Would you make a complaint about these paramedics?

[WatermelonWaveclub]

I went to my GP the other day as I kept fainting when coughing. The GP said my HR was sky high. Then I coughed and fainted in front of the GP. Afterwards I couldn't move my legs properly. She phoned the hospital who said I need an ambulance. The GP got someone to get me in a wheelchair and take me to the nurse's room where I was put on a bed in a cubicle.

Anyway a few minutes later the ambulance crew turn up (3 of them). They did an ECG - ok but tachycardic. I said my legs were feeling ok by then. They did a lying and standing BP and checked I could feel both sides of my face, could hold both arms up, checked pupils etc. So they say they need to take me to hospital. They start heading off and so I follow them on foot. They're all walking ahead of me, chatting away, not one seeing if I'm ok. So consequently we get into the car park - I have a coughing fit and next thing I know I'm waking up on the car park floor.

I can't stop thinking about it. Were they at fault? Should they have used a wheelchair or at least someone walked with me? At the hospital they wouldn't even let me go to my scans etc in a wheelchair, I had to be taken in my bed. So if GP and nurse wouldn't let me walk was it right that the paramedics did?

The other reason to complain or feedback is that the ambulance team may well not know the outcome was that OP had a stroke/brain bleed.

If their attitude was “overreacting GP and silly female patient calling an ambulance because of a cough and fainting episode” just the fact you collapsed again while walking doesn’t mean they have reflected that they were wrong. They could be still thinking that you were “fainting” due to a cough and that you had “put yourself on the floor” as a PP suggested and that they were correct to be dismissive. They need to know that actually you had a stroke - realising how close they have come to disaster (had you had a catastrophic stroke or bleed due to the fall then their careers could well be over and things would be very bad for the OP) might make them think next time.

I really don’t understand why every part of this is being picked apart. Complaining doesn’t meant the paramedics will lose their jobs and never work again. It will mean they can learn from this. I’m sure they’re not bad people. Perhaps they had a bad day or dropped the ball. That’s ok; they’re human and it happens. They do need to improve for next time though.

I am in a profession where people complain a lot. I am a manager so deal with many complaints about the team. Quite often, it’s helpful for everyone to learn from the feedback. We alter what we have been doing. We learn and grow. Nobody is raked over the coals or gets disciplined for most of these feedback emails / complaints. It really isn’t a big deal.

We should be encouraging more people to give feedback and complain. How on earth can a service improve if things aren’t looked at properly?

Thank you

I assume they didn't realise I was having a stroke so yes, it would be good for them to know as I do keep coming back to them thinking I was perhaps exaggerating. I hadn't thought that they could think the GP was over reacting. Silly as she sought advice from the hospital.

Hooray, then you get a prize for calling me out. You just have a strong antipathy for people who think differently to you I guess

I honestly couldn't care less what your ex profession was. I said from the start that the paramedics were wrong. I just noticed that she didn't mention she felt responsible for not standing up for herself and refusing to follow.
At the time she hadn't mentioned her other symptoms - how was I to know that she was gravely unwell?

Where did I say they were right?

Why didn't she say that from the start? I was meant to guess she was on death's door?

@Tahinii perhaps if I had a crystal ball to know she was drip feeding information I would have known she had neurological symptoms.

Doesn't actually matter whether the OP had a bleed and anyone revising their opinion after the fact doesn't make sense.
With the presenting complaint as it was reported by the GP, she should have been transferred carefully. This is basic risk assessment, no matter what they found subsequently.

@Eise agree OP doesn’t mention the bleed until p3 but the neurological symptoms are there in the first post. - she says she collapsed and her legs then didn’t work.

The GP called the hospital (presume suspected stroke direct admission pathway)and then 999 and the ambulance was there in minutes - this only happens (or it should only happen) if you are seriously unwell.

@Amara123 agree she should have been , however imo some ambulance crews have a bias (possibly unconscious) against female patients and also often feel GPs overegg stuff (and learning it was a female GP makes me think this is even more likely). The crew need to learn that this situation was no exaggerated so next time they get a similar situation their risk assessment is better

@eise will ask MN to delete any posts that have challenged them.

@WatermelonWaveclub I’m so sorry you had this happen to you. The brain bleed is super scary. When you are feeling better, if you have no follow up perhaps ask you GP to refer you to see if you’ve got an underlying connective tissue disorder that pre disposed you to it.

I also really don’t understand why people pick apart your story and 100% it’s ok to raise the issues you had with the paramedics. They should have reported themselves for that and if they haven’t they will be in trouble for not doing so. Which shows they did something wrong.

I hope your recovery goes well

@Skycrawler I agree whole heartedly. I had a post deleted where I told about paramedics dismissing a near fatal overdose and not assisting with breathing due to seeing the patient as an over reacting female. And dismissing the female doctor.

The paramedics knew and that was the point.

You’ve been unnecessarily unkind even after finding out the OP was seriously unwell.

Yeah - my mother too though she was fine mid heart attach (the shooting pains in her arm and inability to breathe she'd persuaded herself were a pulled muscle and ashma)

You are just so unsupportive of the OP. I don’t care that you disagree with me. Your perspective is simply nonsensical.

I agree with you

Quite!!

Could you be any more patronising (says in the best Chandler Bing intonation)?

On this basis, no one ever should be held to account absent malicious intent

I did mention neurological symptoms in my OP. That I was fainting and my legs wouldn't move.

Quite. The fact I was likely to faint was enough in itself to suggest not just allowing me to walk unaided but I also mentioned my legs not moving.

Thank you so much.

I have had a couple of referrals made. That's interesting you say about connective tissue - is that ehlos danlos? I have autism which there is a link I think?

I wouldn't complain, but at least one of them should have walked alongside you.
Hope you're ok

Yes, Ehlers Danlos or a few other things cause connective tissue problems. I would hope someone from the hospital would follow you up, but it’s not surprising these days it’s just fire fighting and patching you up and not looking for the cause. Yes Ehlers Danlos has a high degree of overlap with being ND. Definitely worth asking about.

JMSA
"I wouldn't complain"

Really- at such gross negligence. How will things ever get better if the OP doesn't complain.