£5 for a plaster!

I have to admit it: the Accident and Emergency Department at the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham are great.

Maybe it was quieter than usual on Easter Day morning. But C was triaged, then assessed by a nurse practitioner, sent to X-ray, seen by the same nurse practitioner, sent to the fractures clinic, and a plaster cast applied ...all within 3 hours. Everyone was cheerful and helpful.

My small niggle is that leg/ankle patients have to hop or limp from the drop-off point all the way to the triage waiting area (and who knows what extra damage you may be doing by putting weight on the leg/ankle) ...unless, that is, you know already where to go with your £1 coin to access a wheelchair. (I do now!) Though you would need a third person to fetch one.

My big niggle is the car park charge. Treatment is hardly 'free at the point of delivery' if you have to pay a minimum £4 charge (£5 for over 3 hours) to actually get it. There is minimal facility for dropping casualties beside the entrance - it's as if they expect you to arrive by ambulance. Arrival by car is surely cheaper than arrival by ambulance, isn't it?! So it should be encouraged, not made difficult.

Even the fracture clinic entrance has no drop-off point! You are obliged to pull into the "AMBULANCE ONLY" area, dump your patient, and make your escape before you're clamped. No wonder wheelchairs are frequently not returned to their proper place.

But overall we had a good experience. Thanks, Queens Med!