticking out through her skin or something, an ambulance is appropriate.

But she’d sprained it. I’ve broken bones and sprained things and it feels distinctly different.

I do understand what you’re saying but I think they could have attempted to get her to her feet. That’s what the ambulance men did.

And to go from ‘fallen down the stairs’ to ‘missed the last step’ in the space of 2 minutes

Well, I guess they worried that she couldn't weight bear or that moving her would make the injury worse.

Sometimes with things like that it is a worry that moving someone with that kind of injury could make things worse. The ambulance wouldn't have come out if they didn't think there was a possibility they were genuinely needed.

If someone had fallen down the stairs at a funny angle and their ankle was in pain and they couldn't get up I wouldn't want to fuck around with it either.

Save your anger for something else.

I wouldn't have called an ambulance even if I thought it was broken. Wouldn't have been to difficult to get her in the car without using her foot and out the other side at A&E. I agree that it was a waste of an ambulance. It wasn't a life threatening injury so need to call.

I've broken bones, sprained things and torn ligaments. Broken bones hurt infinitely less than a sprain or a tear! She fell, was in shock, in pain and called for help. It's what they're their for. If the elderly can call for a fall why can't younger people?

You are right. It is a huge waste of NHS resources and your sister needs to think long and hard about her actions. I know it is easy to panic, especially if you are on your own in the house, but since she had no head or back injury , had not lost consciousness ,was not bleeding and knew there were family members with transport within close distance she was totally unreasonable to send for an ambulance.

I can only hope that there wasn't an elderly person collapsed at a bus stop, or a person having chest pains or breathing difficulties who had to wait longer for an ambulance because the crew was pandering to her hysteria. feel free to show her this post.

I'm more impressed that she only waited 30mins for an ambulance. Where I am she would be likely waiting 4hrs or more.

I suppose we all react to things differently. In my mind 999 is for cardiac arrest,choking,seizure, bone sticking out of leg,car accident etc not missing the bottom step! I think if she’d actually attempt to get up she might have realised that it wasn’t so painful after all and she could have walked to the bloody car.

But she’d sprained it. I’ve broken bones and sprained things and it feels distinctly different.

Well, having done neither myself I wouldn't know the difference.

People calling 999 because they have an eyelash stuck in their eye etc is a deliberate misuse of the emergency services. Calling them because they didn't want to risk making the injury worse isn't.

It was just a sprain but they didn't know that. People panic too and don't always think straight. Clearly emergency services believed they may be needed too as they went to her.

I had a family situation where the paramedics refused to come out as there was no way they were needed. And no, it wasn't me who called them.

The ambulance service clearly thought she needed to be seen and in a 30min turn around so stop picking at the choice she made. It's only by going to hospital they found out it was a sprain. Really the op should be:

My sister fell down the stairs by missing a step. She injured her foot and thought it might be broken. She was panicking so called for help.

YANBU. Sounds ridiculous. However, I recently had to call 111 for a relative and they insisted on an ambulance which was unnecessary as I could drive them in 5 mins. I think it's part of the script to negate blame in the case of a fatality. I still drove them but had to vocally take full responsibility for doing so, I can see why some would simply wait for an ambulance, esp if in shock. It did feel very dramatic and quite a shock to be told you need an ambulance

Can't believe between them they couldn't have got her in a car. Ridiculous.

I again ask why can elderly people who fall over (often only needing to be picked up and put back in their chair or bed) call an ambulance but a younger person who had a suspected broken bone can't?

Well yes of course the ambulance service came out to her-she’d told them she’d fallen down the stairs,was home alone and couldn’t move!

Which she was at the time she called.

I completely agree with you. Two people could easily have carried her.

Bum-well I’m no expert but the elderly are far more vulnerable to broken bones if they fall. They often have no one else to put them back in their chair so it’s 999 or die slowly on the floor through lack of food/water/exposure. A fall to the elderly can cause shock and they may make the phone call because they’re suffering from dementia. Just off the top of my head!!

Adults with three cars at their disposal? YANBU. Ambulances are for life threatening emergencies only.

Get them each a copy of the book 'Blood, Sweat and Tea' as NY 'surprise' gifts. They are the collected blog posts of a paramedic and will be invaluable in preventing this kind of idiocy in the future.

Anyone who falls can break a bone. Anyone can have no one to pick them up. Anyone who falls is at risk. Your sister fell. Scared herself and so called for help. She's lucky she has family who actually care about her and not bitch about her decisions on an internet forum