At Raigmore hospital in Inverness there were 19 in a queue on either Monday or Tuesday morning. Ambulances from the Isle of Skye had to wait hours to be seen and that’s after a 3 hour journey just to get there and then there’s the trip home. Often they get lots of calls while they’re in and around Inverness too - all due to lack of staff/lack of beds in the hospital. It’s nuts.
I used to crew these transits when I first joined, they were just ending their service life. They had a rather powerful petrol 2.9 Ford scorpio engine and went like the clappers :-)
You're lucky. In Queensland Australia we used the Transit for patient transport or in country towns as an on-call vehicle. Ours were the 2.5 turbo diesel. Used as an emergency vehicle they were the most useless pieces of crap to have had the words "AMBULANCE" applied to them. The main emergency response ambulances then were the 351 cid (5.8L) petrol V8 F-250s and then the 7.3L turbo diesel F-250s and F-350s which I miss. The 6-cylinder Mercedes Sprinters aren't as much fun. We also had a Holden Commodore station wagon with the police specs and the 5.0L motor as a duty officer response unit. Now that was fun to drive on a priority job.
The lady and the gentleman are dressed like flight attendants, no safety clothing, no gloves.... rescue services were really crazy at the time! Unimaginable today
I remember these Ambulances, I was 8. Where we lived they moved to a more modern transit where the blue lights were integrated into all four corners of the roof.
Most of the public in the United Kingdom takes the National Health Service for granted. Yes it has its faults and is currently under incredible strain but it is amazing that since 1948 we can be transported by fully equipped ambulances costing over £150,000 and taken to hospital to be cared for by professionals. We pay nominal national insurance contribution payments for treatment sometimes costing thousands of pounds. If you was a United States citizen you would need private medical insurance, go in debt to pay the medical bill or have to be treated in a charity funded hospital. To the moaners in the U.K. don't complain about the N.H.S. but respect this unique organisation because it won't last forever.
Finally 1 person who appreciates the NHS like me...its not their fault they're under funded and stuff...its the government... hopefully it lasts forever. People with disabilities and health problems appreciate it more than the average person because they don't rely on it.,.. I'm disabled and i really appreciate the nhs for the help i get whenever i need it.... people who say bad things about it simply should get off it and get private health insurance like the USA and then they'll know what it means having thousands of pounds of medicine and even beds to use for FREE. All respects to Aneurin Bevan who founded it in 1948.... I'm so happy to have it... only if you could donate to the service i would definitely.
The NHS has many funding streams, NI is partially funded by the employee, partially by the employer. If you're a UK taxpayer you pay thousands toward the NHS annually, it's far from 'free'. Your nominal contributions are also supplemented by your employer, this is rarely mentioned. If you opt for private healthcare you're also taxed again for *not* using the NHS... The NHS is a UK national religion.
Can remeber joining St John ambulance as a 14yr old a year or 2"after this was made. One of my friend 's dad was an ambulance driver his uniform was just like this one from wht I remember different times to today!
@@angelacooper2661 In truth not much equipment has changed, defibrilation which came in wide mid 80`s was one of the biggest changes to see a marked improvement in patient survival. There are more drugs now but you would be suprised how its the basics that saves lives in reality. They were paramedics back then and highly trained, it just a long time for the UK to start using the term officially and to register them with a professional body like HCPC. Even in 80`s our ambulance staff were amoung the best trained in the world. Ambulance crews in London started using IV`s way back in the early 70`s, that is a suprise to many.
@@damian-795 Here in Australia Victoria was the first to introduce paramedics with the introduction of Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance officers (MICA) in about 1972ish. Thanks to sharing of training and skills between the UK and Australia over the decades we have world class paramedics here. I think the Brits are taking an interest in our full pack plasma infusion and field amputation procedures. Oddly enough our High Acuity Paramedic training comes from the pages of London HEMS. I recall when we had "Paramedics" which were ALS and us BLS ambulance officers. We pushed for morphine at AO level, and our Health Department said only paramedics could carry S8 drugs. Within 6 months we'd done an ALS module and were all "Paramedics", either Advanced Care or Intensive Care. I think when I started, we had the HP defibs, and probably a dozen drugs. Now we're all 12 lead trained, and even at Advanced Care level have some 60 drugs at our disposal. I'm sure the UK would be similar.
I occasionally do overtime shifts at small stations some 40km from home here in Australia. You start shift at 1900 hours, check car, log on then watch TV, go to bed, wake up at 0600 ready to log off at 0700. No turn of the wheel, and all on double time, or quad time when working a day or afternoon shift on a public holiday.
@@JoeStudd96 You are most likely right. I don't think the Hanlon's had opening skylights like that but my dad was on those at the time so I shall ask him.
I remember about Nigel breaking his leg falling down the stairs. What became of him and Richard? I wonder what they look like now and how old they are?
But as this call is getting a bit complicated and your answers don't fit my computer generated questions I will send you an ambulance anyway just to 'check you out ' even though you have a car and live 3 minutes from the hospital and it's not as if the ambulance service is really busy is it ?.
The producer of Stop Look Listen was the person who gave Chris his first break in televison, so he contunued to do the narrations on a minimum wage form many years after it made any financial sense for him to do so.
How time's have changed, now they'd have the fire service out to remove not only the front door but two feet of the wall either side of the door, but theyd have to wait for a team of structural engineers from the local authority, then of course the police would close the road completely for at least four days while they carried out a forensic investigation, this has resulted in the family moving into a Travel Lodge for the foreseeable future while little Johnny is recovering from his bruised left little toe.
I know that Einstein, I worked on the service for long enough. A blue cylinder is Entonox and isn't administered as oxygen just because it's a 50/50 mix. My point is a black and white cylinder back then was oxygen, that is clearly a blue cylinder but they state it is oxygen. Was a tongue in cheek comment, it's like calling atrovent, adrenaline. Both drugs but you wouldn't administer them because they both start with 'A'
@@ianalton3095 Roger that Mr. Hawkins. I had no idea whether you were in the job or some kid aspiring to be an ambo. Then again, could've been the way I read it. Cheers
