----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2001 2:56
PM
Subject: Patients Charter for
Tourists
I'm not sure whether I've raised this topic
before.
Between 15 -20 % of our patients in A&E
Lancaster / Kendal are tourists to the area. If they are unfortunate enough to
attend with a fracture the A&E nursing staff usually attempt to book an
appointment in the fracture clinic in the hospital from their home
area for follow-up.
When we phone the A&E department we are not
always successful in getting an appointment over the phone. Some departments
refuse to give an appointment over the phone. The patients then have to wait
in their local A&E department. If they are lucky they are sorted out with
a Fracture Clinic Appointment at Triage, otherwise they have to wait to see a
doctor!
We send a photocopy of the A&E and X rays
with the patient. However, even this isn't always done by other A&E
departments.
Perhaps it's time we had a patient's charter for
tourists.
Could the BAEM Handbook not have a telephone
number for each A&E department as a contact point for making follow up
appointments?
Regards,
Ray McGlone
A&E Consultant
Lancaster /
Kendal