----- Original Message -----
From: "Helen Deborah Vecht"
> These people have already waited several hours to be seen in the first
> A&E/ Minor Injuries Unit. They are none to keen to spend more time
> attending an A&E department where they can 'rapidly be triaged to
> fracture clinic' on another day.
I'm not just talking about fracture follow-up. Many patients need general
follow-up in addition, and in any case we should be capable of basic
fracture follow-up at their first A&E reattendance.
> Why should they traipse all the way to an A&E department for what is no
> longer an emergency and should be reasonably easy to manage on the
> telephone?
Yes, but patients are equally capable of making appointments by using a
telephone, aren't they? Patients must take some responsibility for their own
follow-up. For example, we don't arrange their GP follow-up, we expect them
to do this for themselves, although we will advise about the ideal timing of
such review. Why should distant hospital follow-up be any different? I do
of course give all such patients a letter to take away, and x-rays where
appropriate.
On the receiving end, I am very happy to take back care of those numerous
patients who have been injured abroad and arrive back in my department. I
don't expect phone calls to arrange this, but I'm happy if they've got a
short letter and ideally x-rays.
Adrian Fogarty
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