PARAMEDICS

[hardworker]

To think a paramedic was wrong to suggest we should have given a dose of calpol instead of calling for help when a small child went lethargic and turned blue? Were no previous signs of illness, it came on sudden.

YANBU. What a twat. Did he not listen when you told him what had happened. You would have been stupid NOT to call an ambulance and try and medicate dher yourself in those circumstances. I would also take the child to A&E even if it has passed to be on the safe side.

Think 999 would have been my insinct in those circumstances.

omg what an idiot

was this your DC, hardworker? Are they OK?

Agree - completely wrong - they are trained to treat the patient, even if they think they shouldn't have been called. Believe me they get called out for a lot less whereas yours sounds like a genuine case.

Write to the head office and complain so it can be investigated and hopefully the paramedic will not do the same again (if you don't complain, nothing will get done to stop him doing the same to someone else).

Message withdrawn

Hi, thanks for replies. Didnt think we were, but, just wanted to hear other opinions.

It was a friend that I was with, both nannies, was her charge. They did take to a&e.

Cant say much more for confidential reasons, but, all ok.

He actually made the
calpol comment refering directly at nannies.

Well I was actually told by a paramedic that I should call them asap and ignore gp "emergency" advice. Ds would have very bad asthma attacks and I would call gp emergency service to be told "we dont have a primecare clinic in your area at the moment, you need to get a cab to the city (an hour's cab ride, by then ds would have been very ill indeed).

yanbu.

Also took at least 20mins to arrive

My friends little boy went blue and had a fit, and they hung around in the house without doing anything. She, who is a senior member of staff in an A&E dept told them to get their f........g arses into gear and do their job !!

Complain, as siad before, if you don't that is why they are still doing it.

Will mention to family involved re: complaining

As a doctor, this scares me. I'm hearing this kind of story far too often from patients and colleagues who have called ambulances for their patients.

This paramedic acted in an irresponsible manner, most likely outside of their area of competence.

A flipping big complaint needs to go to ambulance control and the PCT to stop this kind of dangerous crap from happening.