Yesterday another contact with the health colossus that confronts Shane Reti and his Coalition colleagues. Every operative encountered in person was exemplary, professional, pleasant and helpful.

The System, another story, in fact “horror story”, perhaps more accurate.

Around three thirty yesterday afternoon an unobserved tumble with her head coming into contact with the brick house, causing two head wounds, one bleeding quite profusely. I was summoned by her crawling to front door and tapping on window adjacent, doorbell not within reach.

Stemmed bleed and did a survey that indicated only the wound to be treated, cleaned up with disinfectant and applied pressure bandage to wound and into her bed with pain relief.
Rang 111 to have the wound assessed at 3 37pm, quite a long wait for ambulance call center and an immediate warning the service was experiencing heavy call levels.
Around 30 minutes later an Auckland based nurse rang to get an update , I responded to the Kia Ora with a plea to only use English as I was not bilingual and precision was required leading to a quite significant silence before proceeding. I informed said nurse bleeding was currently controlled and Pt was stable but I would appreciate an assessment by a paramedic or similar of the main wound as I did not wish to move her if possible, to which I received agreement.

Another 90 minutes passed and a toilet trip set off bleeding again, more severe this time so another call to 111. This was followed by a second call from the same Auckland number, different “Nurse”, who said no personal were available as yet but they would respond when available.

Two hours and twenty minutes after the. second 111 call I was preparing to transport the Pt myself when a third call from the Auckland number to tell me an ambulance was en route. This time the bleeding was not responding to my efforts and twenty five minutes later help arrived and we were on the way to ED, reached at around 8 00 pm.

As she had entered the ED via the Ambulance ramp we were spared further waiting time at reception and the Pt was one of six on beds in corridors and one ambulatory male with issues, seated, who periodically would try to get attention from any passerby and at one time came to my wife’s bedside before being ushered away.

At around 9:45 we were moved to a cubicle where a nurse cleaned up the blood and redressed the wound, then, after midnight, a Dr came in to begin an assessment and said before she would stitch the wound that was still bleeding at times she would have a CT scan performed to see if there was any damage within the skull.

By now I was getting a bit end of times and went home, grabbing a big Mac en route, to get some rest, clean up the house, retrieving the drugs for tomorrow and got to bed 2:00 am.

Woke at 0530 attended the “comfort” dogs needs , essential for us imho, had some breakfast, on the road back to ED who had emailed me at 4:00 am that the CT scan was clear but there was another minor medical matter they thought might have contributed to the original fall so she had been moved into a ward for further assessment. Delivered the drugs at 7:15 am today along with the current schedule, currently 21 per day, saw her eat brekkie and returned home for some more rest.

A further update via Message informing me the Pt had tested NEGATIVE TO COVID, nothing about malaria, influenza, septicemia, kleptomania, paranoia, only the bloody Chinese Lung Rot.

An hour ago a call from a Dr at Hospital seeking further understanding if we were “Coping” and background information on my love of sixty plus years, a suggestion for another night of observation and possibly home again to morrow. A brief review of the drug regime and informed me someone would update me later today.

Phew?

Over ten hours. to get some actual response for a head wound suffered by an octogenarian seems a little beyond reasonable, based on my limited training and experience.

I have a little understanding what confronts the new people in Wellington, the frontline is coping, just, but the system is in dire need of some adjustment, that is, in a word, massive.

I do not envy what confronts the New Government.