Clothes removed / cut-off and destroyed / lost by ambulance / A&E

Have you thought about writing to the Daily Mail? Sounds like a shoe in for a ‘the country is going to hell in a hand basket’ editorial piece.

Im mostly with the OP on this one
I think hes OK with having his kit cut off and understands why
Its the glasses hes annoyed about

My own experience was of being involved in a fire at a flat
All well, living room destroyed, heavy smoke damage to bedrooms
Fire brigade ace, police efficient

Of course we were not allowed back in for 24h to find the place trashed – which was fine – but that some things had mysteriously vanished, small stuff like a Victorinox knife and some other bits
Nothing massively expensive, but would have survived the smoke and bloody annoying to find them gone

Yup Im grateful to be alive and the emergency services were excellent but was just pissed off that this was thrown back at me when I raised some of our stuff had walked

Best of luck OP
Heal quick

Heal up quick OP. can understand why you’d want your stuff back too.

Understandable why you want your stuff back. It may spark a recollection and improve understanding. Not all of it may have been trashed, so why waste it?

Thing is, your kit is nowhere on the priority list for those who attended to you. It is a potential risk. Sliding a top over your head, pulling shorts down places stress on joints and broken bits. Orbital and spinal fractures don’t need moving about for the sake of a bit of kit. Had you been blinded or paralysed by moving bone fragments, brought on by undressing, would you now be worrying about the kit? They aren’t much fussed about other kit that may be lying about either. Getting you to A&E takes precedence. Sometimes you just have to accept losses in life. Sacrificing kit over health is quite an easy one to accept. Take it easy, get well soon and check your house insurance.

Yes, I also know that me and my back injury would have been the priority, not my kit, but I’m not happy with the way I’ve been treated in several respects and the loss of kit is only part of the problem.

mmm… presumably its the one you can quantify and point the finger at whereas everything else is about your expectation of how you should be treated you presume there is a policy on patient property? And there probably is, which if you can be bothered the trust will provide if you make a Freedom of Information request.

I’m sure you can see why many people reading your post will think you come across as an ungrateful ejit – who is lucky to be alive never mind walking again and has got his priorities mixed up. I’m not really sure how you think some blood stained, cut-up bike gear and mangled oakleys (assuming you were still wearing them when you crashed – you say you can’t remember the couple of hours running up to it!) are going to help you piece together what went wrong. That said, I would have expected A&E, and the Ambulance Service to normally keep all the stuff that is cut off as potential evidence for the coroner?

I can’t say i’d expect to have got my kit back once it was blood soaked and cut up. I would have expected my rucksack and glasses – but beyond asking A&E what might have happened to it – I wouldn’t care.

My only personal experience is that I got a bag of my brothers property to take away from ICU (not blood soaked or cut up) but would have much rather taken him home (not bike related)!

AT NO COST to himself

you have had some of the best treatment available in the world for free

I suggest you two read up on how National Insurance works.

Presumably there will be a process at the hospital for logging / dealing with personal belongings. When my dad was admitted to hospital last year we had a written log detailing things like his wedding ring. It looks like that process hasn’t been followed in this case. Sure, it’s a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, but it’s not an unreasonable request to get a straight answer to “hey, where’s my stuff?”

Get well soon, Andy.

Cougar dont be silly, we know how NI works, its just another tax that goes in to a pot and is spent by the government on whatever it see’s fit.
in effect another percentage on your income tax.

But the OP got treatment free withouth having to pay for it. as in say for example he crashed whilst riding in France and had to pay for everything, and if he didnt speak French then he would have struggled as they wuldnt have provided a translator.
but that’s a bit off topic.
From what the OP said, he got an answer along the lines of its been destroyed.

got treatment free without having to pay for it

‘free at point of delivery’, not ‘free’.

Value is irrelevant. If was wearing a £10k watch would peoples reaction be different?
He’s already said he received great treatment and wants to piece together what happened.

No, my reaction would be the same. He didn’t say he’d received great treatment, IIRC he’d said there were a host of other things he wasn’t happy about too….

not my kit, but I’m not happy with the way I’ve been treated in several respects and the loss of kit is only part of the problem.

I still don’t see how seeing ripped clothes helps you piece anything together, you hit your head and have lost memories, you probably won’t remember it and unless you’re looking to either put blame on something or someone it makes no difference whatsoever to the end result or the future as far as I can see?

Hope you get well soon but …..

I should imagine they were more worried about not paralysing you, and ensuring you could walk and see in the future, so may not have been worried about your glasses.

When the Tories have finished the privatisation of the NHS, and you have to pay 20K+ for treatment (ala USA) people might start appreciating the value of the ‘free’ treatment in the UK, and stop worrying about the petty stuff that in the long run really doesn’t matter.

A 10k watch?

Whoa different ballgame.

If someones watch/wallet and keys went AWOL then this is a completely different ballgame to taking a faceplant and having your (assuming) broken sunglasses, cut off and bloodied clothes being binned. The staff are busy/need room to move and probably had a queue/high workload.

My top was cut off – like **** was I bothered about seeing it again. Same for sunglasses, who care if they are ‘Oakley’.

There seems to be two trains of thought here. How would cut off clothing ‘help the OP piece things together’- do they have black boxes sewn in that he can plug into a PC?

😆

What next sue for loss of knackered ‘Oakley’ branded glasses?

I think its ironic that the professions that could benefit most from empathising with the customer are the ones that are least likely to display that trait.

Its all too common to hear on here from NHS staff, we have done or job, it was for free, you should be grateful for being alive, you are just a number and I am a hero…

Its all too common to hear on here from NHS staff, we have done or job, it was for free, you should be grateful for being alive, you are just a number and I am a hero…

Seems fair enough to me, in the US you would have had to swipe your card before they would have even looked at you unless you had actually died (as they need you breathing to enter your PIN).

That’s the way we are heading, and anyone who thinks that will be instead of NI is mad, as it will be added on top.

Its all too common to hear on here from NHS staff, we have done or job, it was for free, you should be grateful for being alive, you are just a number and I am a hero…

eh? people who sustain serious injuries and are treated in hospitals in most of the developed world ARE lucky to be alive. i think maybe the staff who work for the NHS accept that they work for probably the largest organisations in many areas, systems and processes are rarely perfect, and that sometimes things go wrong, but that the important, primary objective is to restore the patient to as close to full health as is possible. anything else is a ‘nice to have’ IMO.
anyway, again, get well soon the OP.

On the ‘free’ note. Its not free. We pay National Insurance and various taxes don’t we?!

Wanting to piece together more details of what happened is a big part of this. The poor bloke has had a complete blackout and seeing his kit again might give him a couple of clues as to what exactly happened. Another part of it is the lack of process surrounding his kit. I think if he were told ‘this happened to it, by this person, then’ he would be fine – the lack of information shows a lack of due process. Which is wrong.

This ^.

Completely understand this – I was on my own when I crashed and have no memory of accident. Whilst in hospital I was told that the Police would talk to me, they didn’t. I still don’t know for sure whether it was a hit and run. It’s a horrible experience, all sorts of things go through your mind, and not knowing the truth is quite frustrating.

As regards kit, yes you could have been wearing a Goretex jacket, Assos tights etc etc and not everybody is in a position to splash out on replacements, or indeed repairing said bike.

I sincerely hope that this doesn’t happen to those who’ve made nasty comments, you really have no idea. 😕

We pay National Insurance and various taxes don’t we?!

Depends on if you’re loaded or not, really. Apparently George Osbourne is ‘shocked’ to discover the rich don’t pay tax

To get back to the OP. You’ve lost a pair of sunglasses FFS. Boo hoo. MTFU and stop whining

I sincerely hope that this doesn’t happen to those who’ve made nasty comments, you really have no idea.

Personally, I hope I would be looking down, wiggling my toes and thinking thank **** I can move my toes, stand up and see tbh, and not be that bothered by a lost jacket and glasses, but I guess I am funny like that and value my health over physical crap that can be replaced.

On the ‘free’ note. Its not free. We pay National Insurance and various taxes don’t we?!

🙄

“Its all too common to hear on here from NHS staff, we have done or job, it was for free, you should be grateful for being alive, you are just a number and I am a hero…”

It’s all too common to hear on here from punters who I expect the world from the NHS, with no understanding of how under staffed, over worked, under resourced the system is, and that customer service has to be a distant 2nd to actually saving your life/making you better.

And to be being treated like a number, yes you are the staff don’t on the whole have the time to be lovey dovey with every one, then of course its the fact that staff become hardened because day in day out they deal with the dregs of society who demand every thing but offer no thanks in return. Then theres the nice middle class folk, who know their rights, and have expectations of a service they have paid their taxes for. They are agressive, rude and take up valuable time that could be put in to patient care

physical crap that can be replaced.

OK if you have a money tree in the garden. 🙄

Possessions are another thing to worry about, as if Andy doesn’t have enough to deal with!

So should they prioritize his ‘stuff’ over his eyes and back? As bear in mind they don’t have infinite resources, so employing a cloakroom attendant would mean one less nurse.

I don’t think anyone has been nasty to the OP. Most of the comments have agreed that he should have received his items back, but in those people’s opinions Andy’s clothes are not that important and are replaceable and Andy should focus on the fact he will be back on his bike in a few months.
It’s likely that someone at the hospital has made a mistake and put his belongings in the bin which will mean they have most likely been incinerated by now.
Andy, can I suggest that you give it a couple of weeks and if you still feel aggrieved by the treatment you have received and that your belongings were misplaced, then you should definitely make a complaint.

First of all can i say a big thankyou to all the PARAMEDICS, ambulance technicians, hospital staff, and Police for the excellent care they provide free of charge to us as cyclists when we hurt ourselves.

As for the loss of siome clothes and sunglases,hopefully your treatment and transport to hospital was more important to the paramedics and medical team, than worrying about some clothes.

a few years ago a neighbours flat was on fire he was trapped inside, i kicked the door in and rescued him, i didnt give a shit about damage to the door, but his life was more important, and he thanked me andd gave me a hug, and so did his parents, it really meant a lot to us all.

Oh and lets all donate an item of clothing to the O/P , i will start with a pair of socks.

So should they prioritize his ‘stuff’ over his eyes and back? As bear in mind they don’t have infinite resources, so employing a cloakroom attendant would mean one less nurse.

No one is sayingdont treat me and could you just stop resuscitating me so you can bag up my things please.

It is a shame that the NHS is so under resourced that they cannot do both and we all know what the priority is. That said if I was £500 worse off after my “free” treatment i would not be pleased at that outcome whatever the treatment was like.

I can donate shorts and a top if you are a skinny racing whippet

I find it terribly sad that so many people commenting on here think that physical health is the be-all and end-all of contentment with a traumatic accident. Andy’s mental health, and therefore his ability to cope with his recovery, is every bit as important. To HIM, his lost stuff IS IMPORTANT, for whatever reasons he chooses and I think he has every right to pursue what has been lost. Some people work differently to you, you know, and a little humility and understanding of that fact goes to long way to showing that you’re a decent individual, instead of some shouty, arrogant, unsympathetic tool.

Junkyard – he is not £500 worse off – the kit would have been ruined by being cut off.

Yes it should have been returned to him and someone has fecked up somewhere along the line.

Just another thought – I wonder if it made it to the ward he was on and is still there?

Junkyard, your point is silly
the NHS is not under resourced to the point that they cant look after your belongings, what appears to have happened in this case as has been confirmed to the OP is that they have been destroyed.

The NHS has a lot to deal with and keeping some trashed clothing isnt really much of a priority for them

So should they prioritize his ‘stuff’ over his eyes and back?

I think you should prioritise “reading” over “typing”.

No-one’s said his gear is more important than his health care. But it’s still his gear. Someone, somewhere should be able to tell him where it is and what happened to it, even if that’s “it was incinerated, sorry.” No?

What’s the alternative here? You get picked up by the emergency services, you should think yourself lucky for that, the contents of your pockets are perks of the job for the hospital orderlies? Oh, and whilst you’re here, you don’t really need two kidneys, that’s just greedy.

I’d be immensely surprised if there wasn’t a large paper trail generated when someone is admitted into hospital, even if it’s just to protect themselves from some chancer coming round and going “hey, where have my diamond solitaire and Rolex?”

he is not £500 worse off – the kit would have been ruined by being cut off

so he has no kit but he is not £500 worse of. Have a think TJ it may have been necessary to cut of clothes and the bag but why were the contents of the bag destroyed as well then ? pump inner tubes, multi tool etc. Why give him the bag strap back but not the bag or contents?
He is £500 worse of the question may be is this reasonable now if they cutoff £500 leathers then yes but not returning his camelbak 😯
Where does the OP say destroyed is this not a hypothesis by NHS staff?

another minor concern: the hospital / ambulance service has lost most of the kit I was wearing: shorts, undervest, jersey, oakleys, gloves, socks… (all my wife was given was my lid (broken) and shoes (bloody), also the arm strap off my deuter Ruck Sack (they cut through the padded bit).

From the OP – have I missed a post?

Again the NHS is superb but I would still want my stuff back this is not unreasonable

so he has no kit but he is not £500 worse of..the contents of the bag were destroyed as well then , pump inner tubes, multi tool etc. Why give him the bag strap back but not the bag or contents?

iPhone, GPS, wallet full of cash…

next line junkyard

I did ask (several times) and was either fobbed off or told that they everything would have been disposed of.

If your kit is anywhere it will be in the hospital, we don’t tend to keep bloodied, torn up clothes on ambulances. Though from what hospital have said it has probably ended up in the bin, remember one mans oakleys are another mans plastic sunglasses like what you get from the petrol station.

As a cyclist as well as a Paramedic I try to conserve peoples equipment, an often usually load the bike into my car to follow them down to A&E, likewise I try to cut leathers at the stitching with a knife rather than with scissors, but priority is the patient, with injures like yours, C-spine would be priority once airway was cleared and unfortunately that means cutting clothes/backpacks/helmet straps etc.

Given the extent of your facial injuries, I’d assume your Oakleys would be in a bad state, and would have been chucked in a clinical waste bag with everything else (assuming they were still on your face when you were loaded onto ambulance?).

Hope you are healing up well and the pain is more manageable now, but important question is, how’s the bike?

important question is, how’s the bike?

Moreover, where’s the bike?

I did ask (several times) and was either fobbed off or told that they everything would have been disposed of.

I take that more as someone shrugging their shoulders and going dont know mate has it been destroyed rather than an actual definitive answer. I accept it is possible that no one actually knows and I doubt someone will go dont know mate either disposed of or nicked we can never be sure in here eh …nudge nudge wink wink.
Still must have been some stuff in the bag [a s cougar notes] it cannot be procedure to just bin it surely.

Just to be clear – I’m sitting here recuperating from last week’s op on shoulder from my accident, yes that was six months ago! I paid to have it done privately cos the NHS were telling me that it would be even more months before it could be done due to backlog. Added to which I was getting more pain due to me not being fixed!

I also pay for my thyroid medication as GP is unable to grasp that I actually want to have a life rather than being shoved on thyroxine and anti-depressants to ‘enjoy’ a crap existance.

So of course my experience of the NHS is that it was great at patching me up but has failed woefully in everything else.

This of course in no way detracts from the NHS staff who do a terrific job in an organisation that needs, er well, reorganising.

a few years ago a neighbours flat was on fire he was trapped inside, i kicked the door in and rescued him, i didnt give a shit about damage to the door, but his life was more important, and he thanked me andd gave me a hug, and so did his parents, it really meant a lot to us all.

Crap analogy. Better one would be that you kicked the door in, rescued him, then went back for his TV and PS3.

I don’t really get the aggression toward the OP, seems reasonable to me. I’d be aggrieved if my stuff had been ‘lost’ irrespective of condition. It’s faintly ridiculous how quickly people get their backs up and the “you should be lucky to be alive” vitriol gets spouted. 🙄

What a thoroughly dispiriting and depressing thread.
Well done everyone.

What a thoroughly dispiriting and depressing thread.
Well done everyone.

I blame the Daily Mail readers!

I think you’ll find its Thatchers fault

what’s depressing, I find it quite interesting, I have an opinion and express it, its interesting to see how other people view/react to the same statement by the OP.

it’s lively debate, which is good.