I travelled down to Oxford (I have now moved back to York) last weekend. I went to help SJA down there cover an event, and ended up covering the athletics on the Sunday as well.
One of the casualties I treated was a RIDDOR recordable incident. I went and talked to one of the officials, to ask who I needed to report this to. I was disappointed to find that it was my friend from last time.
The message was passed over to him, and he came to see me at the end of the event. I gave him the information he needed, and he not only thanked me for this, but also took my PRF (patient report form), and noted on it that he'd discussed what we did with us, and agreed with everything we did (If you remember from last time, he's a consultant anaesthatist). He then signed it, and added his name and NHS ID number. I'm not sure how much use this would actually be if it went to court (it really won't do!), but the thought was there and was appreciated, especially after our last encounter!
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Monday, 14 July 2008
Quote of the day
'It is not God who kills children. Not fate that butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It's us. Only us.'
Opening quote in 'The Burning City' by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, that I've just started reading. Quote originally from 'Watchmen' by Alan Moore
Only too true, regardless of your religious beliefs
Opening quote in 'The Burning City' by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, that I've just started reading. Quote originally from 'Watchmen' by Alan Moore
Only too true, regardless of your religious beliefs
Thursday, 10 July 2008
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
I'm not violent...
... but I'm top on google's search results for "bitten by something in the st. johns"
Seriously, it wasn't me, but if you were, you should report it! I'd suggest to the police, as it would constitute assault at the very least, and SJA National Headquarters!
edit: someone also seems to think that I know "how many people fail day1 pcso". I don't. Try PCSO Bloggs - she's more likely to know than me!
Seriously, it wasn't me, but if you were, you should report it! I'd suggest to the police, as it would constitute assault at the very least, and SJA National Headquarters!
edit: someone also seems to think that I know "how many people fail day1 pcso". I don't. Try PCSO Bloggs - she's more likely to know than me!
Friday, 4 July 2008
If I have any police readers, this one's for you...
My local paper posted this story.
In a nutshell, it tells us that the police force are to be issued with PDAs, which link to their office mainframes. This means that they should have to spend around 7% less time in the office.
Brilliant, I think - 7% more time on the street?
No
It is, instead, hailed as an opportunity to reduce staffing costs.
"We won't reduce the number of police officers", they promise. No, the won't (yet). Instead, they'll reduce the number of other staff. Reducing the number of these means the sworn officers will have to dedicated some of their time to performing tasks normally undertaken by these non-sworn staff. In effect, we are dedicating a further 7% of our police officer's time to do the job of lower paid non-sworn staff.
This is a bad idea. If they wanted to save money, they should have introduced the PDAs, then reduced the number of police officers by 7%. This way, cover would remain the same, but at an even lower expense.
On the other hand, if (as they should have done), they saw this as an opportunity to improve policing in the area, they should have introduced the PDAs, and kept staffing the same. This would have resulted in a 7% greater police presence.
I really hope that there's a good explaination for this choice, as these flaws became immediately apparent to me, a mere MOP
In a nutshell, it tells us that the police force are to be issued with PDAs, which link to their office mainframes. This means that they should have to spend around 7% less time in the office.
Brilliant, I think - 7% more time on the street?
No
It is, instead, hailed as an opportunity to reduce staffing costs.
"We won't reduce the number of police officers", they promise. No, the won't (yet). Instead, they'll reduce the number of other staff. Reducing the number of these means the sworn officers will have to dedicated some of their time to performing tasks normally undertaken by these non-sworn staff. In effect, we are dedicating a further 7% of our police officer's time to do the job of lower paid non-sworn staff.
This is a bad idea. If they wanted to save money, they should have introduced the PDAs, then reduced the number of police officers by 7%. This way, cover would remain the same, but at an even lower expense.
On the other hand, if (as they should have done), they saw this as an opportunity to improve policing in the area, they should have introduced the PDAs, and kept staffing the same. This would have resulted in a 7% greater police presence.
I really hope that there's a good explaination for this choice, as these flaws became immediately apparent to me, a mere MOP
Thursday, 3 July 2008
Religion
This post by Tom Reynolds got me thinking.
Why are certain religions accepted when others aren't? Why is Scientology deemed by many to be a dangerous cult, whereas Christianity, Islam or Hinduism are seen as legitimate religions?
Why, despite the above, is it unnaceptable to label even a Scientologist as mad, but not someone who believes in Tom's 'Flying Spaghetti Monster'?
One arguement may be the presence, or lack of, written doctrine. Does this mean that one person's carefully thought out beliefs are less acceptable than where someone has blindly followed the religion they have been told to.
I have never heard any evidence that suggests the existence of any deity. Any 'evidence' I have heard tends to be along the lines of "[insert current theory here] has these problems [...], and is therefore not correct. Therefore [insert religious theory here] could be correct".
This is not a correct arguement. What this person is doing is to state a fact, and then to make the false claim that this supports their belief.
I am not religious, agnostic, nor an atheist, I am a scientist. My current thoughts are that I find the existance of a deity (or deities) unlikely, afterall, where did they come from? If someone were to show me evidence that supports the religious arguement, I would start considering it, but as yet, no-one has. This, to me, should be the viewpoint of every 'scientist' in existence - we are supposed to think critically about everything and to require evidence for every statement or theory.
Another problem I have is with people blindly following their parent's religion (or that of their culture). My girlfriend is a good example here - she is of the same religion as her family, but has considered it a lot, and made her own decisions as to exactly what certain things mean. This I will accept to an extent (see above paragraph). I do not respect, however, people having beliefs without having challenged them. I do not accept parents training their children to be a good [insert religion/atheism here] - that decision is such a big part of their lives that the parents should provide their child with information on as many different religions as possible, for the child to choose to look at or not, then to choose what they believe. Above all, every belief should be treated equally (challenged yes, but respected to the same degree). God, Allah, or Flying Spaghetti Monsters, until evidence is found for one or the other, those who believe should be treated equally.
Why are certain religions accepted when others aren't? Why is Scientology deemed by many to be a dangerous cult, whereas Christianity, Islam or Hinduism are seen as legitimate religions?
Why, despite the above, is it unnaceptable to label even a Scientologist as mad, but not someone who believes in Tom's 'Flying Spaghetti Monster'?
One arguement may be the presence, or lack of, written doctrine. Does this mean that one person's carefully thought out beliefs are less acceptable than where someone has blindly followed the religion they have been told to.
I have never heard any evidence that suggests the existence of any deity. Any 'evidence' I have heard tends to be along the lines of "[insert current theory here] has these problems [...], and is therefore not correct. Therefore [insert religious theory here] could be correct".
This is not a correct arguement. What this person is doing is to state a fact, and then to make the false claim that this supports their belief.
I am not religious, agnostic, nor an atheist, I am a scientist. My current thoughts are that I find the existance of a deity (or deities) unlikely, afterall, where did they come from? If someone were to show me evidence that supports the religious arguement, I would start considering it, but as yet, no-one has. This, to me, should be the viewpoint of every 'scientist' in existence - we are supposed to think critically about everything and to require evidence for every statement or theory.
Another problem I have is with people blindly following their parent's religion (or that of their culture). My girlfriend is a good example here - she is of the same religion as her family, but has considered it a lot, and made her own decisions as to exactly what certain things mean. This I will accept to an extent (see above paragraph). I do not respect, however, people having beliefs without having challenged them. I do not accept parents training their children to be a good [insert religion/atheism here] - that decision is such a big part of their lives that the parents should provide their child with information on as many different religions as possible, for the child to choose to look at or not, then to choose what they believe. Above all, every belief should be treated equally (challenged yes, but respected to the same degree). God, Allah, or Flying Spaghetti Monsters, until evidence is found for one or the other, those who believe should be treated equally.
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Hi and Bye
A quick hi to A grumpyRN,
And bye to Mousie, who thinks she might have been busted, so has made her blog private.
Emergency Emily's blog also seems to be invite only, but I'll give it some time to see if its just a Blogger error! (If you read this, fancy inviting me?!)
edit: might have been Epi not EE, not sure! Regardless, it's back!
And bye to Mousie, who thinks she might have been busted, so has made her blog private.
Emergency Emily's blog also seems to be invite only, but I'll give it some time to see if its just a Blogger error! (If you read this, fancy inviting me?!)
edit: might have been Epi not EE, not sure! Regardless, it's back!
Volunteers
I dedicate a huge amount of my time to St John Ambulance. A lot. Over the last 12 months, I have spend over 500 hours on duty for them. That's over 13 full time working weeks.
All of this before you consider weekly meetings, courses and admin time.
I don't begrudge a minute of this, because I love doing it. However, I am a VOLUNTEER. I do not appreciate being phoned, emailed, begged in every way possible, to cover duties.
If I am free, and there is a duty to cover, it is pretty easy to guess where I am. The duty coordinator for the unit I've just left is a good friend of mine, and I feel sorry for him. SJA in that county have taken on more work than they can handle. He's now got the unenviable task of trying to get people to cover them.
The people at county level have taken on too much, and they cannot cover everything.
We are a voluntary organisation, so if people aren't available, there's nothing can be done about it. We would do better to have let an event or two's organisers know earlier that we couldn't cover it, and to allow them time to find someone to replace us, than to be so unprofessional as to leave them stranded with a day to go.
You can only beg so many times before it becomes annoying. People also have lives outside of SJA, and if they're not available, there's nothing that can be done about this
All of this before you consider weekly meetings, courses and admin time.
I don't begrudge a minute of this, because I love doing it. However, I am a VOLUNTEER. I do not appreciate being phoned, emailed, begged in every way possible, to cover duties.
If I am free, and there is a duty to cover, it is pretty easy to guess where I am. The duty coordinator for the unit I've just left is a good friend of mine, and I feel sorry for him. SJA in that county have taken on more work than they can handle. He's now got the unenviable task of trying to get people to cover them.
The people at county level have taken on too much, and they cannot cover everything.
We are a voluntary organisation, so if people aren't available, there's nothing can be done about it. We would do better to have let an event or two's organisers know earlier that we couldn't cover it, and to allow them time to find someone to replace us, than to be so unprofessional as to leave them stranded with a day to go.
You can only beg so many times before it becomes annoying. People also have lives outside of SJA, and if they're not available, there's nothing that can be done about this
No-one knows
This post is dedicated to Sam, who asked for something to cheer her up.
I saved my first life the other day.
I've helped once before, but this time, it really was me. As part of a team, but it was my move that saved her.
A young girl, drunk far too much, and wasn't maintaining her airway. By the time I arrived on the ambulance, my colleagues had her in the recovery position, and breathing a bit. The Emergency Transport Attendant who was attending with me let me run things, although it really ended up as a bit of a free-for-all. The seniormost person in the foot team who responded first is as qualified as I am. There was also a nurse on scene, plus this ETA. We got the casualty onto our trolley bed, and wheeled her to the ambulance. At some point during the wheeling, she stopped breathing. We were so close to the truck,however, that I decided we should get her on board before anything else.
We got her on board, and worked together. We got her on her side, draining the sputum which had gathered in her mouth. Someone got suction out, whilst another looked for an OP airway. I, meanwhile, was using manual manouvers to open her airway. I couldn't.
The airway was passed over, and I knew i couldn't get it in. Her jaw was clenched shut, and her airway still closed. In desperation, I extended her neck further, to a point where my airway would have been blocked. Maintaining this position with one hand, I used the other to half jaw-thrust her, and to half force her mouth open.
Finally, she breathed.
I've never been so relieved in my life as when I heard that first rush of air into her lungs. Within a minute, she was talking to me.
I said the other day I needed an emergency to deal with, and now I've had it.
I try talking to people about it, and either its old hat for them, or they just don't understand. No-one knows how to react to the sentence "I saved my first life the other day".
But I don't mind too much. We saved her, and she'll think twice before getting that twatted again.
I saved my first life the other day.
I've helped once before, but this time, it really was me. As part of a team, but it was my move that saved her.
A young girl, drunk far too much, and wasn't maintaining her airway. By the time I arrived on the ambulance, my colleagues had her in the recovery position, and breathing a bit. The Emergency Transport Attendant who was attending with me let me run things, although it really ended up as a bit of a free-for-all. The seniormost person in the foot team who responded first is as qualified as I am. There was also a nurse on scene, plus this ETA. We got the casualty onto our trolley bed, and wheeled her to the ambulance. At some point during the wheeling, she stopped breathing. We were so close to the truck,however, that I decided we should get her on board before anything else.
We got her on board, and worked together. We got her on her side, draining the sputum which had gathered in her mouth. Someone got suction out, whilst another looked for an OP airway. I, meanwhile, was using manual manouvers to open her airway. I couldn't.
The airway was passed over, and I knew i couldn't get it in. Her jaw was clenched shut, and her airway still closed. In desperation, I extended her neck further, to a point where my airway would have been blocked. Maintaining this position with one hand, I used the other to half jaw-thrust her, and to half force her mouth open.
Finally, she breathed.
I've never been so relieved in my life as when I heard that first rush of air into her lungs. Within a minute, she was talking to me.
I said the other day I needed an emergency to deal with, and now I've had it.
I try talking to people about it, and either its old hat for them, or they just don't understand. No-one knows how to react to the sentence "I saved my first life the other day".
But I don't mind too much. We saved her, and she'll think twice before getting that twatted again.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
Dream II - A daydream, born out of a worry
I work for a company who have a well-trained, well-equipped, first aid team. We all have portable radios, and on top of normal first aid supplies, we also have 3 AEDs and 3O2 cylinders dotted around the site.
The majority of the first aid team are trained to use these, although, according to their records/rules, I am not. This is despite the fact that I am the most qualifed, and almost certainly the most experienced, first aider on site. This isn't a problem - it was easier than faffing around trying to get the Health and Safety manager to make a decision as to the validity of my certificates, besides, if I need it someone else will be there anyway.
The daydream:
I'm in the middle of something I can't leave immediately. Sometimes I'm on the toilet, others I'm doing something in the lab. The call comes over the radio:
"All first aid units, all first aid units, please make your way to (insert place on the other side of site to me). We have reports of an unconscious casualty, over."
Quickly, I finish up. The rest of the first aid team are on their way, so I don't need to rush, just get there reasonably quickly.
To get there, I walk past the first aid room. the AED and O2 are gone. Good. If they're needed, they are on scene.
I arrive to find the casualty on his back on the floor. His t-shirt is cut open, and the AED pads are in place. No-one's pounding his chest, so I know they're about to shock him. I turn to the first aid team leader.
"What do you want me to do? I assume an ambulance has been called?"
She's blank, so I look to the casualty. It is at this point that I hear the AED say"commence CPR"
No-one does.
"Compressions guys" I say, touching the nearest first aider to the casualty on the shoulder.
"No, he's got a pulse" a voice says, "look"
I turn to see a hand pointing at the AED screen. We have the AEDs that have a heart trace on the screen.
Its not good.
Semi-regular peaks are present, but it looks nothing like a normal sinus rhythm.
I turn to the newest members of the team, knowing that, whilst they all respect me and my knowledge, the more experienced amongst them will trust their own judgement, and that of the team leader, over mine. The less experienced might do what I say with a bit of a push.
"Let's have you", I say, picking one of them at random, doing compressions. 30:2, just like you've practiced, I'll do breaths. I grab the BVM, and pull out the O2 cylinder. Before I get time to connect them, I'm being pulled from behind.
"He's got a pulse, stop CPR"
"Keep going" I say, then "You can't read an ECG. Nor can I, but I can tell you that that's not an alive rhythm. He needs CPR. Now, either help, or get out of my way"
I turn, and ventilate, then connect up the O2 cylinder
That's it for my daydream, but it tells me 2 things:
1. Not a surprise to those who know me, but I obviously have a high opinion of myself - would I really be able to deal that well? I doubt it.
2. I really am worried, however. We have a well trained first aid team, but they're not experienced. I like them, and I trust them with basic first aid, but in any major situation, I would want to be in charge - I know that I am better than they are - they don't have the experience of diagnosing atypical presentations, and I honestly think that something small would throw them.
The majority of the first aid team are trained to use these, although, according to their records/rules, I am not. This is despite the fact that I am the most qualifed, and almost certainly the most experienced, first aider on site. This isn't a problem - it was easier than faffing around trying to get the Health and Safety manager to make a decision as to the validity of my certificates, besides, if I need it someone else will be there anyway.
The daydream:
I'm in the middle of something I can't leave immediately. Sometimes I'm on the toilet, others I'm doing something in the lab. The call comes over the radio:
"All first aid units, all first aid units, please make your way to (insert place on the other side of site to me). We have reports of an unconscious casualty, over."
Quickly, I finish up. The rest of the first aid team are on their way, so I don't need to rush, just get there reasonably quickly.
To get there, I walk past the first aid room. the AED and O2 are gone. Good. If they're needed, they are on scene.
I arrive to find the casualty on his back on the floor. His t-shirt is cut open, and the AED pads are in place. No-one's pounding his chest, so I know they're about to shock him. I turn to the first aid team leader.
"What do you want me to do? I assume an ambulance has been called?"
She's blank, so I look to the casualty. It is at this point that I hear the AED say"commence CPR"
No-one does.
"Compressions guys" I say, touching the nearest first aider to the casualty on the shoulder.
"No, he's got a pulse" a voice says, "look"
I turn to see a hand pointing at the AED screen. We have the AEDs that have a heart trace on the screen.
Its not good.
Semi-regular peaks are present, but it looks nothing like a normal sinus rhythm.
I turn to the newest members of the team, knowing that, whilst they all respect me and my knowledge, the more experienced amongst them will trust their own judgement, and that of the team leader, over mine. The less experienced might do what I say with a bit of a push.
"Let's have you", I say, picking one of them at random, doing compressions. 30:2, just like you've practiced, I'll do breaths. I grab the BVM, and pull out the O2 cylinder. Before I get time to connect them, I'm being pulled from behind.
"He's got a pulse, stop CPR"
"Keep going" I say, then "You can't read an ECG. Nor can I, but I can tell you that that's not an alive rhythm. He needs CPR. Now, either help, or get out of my way"
I turn, and ventilate, then connect up the O2 cylinder
That's it for my daydream, but it tells me 2 things:
1. Not a surprise to those who know me, but I obviously have a high opinion of myself - would I really be able to deal that well? I doubt it.
2. I really am worried, however. We have a well trained first aid team, but they're not experienced. I like them, and I trust them with basic first aid, but in any major situation, I would want to be in charge - I know that I am better than they are - they don't have the experience of diagnosing atypical presentations, and I honestly think that something small would throw them.
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