A Different Kind Of Medical Emergency

(I live with my grandmother. She has recently had a spate of issues and more than once had to spend several days in hospital. It is about four months after her most recent visit and she begins to display many of the symptoms she had during that time. The paramedics arrive and decide not to send her to hospital but call out a referral to an emergency GP who can visit later that day. The doctor in question gets paid a fortune for coming out. He arrives about five hours later. Before even looking at my grandmother he speaks.)

Doctor: “I don’t understand why I am called out like this. It is not an emergency. You should just wait and see your local GP. *he starts making moves to leave*

Me: “Woah… Hold up there, buddy, Let’s think about this. I called an ambulance and you’re quite right. They felt she did not need to go to hospital but wanted to get a second opinion just in case they were wrong. Now, you haven’t even been here a minute and you haven’t even looked at my grandmother, but suddenly you know she’s fine and are leaving.”

Doctor: “This is just paramedics covering their a**es. I don’t need to do this.”

Me: “Then, honestly, what is your job? You don’t see patients in a surgery and only get called out if a paramedic recommends it. I tell you what. You tell me your NHS ID number and I will call up the NHS and recommend you get put in a different position, either in a hospital or surgery, where you don’t get paid a fortune per hour for turning up at a patient’s house and then buggering off again. I’m certain there will be someone else willing to do this job. Oh, and by the way, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m [My Name] and I currently work for the NHS as a finance manager, and right now I’m looking to save money for the service…”

Doctor: “So, [Grandmother], how about we check your vitals and see if we can’t work out what’s wrong with you.”

(For the record I don’t work for the NHS. I just wanted to put him in his place.)