A complaint against ambulance crew

[RATTER15]

Last night at work (in a severe Dementia uni) we had a 89 year old lady fall on the floor (not uncommon) she complained of hip pain and there appeared to be a shortening of the leg, under such circumstances we call 999 immediately as per our First Aid Training. I was fairly confident that this lady hadnt broken anything but I am not permitted to make decisions under those circumstances.

In fact we are supposed to call 999 every time someone falls on the floor according to our First Aid training, in a severe Dementia unit we would probably be calling them out every day, as is the frequency of falls.

So I called 999 and an ambulance arrived.
On examination of the lady, the paramedic decided to try and stand the lady, she stood up and was just shaken and bruised.

The paramedic then said to me that if they can move their leg then nothing is broken and not to waste their time!!! I was furious at this and I pointed out to him that a lady sat in the same room had walked across a room with a broken femur and that recently a gentleman in our care had also walked on a broken femur, so I know what he said is wrong, the other Paramedic told me that we were certainly correct to phone 999 and every 999 crew that has attended in the past have also told us not to take chances as a broken hip/femur can be immediately life threatening due to the proximity of the femoral artery. I want to make a formal complaint about this, my manager is away at the moment and she is so lame she would not make a complaint as she is bone idle.

Would I be causing any problems by making this complaint off my own back in my own time?

I am so angry about his comments, I wont let this rest!

[Sqad]

RATTER.....we have been over this before and have come to blows.
The management of a patient who is found fallen out of bed is a matter of opinion and just because you disagree with that opinion doesn't make it right OR wrong.

Leave well alone.

This business of the femoral artyet is "c0ck"

[murraymints]

Ratter..somehow my response ended up in headstone inscriptions !!! must have changed just as I clicked..have a peek there

[DTCwordfan]

Yes you would be making a rod for your own back I feel, ratter. I can understand your spleen - it also depends the manner in which it was said and that might tip you one way - and that is what you could complain about if you feel there is a case.

Look, the other Paramedic may have corrected him once they were out of earshot.....it take some time to train one of them up and give them the necessary experience. If you see him, you may wish to quietly just point out the error of his ways.

[237SJ]

I`d leave it if I was you. Formal complaints take time (and time is money) to investigate and I think they should be used for much more serious issues than the fact that someone voiced an opinion that you didn`t agree with. I can`t imagine making a formal complaint against a paramedic unless they were doing something seriously wrong. You told him what you thought at the time so he didn`t go unchallenged.

[rowanwitch]

I remeber in nursing days an old lady fell same thing pain and shortening but also rotation a junior doctor still missed a fractured NOF and wanted to try standing her... seen a lot of them in a spell in orthopaedics in winter none had significant bleeding probs though more problems with the results of immobility

[RATTER15]

Sqad, yes we did cross swords over this. Every ambulance crew that has visited us have always expressed the dangers of broken femurs, I would never attempt to stand anyone with the possibility of a broken femur and I would lose my job over it for sure and possibly be prosecuted for it.

As I have said, we are required to phone 999 after every fall, just for helping someone to stand with no suspected injury I could be sacked.

As we are only trained to First Aid level we are required to call an ambulance if we have any doubts at all, the paramedics advice goes against all training that I have ever received and in view is very dangerous.

[RATTER15]

Sqad "This business of the femoral artyet is "c0ck" "

That may be the case but I am not permitted to take chances in my job. I try to do my job well, taking such chances would not sit well, especially in these days of being prosecuted and sued if one gets a splinter!!

[237SJ]

Exactly Ratter. Your company tell you to call 999 because they`re scared of litigation.

[tonyav]

RATTER, do what you feel is the right thing to do, this incident is obviously worrying you.

[atalanta]

Take the case to your Trade Union representative. It is their job to sort out situations like this.

[DTCwordfan]

One way is to personally vent is to write it all down (factually - as you saw/heard it) and then file it. You can then choose to use it if another incident arises with this person or bin it......

Keep emotion out of it, it becomes more powerful. And realise that you are going to put an emotional spin on things but try and down play it. In the most open and shut legal cases, defence lawyers still pick over the bones as what ever we see and hear and then make a statement about, we put our personal spin on things. It is not as if we are lying but rather the way our brains work - and it is sometimes these views that a skilled barrister can use to make evidence less valid or seed doubt over the case.......

[RATTER15]

237SJ >>>Exactly Ratter. Your company tell you to call 999 because they`re scared of litigation.<<< that was not my reason for calling 999, I called 999 because all the training I ever had has told me to call 999 under those circumstances!! and will do exactly that every time!

tonyav>>> it not worrying me, Im bloody angry

atalanta>>> I would go anywhere near a trade union, I hate them.

DT, >>>im not looking to prosecute anybody here, the guy just needs to dragged into his office to have his a$$ kicked over protocol.

All in all I have immense respect for all of our emergency services but they cant all be perfect, sometimes they need reminding that they aren't God!!

[RATTER15]

Even the paramedics say that they should be called in when an elderly person falls, however sometimes we get falls 3 or four times a day, I call an ambulance on average about once a every two months, I do use common sense here.

[anneasquith]

ratter, what happened to the lady ?

[RATTER15]

She is fine Ann!! however im now tempted to break her hip so I can tell them >>I told you so!!!<<

I shall however do my best to refrain from that course of action :)) Bless her lol

[888]

All the legal ins and outs aside, it's nice to know that someone is actually, "Caring" for the old person who can't speak up for themself.

[RATTER15]

I think that maybe after consulting the many experts and the wise of Answerbank, common sense has prevailed and I will just put it down to experience and do my best to forget it this time!!

Next time though, NEXT TIME!!!!! HE LIMPS AWAY WITH HIS A$$ IN A SLING!!!! the arrogant little $hit!!

Thank you all for imparting your wise words, yes Sqad, even you :)

[Sqad]

RATTER........LOL......LOL......you know it makes sense.

[tonyav]

I f there is a next time RATTER, set the dogs on him lol.

[Baldric]

Ratter, I've been a first-aider for 35yrs+, you did, imo, do exactly the right thing by calling 999, especially as it was an elderly person involved, even if age was not a factor I would be very wary of 'picking' someone up under those circumstances.
As for complaining, I wouldn't this time. Make as detailed a record as possible (and as someone else said, try to keep emotion out of it) and keep it safe so you can use it if there's any repetition with this person.
I think that by complaining in your own time might be seen as going over your managers head and possibly cause problems for yourself in future.