Reddit mentions of Blood, Sweat and Tea

Somewhere in Blood, Sweat and Tea he talks about occasionally telling concerned relatives to sit down and drink some tea before coming to the hospital.

They can't do anything while the patient is being treated and if they try to keep up with the ambulance then the hospital is going to have two patients.

In this book of blog excerpts from a london ambulance driver he swallows the blood from a homeless person with HIV. Despite there only being a tiny chance of conracting the disease, (something like 0.005% iirc) they put him on a drug program which makes him violently sick for 2/3 months.

The book also taught me that contracting HIV from sex is also a relatively small chance, i was led to believe growing up that it was a certain thing, thanks parents i would rather believe that!

Like with dental? It works with the dental plans because of the routine and specificity of it.

I agree in principle but don't think it's practical. I think the issue is that it's hard to filter the time/resource wasters until they've been seen. If GP appointments cost money then you may find people neglecting conditions to the point that they cost more to treat later on, or worse, impact mortality and quality of life.

But someone with slight breathing troubles, an infected wound or other minor ailment that may be an indicator of or precursor to something more severe could be deterred.

I think it's an unfortunate necessity of free and accessible health care.

I'm all for charging for sick notes, x-ray/ultrasound images and any other services that don't interfere with vital healthcare delivery though.

Edit: I'd love if ambulance wasters could be charged. If you've read Brian Kellet's book/blog you'll know what I mean. I believe in one case they had to escort a woman to the hospital after she stood on a lego brick, after they got her in the ambulance the husband said "right, I'll follow in the car".

Yeah really good read. I think that sometimes he picks the most life threatening heroic stories I much prefer this [book] (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Sweat-Tea-Adventures-Inner-city/dp/1905548230)

If you want something that's a break from something so clinical, read Blood, Sweat and Tea. I'm not much of a reader, but the short stories are pretty funny and it's awesome to learn some things about EMS from the UK/NHS.

How about a copy of blood, sweat, and tea.

It's the stories from the London ambulance service. It's dark, funny, and achingly British.

There's a second book, too.

More blood, more sweat, and another cup of tea