"NHS trying to save money and failing..."

What I liked

The attitude of the nurse treating me, it was kind and courteous

What could be improved

I was being treated for a mallet finger. In A&E they tried using an experiment on me (they said) and they tried to make a mould for my finger using dissolvable plastic balls, this was useless, I could see that it was unlikely to be no good so asked to be given tha traditionla splint to take home in case. By the time I reached home my finger had started bending so I threw the plastic mould away and replaced it with the splint and taped it up. This was neat and tidy to wear, comfotable and effctive at holding my finger straight.

I was telephoned two days later by the OT department at the same hospitla and asked to go in and have a proper specially make splint for my finger. i was seen by an OT and a student. They asked me a set of pointless questions, like who I lived with and was I managing at home alright. Clearly the same form is used if you have had a stroke or just had a minor injury like mine. No intelligence is used to assess the appropriateness, it is just a format to follow. They then made me two splints out of - yes you have guessed it - plastic, this time sheets of, moulded by melting with hot water. These were as cumbersome as the original, one is so small I can't even get it on, the other is loose and has cut ino the skin at the back of my finger.

I have now bought myself a ready made finger splint especiallydesigned for mallet finger, from the internet. It cost me £3. 36p What did it cost the NHS to have two OT's spend nearly an hour seeing me for an appointment and making me two uselss splints.? What a waste of NHS money.

I have had a mallet finger in the past and was treated at the John Radcliffe in Oxford, they just gave me a ready made off the shelf splint at the outset and it was brilliant. I can only think this DIY approach is supposed to be someones idea of a cut back but it is clearly far from that, it must have cost a fortune in terms of man hours compared to the price of buying some ready made splints and putting them on in A&E.

Anything else?

Please let me know that this example of waste of NHS resources will be looked into.