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Original poster

To wonder if this doesn't upset you, nothing will

306 replies

ThirdWorld · 21/03/2023 19:21

I've name changed for this as it's very identifying.

I live in a small village and and as a treat after a long hard day at work popped into my local pub for dinner.

Lying on the floor was an elderly woman. She was covered with a warm blanket. She had tripped and fallen at lunchtime, and obviously badly hurt herself.

An ambulance was called at 12:30, she is still lying there in the middle of the pub waiting for an ambulance.

I've obviously read about how broken our NHS is and even read the thread on here where a poster had written about her aunt who had fallen and was waiting for about 12 hours for an ambulance. But reading about it and actually seeing it for real is even more heartbreaking.

This poor old woman has been lying on a cold wooden floor for 7 hours! The owners and bar staff have been amazing and are looking after her. Well as much as they can.

I can't tell you how useless I feel. There is nothing anyone can do. The woman has obviously been refusing food or fluid in fear of wetting herself.

I know from reading the thread I mentioned previously that there is nothing anyone can do but wait.

As we left they were getting her a pad to relieve herself. In the middle of a pub!!!

This is 21st century Britain! I don't know what I'm expecting from this thread, am tempted to call the local press to see if the publicity could hurry things along, but that would probably be even more humiliating for her.

This woman has no family and is cold, miserable and in pain lying in the middle of a pub.

I just can't believe our country has fallen to this. God knows when an ambulance will arrive. She will end up getting more dehydrated and probably go into shock. And there is nothing anyone can do.

So distressing to see and my heart bleeds for the poor woman. Just prey that none of your relatives ever have a fall.

Let's hope an ambulance comes soon.

OP posts:
Kedece2410 · 21/03/2023 20:21

But I’d sooner someone try and get me in to a car to hospital than be left that long on the floor

That can be the worst thing for several reasons. Once someone with a hip/joint/neck etc injury gets in a car they might not get back out!! My brother is a Firefighter and has on more than one occasion attended the local hospital car park to extract someone from a car. Getting them out involved cutting the roof off the car they were in. That's why in so many cases you really do have to leave it to the professionals

GettingStuffed · 21/03/2023 20:22

We waited 4:days for an ambulance just before Christmas,. My late mil had fallen out of bed and was stuck between the bed and a table. An initial responder came out and we carefully put her back in bed and she wasn't happy as mil had difficulty moving her body into a comfortable and safe position and referred mil to hospital and asked for an emergency ambulance saying it may be a few hours,it was 4 days and once she got to hospital it was the beginning of the end, she developed a chest infection and bdied mid January

PoseyFlump · 21/03/2023 20:22

Stop blaming other people for her having to lie there with no dignity.

I'd agree with this if it wasn't for the fact that someone had told the OP that they were intending to get the lady to piss into a pad. That's on them. She didn't deserve everyone knowing that.

TooBigForMyBoots · 21/03/2023 20:23

I am so sorry @GettingStuffed.Thanks

HoppingPavlova · 21/03/2023 20:23

don't know what I'm expecting from this thread, am tempted to call the local press to see if the publicity could hurry things along, but that would probably be even more humiliating for her

how on earth do you think the publicity could ‘hurry things along’? It’s not as though there are spare ambulances that just can’t be bothered. How would this magic one up?

MMUmum · 21/03/2023 20:27

I remember years ago walking into a supermarket only to find a lady being resuscitated just inside the doors and people shopping around her, I was so shocked and staff had neither locked the doors ( there was another door further round) nor blocked the area off.
A few years later I needed heart surgery and developed a real fear of collapsing in a public place.

Honeyroar · 21/03/2023 20:29

It’s awful. And even sadder that when she gets to A&E she’ll probably spend another shed load of hours on a trolley in A&E with barely any contact from staff.

My wonderful dad died too soon last year, from a general spiral of bad things that started after being on the floor for hours. My mum was in A&E at Christmas after a fall and the paramedics said that, while under normal circumstances you shouldn’t move someone, in these awful times she said she’d get them off the floor if you possibly can. (But it’s awful trying to decide which is the worst case when you’re there on your own with a casualty). It’s REALLY disturbing how our country has gone. It’s getting like a third world country.

plumfy · 21/03/2023 20:30

I am sceptical about this meaning that people worse off are seen more quickly. I feel like it is more likely to be pot luck. You know how at work when you are under resourced and then everything becomes urgent regardless of how important it is because everything is overdue etc.

Poor lady.

YukoandHiro · 21/03/2023 20:31

Remember which government broke it when it comes to a general election won't you

carriedout · 21/03/2023 20:33

I just can't believe our country has fallen to this.

It was a government decision to do this to our country, it is the fault of the Tories. Please do not vote for them next time.

RuthW · 21/03/2023 20:34

I'm more shocked they kept the pub open. That's terrible.

Dinosaurpoopy · 21/03/2023 20:35

Our friends nan fell and they were told minimum 7 hours for the ambulance, they phoned DH instead who is a paramedic and he went straight over to pick her up and do basic obs then speak to her GP. It shouldn't come to that.. DH has also spent 11 hours in a queue at a&e today just in case anyone had any doubt why there isn't an ambulance available

x2boys · 21/03/2023 20:35

Noname77 · 21/03/2023 20:21

21st century Tory Britain is starting to resemble a 3rd world country.

The NH S has many faults but do you really think that in a third world country if a 16 year old boy,collapsed at home an ambulance would have arrived in minutes ,they would have quickly established his blood sugers,were through the roof and got him to hospitak.into resus treated him for a diabetic ketoneacodosis,( we had no.idea btw) ,and taken straight to critical.Care ,scanned him and found his pancreas was necrotic,and basically saved his life???
this was my son,s experience four weeks ago.
.

Over40Overdating · 21/03/2023 20:37

Welcome to Tory Britain. They have systemically, purposefully and wilfully stripped the NHS to this to make way for the private insurance model as people will be desperate for ‘good’ care.

Until they realise that even a private model won’t save them and people will die from preventable diseases because they can’t afford to pay for treatment.
The rich ruling class in this country see the rest of us as pockets to pick and nothing more. Once we have no money to give they will leave us to rot.

Yet there are still people who will vote to keep them in power, without blinking.

Honeyroar · 21/03/2023 20:37

YukoandHiro · 21/03/2023 20:31

Remember which government broke it when it comes to a general election won't you

I’m not a conservative voter, but I don’t think it was that good under labour either. The NHS has been failed for years and years. Wards closed, hospitals closed, nursing made so difficult to get into. It’s just been twisting figures, smoke and mirrors to seen like they’re hitting targets for years. When labour was in I was sent to a private hospital for a shoulder op just so they hit targets of getting everyone’s ops done in six months - how much must that have cost… I despair of them all.

Original poster
ThirdWorld · 21/03/2023 20:38

To clear up a few points. At no point did I say the bar staff were gossiping about the situation. They were absolutely not. They were going out their way to help the lady, to the detriment of their livelihood.

I'm not going into why I knew more about the situation and how I helped as it would be even more outing.

Instead of being angry with me, or the pub be angry that our governments have let this happen.

Do you think if this was an MP's mum or a celebrity that they would still be lying there??

OP posts:
Sugarfree23 · 21/03/2023 20:40

Awful.
And I feel for the publican too. They probably didn't think it would be so long, they closed the bar, keeping the restaurant open.
What else are they meant to do?

Closing means food going in the bin. And some customers may not return. Where are those who were meant to be eating especially those away from home meant to get food?

It's not an easy decision and the ambulance could turn up any time

Meandfour · 21/03/2023 20:40

ThirdWorld · 21/03/2023 20:38

To clear up a few points. At no point did I say the bar staff were gossiping about the situation. They were absolutely not. They were going out their way to help the lady, to the detriment of their livelihood.

I'm not going into why I knew more about the situation and how I helped as it would be even more outing.

Instead of being angry with me, or the pub be angry that our governments have let this happen.

Do you think if this was an MP's mum or a celebrity that they would still be lying there??

Yes, I do.

Thekormachameleon · 21/03/2023 20:41

@ThirdWorld - unless the MP's mother or celebrity had access to a private ambulance then yes, they too would be left waiting

Ambulances are dispatched in order of medical need. Yes lying on the floor for hours is disgraceful but cardiac arrests, fits, choking have to be prioritised

MarshaBradyo · 21/03/2023 20:41

As we left they were getting her a pad to relieve herself. In the middle of a pub!!!

This is shocking but it was closed off right? And people couldn’t see

ireallycantthinkofaname · 21/03/2023 20:41

plumfy · 21/03/2023 20:30

I am sceptical about this meaning that people worse off are seen more quickly. I feel like it is more likely to be pot luck. You know how at work when you are under resourced and then everything becomes urgent regardless of how important it is because everything is overdue etc.

Poor lady.

No, I think it is a matter of priority. I collapsed in the middle of the a country lane and was found by walkers, unconscious and with my head split open; an ambulance arrived in less than 15 minutes apparently. It's not pot luck. Having worked in care - broken hips/falls are pretty 'routine' in the elderly, and also not life threatening, usually (unless, for instance, someone exacerbates the issue by trying to move them.)

I'm still horrified by the pub remaining open. If my local did that they'd lose my custom permanently, I wouldn't support anywhere that puts profits so blatantly before someone's dignity and wellbeing. Poor woman.

WasIWasINot · 21/03/2023 20:41

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

TheHateIsNotGood · 21/03/2023 20:41

It's a shame that in a village pub and nearby absolutely no one was capable of providing immediate healthcare, a makeshift stretcher and transport to get this lady to hospital.

Instead of that, people ate and quaffed whilst wringing their hands because no one came after they pressed 3 numbers on their phone screen.

Brotherlove · 21/03/2023 20:42

Likewise my son became poorly in the night....groin pain, vomiting, sudden onset...all symptoms pointed to testical torsion. In the car and into A&E...triaged immediately (I'm sure to the tutting of those sat waiting for 6+hours), was seen within 20 minutes by a doctor and given pain relief/anti sickness drugs to stop the vomiting...20 minutes later the surgeon arrived, and within 1 hour he was in surgery as it's classed as category 1 (saving a limb/body part).
So very grateful as he was extremely unwell that night.
Not sure what would have happened if we needed to wait for an ambulance, thank goodness I could get him into the car!

carriedout · 21/03/2023 20:43

Honeyroar · 21/03/2023 20:37

I’m not a conservative voter, but I don’t think it was that good under labour either. The NHS has been failed for years and years. Wards closed, hospitals closed, nursing made so difficult to get into. It’s just been twisting figures, smoke and mirrors to seen like they’re hitting targets for years. When labour was in I was sent to a private hospital for a shoulder op just so they hit targets of getting everyone’s ops done in six months - how much must that have cost… I despair of them all.

Show quote history

Nice try, this is the Tory HQ line but the facts are the facts - the Tories have fucked the 4 hour A&E target, the ambulance response times, the waiting list for surgeries.

How awful that you got the treatment you needed under a Labour government! That is definitely as bad as lying on a pub floor for seven hours Confused

Why did you not turn down your shoulder op if you disagreed with it so much? Biscuit