Drunk tank

v8 – not really – a lot of responsibility if rather dull at times. I can’t really say too much about it on a public forum.

I don’t see either the NHS or the police diverting cash from their squeezed budgets to set uop drunk tanks. if it didn’t happen in the good years despite the law being in place it won’t happen now.

See the ambulance led ones that me and Drac are talking about, actually save money for the NHS, and free up resources. (They are also a bit of a statistics fiddle as well)

Police led, so that the attenders can recieve a fixed penalty ticket, so that they are under no illusions that letting themselves get into such a state as to not be able to look after themselves is in any way acceptable. Also stops them getting too lairy.

Teej,

not really

Cushy? or

not really

A Paramedic practioner role?

(prepares to mount high horse to defend his ‘profession’)

If you meant not really cushy, only kidding, no unsupported medical role ever is…

Yup as V8 says you may not see them but they have and do happen, Local PCTs pay for them, Police and Ambulance Services because the advantages off keeping resources free work well.

Oh and I’m not talking about those that can hardly walk or those that are unconscious or even those that are a little drunk I’m talking about all of them. Police really just can’t detain any of them in custody without seeing a suitable qualified medical person. It’s not good for Police publicity if they choke on their own vomit whilst in custody.

It’s not good for Police publicity if they choke on their own vomit whilst in custody.

It’s not good for police career prospects, either… 😕

Both. You could be trained up to do it easily but its a set of skills I doubt you have now. I can’t really say too much on here – email me if you want to know more

I’m really lost at what you mean TJ.

We’re more skilled than we ever were.

I think we are slightly at cross purposes – of course you could manage a drunk tank -but the nurse practitioners job in the cells block is a different set of skills. You have people for up to 4 days.

but if your only complaint is that you have got so drunk that you’ve shit yourself I’m not entirely sure how that suddenly becomes my problem.

I worked in an A & E in central Aus which had a fantastic sign plastered to the main enterance reading
“Bad planning on your part does not constitute an Emergency on mine”.

Careful Teej, don’t upset the Ambos, theres loads on here! 😉 I get what you mean though, ongoing management of existing conditions is not something I have a great deal of experience in. I should imagine you are talking about managing come downs, detox, Rx librium etc, as well as other pre existing complications and conditions. All in the mix with spotting the genuines vs the ones looking for a ticket out of there. It actually strikes me as quite an interesting challenge.

It is TJ but there’s Paramedic Practitioners that do the same role just different title. We have them in parts of the NE, some have gone on to do Forensic Medicine for taking bloods and other tests on drunks facing various charges.

Anything to stop them getting as far as Intensive Care. It’s such a waste to have someone intubated and ventilated because they drank too much, and then all the additional hassle when they wake up and find their going out clothes have been cut off in A&E. It’s a very expensive way to treat a hangover, and the language is often shocking!

Thats about It v8. Drac – I don’t know how far the paramedic practitioners can go but it involved treating under group protocols and titrating dosages to manage withdrawal. Also mental health assessments, suicide risk, all sorts of stuff.

lol Crikey.

…they punch too, and that’s just the ladies.

To go back to the point – drunk tanks would be good I think

TJ essentially depending on the local PCT they’re the same thing with just different backgrounds.

I’m into ng tubes at the moment. Ng the bastards, that’ll fettle them.

We sometimes put nasopharangeal airways in Paul…. Seems to have a very sobering effect.

Didn’t see him this afternoon Drac, I was on a 5-12 shift, hence I’m on here now (they don’t tend to let me meet people like that, I tend to ask awkward questions like ‘You know your health and social care bill is not supported by the majority of NHS workers, only by the majority of MPs that have shares/positions on the board of private health insurers’ or ‘When can we vote on your pension’).

Oh, and p.s I am organising a study at the moment that I think will show that IV fluids has no effect on drunk peoples blood alcohol levels so shouldn’t be given. That’ll save us a bit of time and cash. I’ll let you know when I publish the results. You can all buy a copy of the journal….

That’s a big looking bit of tube.

Can your study include surprise insertions up the nose?

I thought IVs were for dehydration rather than to reduce alcohol levels?

Why would I be bothered if a drunk person is a bit dehydrated? All rehydrating them would do is lessen their hangover, and that’s definitely not what I get paid for. The thought has always been that the quicker we can sober them up the quicker we can check them over for any other medical complaints and get them out of the department.

@Paul – not really as we are doing it on volunteers first. You have to come and sit in a room in my hospital and get drunk and then we measure your blood alcohol levels while you sober up. You then come back two weeks later, get equally as drunk but this time we give you two litres of IV fluid and then measure you blood alcohol levels while you sober up. Then we give you £50 of M&S vouchers. I don’t think we will find that it makes a clinical relevant difference, fun study to do though and should save the NHS a bit of cash. (Couldn’t get them to fund the **** thing though).

irc – yours is the typical namby-pamby response of someone that knows WTF they’re talking about and has considered the possibility that simple ideas might just have been tried at some point over the last thousand years only to be rejected for being ineffective. You’ve obviously never tried to concoct policy in the back of a govt fleet car in an attempt to replace the pet ASBO idea. Shame on you. 😉