In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
This is a dead duck, surely, Carlos. The people you want to prevent
abusing A&E are going to be in large measure unable to pay or will claim
exemption as they are on social security, etc as happens in the States.
What will happen in large measure is that genuine attenders such as the
elderly will be put off coming. Look at what happened when charges for eye
tests were introduced; the numbers plummeted and many elderly people
simply buy a set of reading glasses and don't get tests.
Surely the answer is for us to be empowered to say no? We /can/ and at
present do offer an opinion etc but we should be able to say that we are
refusing, with some sort of guarantee from NHSE that we will be backed up.
Perhaps we should start looking at the concept of the emergency centre,
not just accident and emergency. This is a single access point for all
attendances and admissions. *Everything* goes through a triaging process,
even direct GP referrals to the medics. This will allow the medics to
stream their admissions properly; ours have 30 or 40 admissions a day to a
separate ward and simply see them in order of arrival, with no concept of
prioritisation. Any attender that has s primary care problem gets diverted
to the PCC which is also on site. It is ridiculous, anachronistic and poor
medicine for all these to be seen by people just out of house-jobs (the
current lot are only just over 2 months as SHOs all round the country!)
who are finding it very difficult. It is a particular absurdity in a unit
such as mine with virtually no middle-grade cover.
Best wishes,
Rowley Cottingham
[log in to unmask]
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|