Sometimes you have a run of jobs that just annoy. Take for instance the nursing home who just assumed that we would be happy taking two of their patients away. We did it anyway, but it was us doing them, and another crew being sent out of their area, a favour.
Later on in the night I took in a woman who's one year old has vomited. Once.
She rolled her eyes and pulled a face when I told her that we would be taking her to the nearest hospital (about half a mile away) rather than her local hospital of Basildon. Which, you know, isn't even in London.
Then both her and her husband both pulled a face and rolled their eyes when they realised that they wouldn't see a doctor 'immediately'.
Apparently it's all my fault. Most of the time this sort of thing rolls off me like water off a duck's back.
But then there are some days when it drives me potty.
Which means it's a good thing that we picked up the 'mad woman who pretends to be unconscious and sticks out her tongue' before these annoyances, otherwise I may not have been so charitable towards her.
Amazes me how some people still continue to abuse the ambulance service- again taking the service away from those that need it.That said, my son (3 months old, and obviousy the best looking baby around) had a rash at the weekend, that did not fade when pressed with a glass. On the basis that he was otherwise well I took medlical advice over the phone and was advised that there was no need for alarm (i would have not bothered if it had faded with the glass test). He fine now- it went as fast as it appeared.
Just had a look at NHS direct website, put the symptoms (ie he has a rash and is otherwise well) in and was advised by the site to dial 999. Maybe some people are daft enough to just blindly follow that kind of advice.
It's the way people look at you when they realise that they are not going to get what they want, when they want it. A mixture of looking down their noses and being horrified. Ah well, 'tis the way of the world these days.
Do you think the Basildon family were just trying to save the train fare?
And is this before or after you've navigated the stretcher around the two cars in the drive???