"It was left to me to decide whether treatment could be delayed"

I accidentally dropped a plant pot on my foot causing a deep laceration. This is my experience with NHS24 and FV Health Board:

Telephoned 111 as per national guidelines. Call cut off.

NHS 24 returned call and over the next 7 minutes an overview was obtained of my injury and a nurse agreed with my opinion that I should not attend the Emergency Department as the injury did not fall within their remit of suspected stroke or heart attack, serious illness or injury, collapse, but I should wait at home where I would be contacted by FV Minor Injuries Unit & invited to attend an appointment that evening. I made clear I was lying on my kitchen floor with my foot raised on a stool attempting to stem the flow of blood from my foot.

 

Telephoned at home by Forth Valley Minor Injuries Unit. The caller opened the conversation by stating the call was being taped and then informed me there were no available evening appointments and offered an appointment the next day. There was no review of the medical assessment made by NHS 24 that I should be seen that evening. I stated my injury in my opinion could not wait and I would have to attend the Emergency Department and the wait for the call back had caused unnecessary delay in me receiving treatment. I pointed out for the benefit of the taped call that this was in my opinion a system failure and the process was just unnecessary layers of bureaucracy. The call lasted 1 minute.

I Arrived at Forth Valley Emergency Department, and was discharged after treatment. The treatment I received whilst in ED was first class. The Doctor, nurses and support staff could not have been kinder or more professional.

I appreciate dynamic risk assessments are made of all patients, but the fact remains that at a time when the public are being told to avoid attending FV Emergency Department unless you fall within their aforementioned remit there was nowhere else for me to go.

I lay on my kitchen floor for over an hour waiting for an appointment. No medical re assessment was made and it was left to me to decide whether treatment could be delayed until the next day. To be honest, if there is a next time I’ll just go straight to ED and cut an hour off my wait time.