Well I had great plans for today. I was going to get up early and have an enjoyable time with the deer. However that went by the wayside when I had far more important things to think about - my wife broke her arm!
She took a tumble in the garden and after a the pain got greater and greater we decided to go the the local A&E. Now first things first. I have only ever used the A&E once in anger for myself and they were very good and very efficient. The same goes for Mandy. We arrived just after 5pm and slowly worked our way through the process. The waits were not too long and there were sign explaining what was happening and why people might jump the queue - clinical need i.e. you are not as badly injured as they are. However, this didn't seem to be too much in evidence. Just as an aside this is the one part of the NHS that everyone uses and has been improved out of all recognition over the years and so which ever party wins the next election will tamper with this at their peril. The staff work hard and deliver a good services sometimes under very trying circumstances. So find cuts elsewhere but don't touch the A&E.
There endth the the sermon. Anyone who has visited hospital will be well aware of the waiting involved if you have a minor injury. This does give you time for people watching. You sit there wondering how they got injured, what is the story. If you were a author you could do worse than spend time waiting in the A&E you would get scores of books from just watching the people. So as we waited for the x-rays to be taken we had a steady stream of young kids with injuries, mainly injured arms or ankles. At first this might seem strange until you start to connect the dots. Most of them had sports kit on and as this was a Wednesday I assumed that most schools play each other and I was watching the fall out from these contests. Most of the injuries no doubt would heel in good time and the kids would have tales and scares to show their friends.
The other thing I noticed was the mobile phone. Now there was a time when these were banned from hospital premises not any more. They seemed to help people get through the experience by either texting each other or playing games - this included myself as I got some serious tetris in whilst I waited. Here is a tip for the managers at Leicester Royal Infirmary - install a free Wi Fi and you will cut your complaints by half.
So we left the hospital three hours later, my wife's arm in a sling but no need for plaster. She is sore but already pottering around the house checking up on what I am doing to her house. Could have been worse and I would just like to say thank you to the staff of the Leicester Royal Infirmary for ensuring that the experience was not as frustrating as it could have been
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