A medical dispatcher's tale

[Quartz]

I know that some Dopers work in the emergency services, so I think you’ll be interested in this article.

The best calls are straightforward childbirths, where you get the joy of hearing a baby’s first cry. That’s magical. The worst calls are when a baby has stopped breathing.

[lalaith]

@Quartz

I know that some Dopers work in the emergency services, so I think you’ll be interested in this article.

999. So that’s in the UK.

How does that work there?

I know in every town I’ve lived in here in the US, you call for an ambulance or accept a ride in an ambulance that’s already there (example: you’re at a public gathering and there’s an ambulance there as part of the emergency services), they stick you with a nice, fat bill. Maybe your insurance covers it, maybe it doesn’t. (I’ve seen both.) But I’ve never heard of the bill being less than $1500 for a simple ride to the hospital.

[Filbert]

@lalaith

999. So that’s in the UK.

How does that work there?

I know in every town I’ve lived in here in the US, you call for an ambulance or accept a ride in an ambulance that’s already there (example: you’re at a public gathering and there’s an ambulance there as part of the emergency services), they stick you with a nice, fat bill. Maybe your insurance covers it, maybe it doesn’t. (I’ve seen both.) But I’ve never heard of the bill being less than $1500 for a simple ride to the hospital.

It’s NHS, it’s paid for by taxes, not at point of use.

Some people do abuse the system, by trying to call for a lift or because of the sniffles or whatever, but the triage is generally pretty good at minimising the issue.