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| Britain on the booze: how a night of alcohol impacts the NHS | Britain on the booze: how a night of alcohol impacts the NHS |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 3.29am GMT | 3.29am GMT |
| 03:29 | 03:29 |
| Mark Rice-Oxley | Mark Rice-Oxley |
| So that just about wraps up our Friday night live. Key conclusions: 1. drink is a problem 24/7 in hospitals, not just in the evenings, 2. for every teenager with a sprained wrist and hiccups there’s a serious recidivist who is on first-name terms with all the triage nurses, and 3. Britain may have its problem drinkers, but it has many great people trying to help them, from the staff in A&E departments to the street volunteers who try to protect people from themselves. | So that just about wraps up our Friday night live. Key conclusions: 1. drink is a problem 24/7 in hospitals, not just in the evenings, 2. for every teenager with a sprained wrist and hiccups there’s a serious recidivist who is on first-name terms with all the triage nurses, and 3. Britain may have its problem drinkers, but it has many great people trying to help them, from the staff in A&E departments to the street volunteers who try to protect people from themselves. |
| Right, I’m off for a stiff drink. Cheers. | Right, I’m off for a stiff drink. Cheers. |
| 3.00am GMT | 3.00am GMT |
| 03:00 | 03:00 |
| 2.40am GMT | 2.40am GMT |
| 02:40 | 02:40 |
| 2.31am GMT | 2.31am GMT |
| 02:31 | 02:31 |
| Lisa O'Carroll | Lisa O'Carroll |
| Just as we leave the assessment area a sixth patient, so drunk he is barely conscious, is brought in by ambulance. Ambulance staff brief reception – “he’s a student” – as another talks to the patient. “Hello, do you know where you are?” He starts to vomit and a struggle ensues to keep him in recovery position. “Open your eyes and let us turn you around so you don’t choke.” | |
| “They take more time from us than other patients and they can be less sick,” said Catherine Chipande.The 19-year-old who was admitted before him and is semi-conscious has wet himself and the staff have had to cut off his clothing. | “They take more time from us than other patients and they can be less sick,” said Catherine Chipande.The 19-year-old who was admitted before him and is semi-conscious has wet himself and the staff have had to cut off his clothing. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.58am GMT | |
| 2.22am GMT | 2.22am GMT |
| 02:22 | 02:22 |
| 2.15am GMT | 2.15am GMT |
| 02:15 | 02:15 |
| Steven Morris | Steven Morris |
| It’s getting busy at the ATC, the alcohol treatment centre in Cardiff. Another student arrives – this one wheeled in with a street pastor – and accompanied by a bunch of friends. Water and rest is prescribed. She is sat in the waiting room. A middle-aged woman is brought in by police officers. She failed to make it to a toilet and needs cleaning up as well as sobering up. Hours to go on the shift at the ATC here but nothing from the staff but patience, kindness and good humour. | It’s getting busy at the ATC, the alcohol treatment centre in Cardiff. Another student arrives – this one wheeled in with a street pastor – and accompanied by a bunch of friends. Water and rest is prescribed. She is sat in the waiting room. A middle-aged woman is brought in by police officers. She failed to make it to a toilet and needs cleaning up as well as sobering up. Hours to go on the shift at the ATC here but nothing from the staff but patience, kindness and good humour. |
| 2.10am GMT | 2.10am GMT |
| 02:10 | 02:10 |
| Jessica Elgot | Jessica Elgot |
| Back in Stoke, there are 99 patients in A&E at 2am, which is an achievement for the staff, the first time numbers have dropped below 100 since 4.30pm yesterday. Patients are being discharged, or waiting to be admitted to other departments as beds there become available. Though some staff are beginning to end their shifts, many others are here until the morning. More than 100 people have come through the doors already since midnight; some who have overindulged tonight are on trollies in the corridor making emotional phone calls. There is more work to do before the night is over for A&E staff - five more ambulances are on their way... | Back in Stoke, there are 99 patients in A&E at 2am, which is an achievement for the staff, the first time numbers have dropped below 100 since 4.30pm yesterday. Patients are being discharged, or waiting to be admitted to other departments as beds there become available. Though some staff are beginning to end their shifts, many others are here until the morning. More than 100 people have come through the doors already since midnight; some who have overindulged tonight are on trollies in the corridor making emotional phone calls. There is more work to do before the night is over for A&E staff - five more ambulances are on their way... |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.10am GMT | at 2.10am GMT |
| 2.05am GMT | 2.05am GMT |
| 02:05 | 02:05 |
| Kate Lyons | Kate Lyons |
| It is gearing up to be a big night in Leicester. Three thousand people, mostly students, are expected to head to the O2 nightclub to celebrate the end of university exams.Some may end their night at A&E, but one young woman is heading there before her night has even begun.A 21-year-old student who has, according to the friends who escort her to the ambulance, drunk a lot at the pre-drinks before the party, has slammed her finger in a door, detaching it partially.“Well you’ve had a lot to drink, so that will have dulled the pain,” says Constable Joe Couchman.Jane Squire, the paramedic working with Couchman in Leicester’s two-person “Polamb”, bandages the finger as the girl apologises profusely. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry” over and over until Squire has to tell her firmly to stop. Then the woman vomits on the floor of the ambulance. “I’m so sorry,” the girl begins again.“You’re alright,” Squire says as she begins mopping the floor. “I’m alright with vomit, it’s poo I can’t cope with. I had man poo himself while I was treating him. I don’t like that.”Squire and Couchman take the woman to the hospital where patients line the corridors in chairs, on beds and stretchers waiting to be seen.The woman can barely walk, she is so drunk and so Squire puts her in a wheelchair. She is seen quite quickly because Squire gets the woman into the minor injury ward, though the prognosis is bad. It looks like the tip of the finger has died and unless they can get blood flow to the area, it will have to be amputated.“She’s going to be devastated,” says Couchman.“I’m just glad we weren’t there when they told her. I hope they wait until she’s sober,” says Squire. | It is gearing up to be a big night in Leicester. Three thousand people, mostly students, are expected to head to the O2 nightclub to celebrate the end of university exams.Some may end their night at A&E, but one young woman is heading there before her night has even begun.A 21-year-old student who has, according to the friends who escort her to the ambulance, drunk a lot at the pre-drinks before the party, has slammed her finger in a door, detaching it partially.“Well you’ve had a lot to drink, so that will have dulled the pain,” says Constable Joe Couchman.Jane Squire, the paramedic working with Couchman in Leicester’s two-person “Polamb”, bandages the finger as the girl apologises profusely. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry” over and over until Squire has to tell her firmly to stop. Then the woman vomits on the floor of the ambulance. “I’m so sorry,” the girl begins again.“You’re alright,” Squire says as she begins mopping the floor. “I’m alright with vomit, it’s poo I can’t cope with. I had man poo himself while I was treating him. I don’t like that.”Squire and Couchman take the woman to the hospital where patients line the corridors in chairs, on beds and stretchers waiting to be seen.The woman can barely walk, she is so drunk and so Squire puts her in a wheelchair. She is seen quite quickly because Squire gets the woman into the minor injury ward, though the prognosis is bad. It looks like the tip of the finger has died and unless they can get blood flow to the area, it will have to be amputated.“She’s going to be devastated,” says Couchman.“I’m just glad we weren’t there when they told her. I hope they wait until she’s sober,” says Squire. |
| 2.01am GMT | 2.01am GMT |
| 02:01 | 02:01 |
| Lisa O'Carroll | Lisa O'Carroll |
| Two more alcohol admissions in Southampton in the space of 10 minutes, one so inebriated he is semi-conscious. | Two more alcohol admissions in Southampton in the space of 10 minutes, one so inebriated he is semi-conscious. |
| “The worry here is that the alcohol might mask a head injury,” says nurse Sam Carter. “So we do a set of neuro obs [observations] and lactate assessment to see if he is dehydrated. We might also resort to pain stimuli, squeeze his trapezium really hard to check his responses,” she adds. Ouch | “The worry here is that the alcohol might mask a head injury,” says nurse Sam Carter. “So we do a set of neuro obs [observations] and lactate assessment to see if he is dehydrated. We might also resort to pain stimuli, squeeze his trapezium really hard to check his responses,” she adds. Ouch |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.09am GMT | at 2.09am GMT |
| 2.00am GMT | 2.00am GMT |
| 02:00 | 02:00 |
| Josh Halliday | Josh Halliday |
| More breathtaking intoxication in Manchester... | More breathtaking intoxication in Manchester... |
| 1.55am GMT | 1.55am GMT |
| 01:55 | 01:55 |
| Steven Morris | Steven Morris |
| An 18-year-old student is found lying alone, and clearly drunk, on the pavement close to the university. There were a series of sexual assaults on women in this area last year so passers-by are worried and dial 999. | An 18-year-old student is found lying alone, and clearly drunk, on the pavement close to the university. There were a series of sexual assaults on women in this area last year so passers-by are worried and dial 999. |
| She has not been assaulted but has simply drunk too much at a house party. An ambulance crew arrives and takes her to the alcohol treatment centre – ATC. She is sick on the way and sick several times at the ATC. | She has not been assaulted but has simply drunk too much at a house party. An ambulance crew arrives and takes her to the alcohol treatment centre – ATC. She is sick on the way and sick several times at the ATC. |
| At the ATC she is assessed and given water. Ceri Martin, a sister, and Charlotte Pritchard, a healthcare support worker tend to her. She is joined by a friend at the ATC and they sit together, slumped in a corner, waiting for her to recover. | At the ATC she is assessed and given water. Ceri Martin, a sister, and Charlotte Pritchard, a healthcare support worker tend to her. She is joined by a friend at the ATC and they sit together, slumped in a corner, waiting for her to recover. |
| “She’ll be here for two or three hours while she gets herself together,” said Martin. “We’ll get her to drink water, observe her and keep her warm. Then we’ll make sure she gets home safely. | “She’ll be here for two or three hours while she gets herself together,” said Martin. “We’ll get her to drink water, observe her and keep her warm. Then we’ll make sure she gets home safely. |
| “I’m just glad that there’s a place like this for young women like that. She’s in a safe place and we’re helping keep pressure off A&E.” | “I’m just glad that there’s a place like this for young women like that. She’s in a safe place and we’re helping keep pressure off A&E.” |
| A street pastor radios in to say she is bringing someone in to the ATC. “So it begins,” says Pritchard. It still could be a long night/morning here. | A street pastor radios in to say she is bringing someone in to the ATC. “So it begins,” says Pritchard. It still could be a long night/morning here. |
| But it’s not always a thankless task, as this note at the ATC indicates: | But it’s not always a thankless task, as this note at the ATC indicates: |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 2.10am GMT | at 2.10am GMT |
| 1.51am GMT | 1.51am GMT |
| 01:51 | 01:51 |
| Jessica Elgot | Jessica Elgot |
| Dr Ben Arnold, a SHO in emergency medicine, loves a Friday night in the minor injuries section. | Dr Ben Arnold, a SHO in emergency medicine, loves a Friday night in the minor injuries section. |
| “I like drunk people when they are not so unwell, you can joke with them. Their friends have brought them in because they’re worried about them, but from a medical point of view, they’re healthy, you can have a chat. There’s a common theme which colours the excuses made by revellers as they come round in A&E. | “I like drunk people when they are not so unwell, you can joke with them. Their friends have brought them in because they’re worried about them, but from a medical point of view, they’re healthy, you can have a chat. There’s a common theme which colours the excuses made by revellers as they come round in A&E. |
| “They say their drink has been spiked, their friends say ‘they always drink this much, it must be something in the drink.’ But it obviously is because they have had more than unusual or haven’t eaten enough. | “They say their drink has been spiked, their friends say ‘they always drink this much, it must be something in the drink.’ But it obviously is because they have had more than unusual or haven’t eaten enough. |
| “It’s younger ones, 18 year olds, who are more honest about it. They do get very embarrassed especially if they have had a loss of continence. And they have to go home in a hospital gown.” | “It’s younger ones, 18 year olds, who are more honest about it. They do get very embarrassed especially if they have had a loss of continence. And they have to go home in a hospital gown.” |
| Sometimes, it’s not just the patients causing Arnold all the bother. “It’s friends and relatives who might be a bit drunk. They get bored, they dress up in the gloves and gowns, mucking about and you have to go and remind them that a hospital is a serious place.” | Sometimes, it’s not just the patients causing Arnold all the bother. “It’s friends and relatives who might be a bit drunk. They get bored, they dress up in the gloves and gowns, mucking about and you have to go and remind them that a hospital is a serious place.” |
| 1.46am GMT | 1.46am GMT |
| 01:46 | 01:46 |
| Josh Halliday | Josh Halliday |
| Outside Deansgate Locks, a popular party spot with several bars and clubs, it’s not quite kicking out time but we’re already seeing a couple of early casualties. A drunk girl has fallen, cut her knee badly. She’s crying on the phone to her parents while being treated by the Street Angels. Another job saved from paramedics. | Outside Deansgate Locks, a popular party spot with several bars and clubs, it’s not quite kicking out time but we’re already seeing a couple of early casualties. A drunk girl has fallen, cut her knee badly. She’s crying on the phone to her parents while being treated by the Street Angels. Another job saved from paramedics. |
| 1.42am GMT | 1.42am GMT |
| 01:42 | 01:42 |
| Caroline Bannock | Caroline Bannock |
| Another offering from GuardianWitness: | Another offering from GuardianWitness: |
| Hannah, an ED sister working in Derbyshire has told us that though young people are drinking less, there are more incidents of legal highs: | Hannah, an ED sister working in Derbyshire has told us that though young people are drinking less, there are more incidents of legal highs: |
| https://witness.theguardian.com/assignment/56a0c6d0e4b077e685c5faf8/1893549She adds: “Several times a week, sometimes more, we see young people (adolescents) who have taken legal highs. Some night we may see 3 or 4 within a few hours. I do think it’s a rapidly growing problem. Young people can easily get their hands on these substances and are unaware of the dangers of these drugs which we as a medical profession know very little about. Just because they are not illegal does not make them safe.” | https://witness.theguardian.com/assignment/56a0c6d0e4b077e685c5faf8/1893549She adds: “Several times a week, sometimes more, we see young people (adolescents) who have taken legal highs. Some night we may see 3 or 4 within a few hours. I do think it’s a rapidly growing problem. Young people can easily get their hands on these substances and are unaware of the dangers of these drugs which we as a medical profession know very little about. Just because they are not illegal does not make them safe.” |
| 1.26am GMT | 1.26am GMT |
| 01:26 | 01:26 |
| Jessica Elgot | Jessica Elgot |
| Students at Keele university have been celebrating the end of January exams and two of the youngsters are slumped in A&E brought in by local first aiders. One has been sick over two other waiting patients, another catatonic on a trolley. Two of eight the beds in resus - the most critical ward - are occupied by drunk revellers. | Students at Keele university have been celebrating the end of January exams and two of the youngsters are slumped in A&E brought in by local first aiders. One has been sick over two other waiting patients, another catatonic on a trolley. Two of eight the beds in resus - the most critical ward - are occupied by drunk revellers. |
| “I do feel sorry for the ones who come in on their own,” receptionist Debbie Hammond said. “One girl was brought in by first aiders and I shouted to them to cover her up, she had everything out and you have to give them some decency. I had to come down and cover her with a sheet.” | “I do feel sorry for the ones who come in on their own,” receptionist Debbie Hammond said. “One girl was brought in by first aiders and I shouted to them to cover her up, she had everything out and you have to give them some decency. I had to come down and cover her with a sheet.” |
| If things heat up too much, the receptionists have buzzer to press get help fast. “Fire, a fight, a collapse, if it’s something serious, everyone comes running,” she said. | If things heat up too much, the receptionists have buzzer to press get help fast. “Fire, a fight, a collapse, if it’s something serious, everyone comes running,” she said. |
| 1.26am GMT | 1.26am GMT |
| 01:26 | 01:26 |
| Lisa O'Carroll | Lisa O'Carroll |
| All calm in the assessment area in Southampton until now when a very aggressive drunk man is admitted with a cut to his face, swearing at anyone in sight. He is being held down by two policemen. We are advised not to go near him. “Fuck off,” he shouts to a female ambulance crew member accompanying him.The man is refusing to co-operate as he is placed in a bay next to an elderly lady, beaming with a grateful smile towards the two nurses attending to her. | All calm in the assessment area in Southampton until now when a very aggressive drunk man is admitted with a cut to his face, swearing at anyone in sight. He is being held down by two policemen. We are advised not to go near him. “Fuck off,” he shouts to a female ambulance crew member accompanying him.The man is refusing to co-operate as he is placed in a bay next to an elderly lady, beaming with a grateful smile towards the two nurses attending to her. |
| It takes a while for experienced staff to calm down the 29 year old. Then it’s all sweetness and light, with a friendly hello for staff as he is wheeled in to “majors” for further assessment. “Sometimes it’s like that but sometimes they don’t calm down at all and they get carried out in handcuffs. If it gets too bad and they have been assessed and they are not too bad they are just taken away by police,” said receptionist Sarah Jones. | It takes a while for experienced staff to calm down the 29 year old. Then it’s all sweetness and light, with a friendly hello for staff as he is wheeled in to “majors” for further assessment. “Sometimes it’s like that but sometimes they don’t calm down at all and they get carried out in handcuffs. If it gets too bad and they have been assessed and they are not too bad they are just taken away by police,” said receptionist Sarah Jones. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.33am GMT | at 1.33am GMT |
| 1.17am GMT | 1.17am GMT |
| 01:17 | 01:17 |
| Zoe Williams | Zoe Williams |
| Two Mikes, 23 and 32, a Carl, 18 and a Tom, 23, are sat in a pub in the small hours. None has ever ended up in A&E, though Tom’s “ended up in the drunk and disorderly, you know, the police.” He got tangled up in the theft of a plastic ornament and jostled a plain clothes police officer leaping from a Vauxhall Corsa, five years ago. “This is my time,” he says triumphantly, “to get my story out. If I’d known he were a copper, things would have gone very differently. I was at my auntie’s 40th!” Mike the younger said, “things happen when you’re drunk. I hit my cousin in the face on my 20th birthday.” | Two Mikes, 23 and 32, a Carl, 18 and a Tom, 23, are sat in a pub in the small hours. None has ever ended up in A&E, though Tom’s “ended up in the drunk and disorderly, you know, the police.” He got tangled up in the theft of a plastic ornament and jostled a plain clothes police officer leaping from a Vauxhall Corsa, five years ago. “This is my time,” he says triumphantly, “to get my story out. If I’d known he were a copper, things would have gone very differently. I was at my auntie’s 40th!” Mike the younger said, “things happen when you’re drunk. I hit my cousin in the face on my 20th birthday.” |
| “The bottom line,” said Mike the older, “is that if you’re trouble, trouble will find you.” “Yes,” said the younger Mike resoundingly. “My cousin went to Krazy House…” “Is that with a C or a K?” “How can you ask that?” (they all shake their heads). “And the next thing you know, he’s had his nose broken.” “Is this the same cousin you punched in the face?” “I gave him a black eye. Someone else broke his nose. There’s levels. I know this, I studied law at A level.” | “The bottom line,” said Mike the older, “is that if you’re trouble, trouble will find you.” “Yes,” said the younger Mike resoundingly. “My cousin went to Krazy House…” “Is that with a C or a K?” “How can you ask that?” (they all shake their heads). “And the next thing you know, he’s had his nose broken.” “Is this the same cousin you punched in the face?” “I gave him a black eye. Someone else broke his nose. There’s levels. I know this, I studied law at A level.” |
| The older Mike takes control. “This is a beautiful place. This isn’t a degenerate place. Independent bars, independent clubs, independent eateries. The transformation of Liverpool, the systemic regeneration of every part of this city, is almost beyond compare. I love this city and the people of this city.” | The older Mike takes control. “This is a beautiful place. This isn’t a degenerate place. Independent bars, independent clubs, independent eateries. The transformation of Liverpool, the systemic regeneration of every part of this city, is almost beyond compare. I love this city and the people of this city.” |
| 1.08am GMT | 1.08am GMT |
| 01:08 | 01:08 |
| Josh Halliday | Josh Halliday |
| “We always say it’s a thankless job,” says Rachel Goddard, one of three generations of Goddards in the Manchester Street Angels along with her mum and grandma. We’re preparing to go back out for the second - busier - half of the shift. “Sometimes we come out and it’s really quiet but we know we’re making a difference.”She adds: “You’ve only got three seconds to make that connection otherwise they don’t want to know.”One of the biggest perils facing intoxicated young women now is lads who will curb crawl in hire cars, the volunteers say. “They rev their engines to try get the attention of these girls. It’s always the same type of people.” | “We always say it’s a thankless job,” says Rachel Goddard, one of three generations of Goddards in the Manchester Street Angels along with her mum and grandma. We’re preparing to go back out for the second - busier - half of the shift. “Sometimes we come out and it’s really quiet but we know we’re making a difference.”She adds: “You’ve only got three seconds to make that connection otherwise they don’t want to know.”One of the biggest perils facing intoxicated young women now is lads who will curb crawl in hire cars, the volunteers say. “They rev their engines to try get the attention of these girls. It’s always the same type of people.” |
| “If there was an incident, we’re connected to the control rooms and the venues - so if there’s any trouble they ring through and say can the Manchester Street Angels come through,” explains Nikki Breen, a 29-year-old Street Angel volunteer. “We can also get the cameras put on people - last week someone was quite erratic, we think he had mental health problems – it was for his safety and ours as well.” | “If there was an incident, we’re connected to the control rooms and the venues - so if there’s any trouble they ring through and say can the Manchester Street Angels come through,” explains Nikki Breen, a 29-year-old Street Angel volunteer. “We can also get the cameras put on people - last week someone was quite erratic, we think he had mental health problems – it was for his safety and ours as well.” |
| 1.06am GMT | 1.06am GMT |
| 01:06 | 01:06 |
| Steven Morris | Steven Morris |
| Huge queues outside the clubs and pubs on Greyfriars Road in Cardiff. The students are enjoying the start of the weekend after exams. | Huge queues outside the clubs and pubs on Greyfriars Road in Cardiff. The students are enjoying the start of the weekend after exams. |
| It’s going to get even busier tomorrow (Sunday). An event called Refreshers Rumble: Zoo is being organised. Revellers pay a flat fee to get into three clubs - Glam, Pryzm & Tiger Tiger. They are being encouraged to dress as jungle animals and embark on a “unique safari experience, Cardiff style.” | It’s going to get even busier tomorrow (Sunday). An event called Refreshers Rumble: Zoo is being organised. Revellers pay a flat fee to get into three clubs - Glam, Pryzm & Tiger Tiger. They are being encouraged to dress as jungle animals and embark on a “unique safari experience, Cardiff style.” |
| That spells potential trouble and the police has asked the ATC - alcohol treatment centre - to open up. | That spells potential trouble and the police has asked the ATC - alcohol treatment centre - to open up. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.09am GMT | at 1.09am GMT |
| 12.58am GMT | 12.58am GMT |
| 00:58 | 00:58 |
| Lisa O'Carroll | Lisa O'Carroll |
| A night out in Southampton has turned into a night in A&E for one young woman who has just been admitted with a head injury. “She had been at a party and fell and hit her head. There was alcohol and drugs,” said nurse Catherine Chipande. | A night out in Southampton has turned into a night in A&E for one young woman who has just been admitted with a head injury. “She had been at a party and fell and hit her head. There was alcohol and drugs,” said nurse Catherine Chipande. |
| There are about 20 other patients in the “majors” area with two sleeping off their alcohol and a third about to be assessed. | There are about 20 other patients in the “majors” area with two sleeping off their alcohol and a third about to be assessed. |
| 12.56am GMT | 12.56am GMT |
| 00:56 | 00:56 |
| Alcohol: key points | Alcohol: key points |
| Mark Rice-Oxley | Mark Rice-Oxley |
| Just to reiterate that tonight’s reporting is not a one-off exercise in preachy moralising but just part of a four-week series on the NHS in all its glorious complexities. Today we’ve been looking at the impact of alcohol on accident and emergency departments, including: | Just to reiterate that tonight’s reporting is not a one-off exercise in preachy moralising but just part of a four-week series on the NHS in all its glorious complexities. Today we’ve been looking at the impact of alcohol on accident and emergency departments, including: |
| Next week, we’ll be training our attention on other aspects of healthcare such as mental health and obesity. | Next week, we’ll be training our attention on other aspects of healthcare such as mental health and obesity. |
| Before we go on, a quick late-night quiz question: | Before we go on, a quick late-night quiz question: |
| Right, let’s get back out to the medics and the masses | Right, let’s get back out to the medics and the masses |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.02am GMT | at 1.02am GMT |
| 12.30am GMT | 12.30am GMT |
| 00:30 | 00:30 |
| A sad post from our GuardianWitness callout to readers | A sad post from our GuardianWitness callout to readers |
| Older drinkers | Older drinkers |
| My brother had been an alcoholic all my life - I am 45. Somehow, he has reached 65. He has had two strokes, resulting in left-sided weakness, tremors, cellulitis and many other ailments. It doesn't stop him drinking and smoking. We are talking a bottle of rum a day. Two days ago, my brother was persuaded by social worker, community nurse and I to go into a rehab bed, having refused any interventions since his last hospital admission in late August '15. Even as we were waiting for the ambulance, he asked the social worker to pass him his bottle of rum, and he was glugging it from the bottle. It is not just young drinkers causing the problems within the NHS. He has had at least 25 hospital admissions in the last 3 years. The NHS gets him to a certain state, and then he discharges himself against medical advice and the process starts again. He has trashed our childhood home. It is devastating to watch someone enact this slow, sorry suicide. I am sat in a hotel room, worried that the hospital will phone to say he is discharging himself again. This is his last chance.... But then he has no-one other than his other brother and I. Could and should we turn our backs on him?? | My brother had been an alcoholic all my life - I am 45. Somehow, he has reached 65. He has had two strokes, resulting in left-sided weakness, tremors, cellulitis and many other ailments. It doesn't stop him drinking and smoking. We are talking a bottle of rum a day. Two days ago, my brother was persuaded by social worker, community nurse and I to go into a rehab bed, having refused any interventions since his last hospital admission in late August '15. Even as we were waiting for the ambulance, he asked the social worker to pass him his bottle of rum, and he was glugging it from the bottle. It is not just young drinkers causing the problems within the NHS. He has had at least 25 hospital admissions in the last 3 years. The NHS gets him to a certain state, and then he discharges himself against medical advice and the process starts again. He has trashed our childhood home. It is devastating to watch someone enact this slow, sorry suicide. I am sat in a hotel room, worried that the hospital will phone to say he is discharging himself again. This is his last chance.... But then he has no-one other than his other brother and I. Could and should we turn our backs on him?? |
| Sent via Guardian Witness | Sent via Guardian Witness |
| By Alizou | By Alizou |
| 23 January 2016, 0:10 | 23 January 2016, 0:10 |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 12.35am GMT | at 12.35am GMT |
| 12.23am GMT | 12.23am GMT |
| 00:23 | 00:23 |
| Jessica Elgot | Jessica Elgot |
| It’s choc-a-bloc at Royal Stoke A&E at midnight, but senior sister Nicola Beckett is actually trying to find a patient. One man, a regular alcohol abuser, has run off from hospital, and she has to send police to find him, because he is now deemed a vulnerable adult as he has not had full medical check ups. | It’s choc-a-bloc at Royal Stoke A&E at midnight, but senior sister Nicola Beckett is actually trying to find a patient. One man, a regular alcohol abuser, has run off from hospital, and she has to send police to find him, because he is now deemed a vulnerable adult as he has not had full medical check ups. |
| The hospital now has so many regular attendees they have a special group for them all, which flags up if someone has been in more than three times a month. Sometimes Beckett sees someone twice a day. | The hospital now has so many regular attendees they have a special group for them all, which flags up if someone has been in more than three times a month. Sometimes Beckett sees someone twice a day. |
| “You do get friendly with them, they are as nice to you as you are to them. You do see them decline, the physical decline. You admit them to rehab but you just know you’ll see them again. It’s an addiction, an illness. So many, you are discharging them and they say ‘I’ve got no home to go to.’ You sometimes do get a sense they are here for a hot meal and a bed and a kind face.” | “You do get friendly with them, they are as nice to you as you are to them. You do see them decline, the physical decline. You admit them to rehab but you just know you’ll see them again. It’s an addiction, an illness. So many, you are discharging them and they say ‘I’ve got no home to go to.’ You sometimes do get a sense they are here for a hot meal and a bed and a kind face.” |
| Beckett has seen some terrifying moments too. “I don’t want to make it too dramatic. But yes, I have feared for my life. You are trained in conflict management, self-defence. But if someone is drunk and aggressive, I can’t handle that myself.” | Beckett has seen some terrifying moments too. “I don’t want to make it too dramatic. But yes, I have feared for my life. You are trained in conflict management, self-defence. But if someone is drunk and aggressive, I can’t handle that myself.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 12.38am GMT | at 12.38am GMT |
| 12.17am GMT | 12.17am GMT |
| 00:17 | 00:17 |
| Josh Halliday | Josh Halliday |
| “She was a bit intoxicated, visibly so, just wanted to go home, but she didn’t have a credit card, so we called her a taxi. She’s going home for tea, toast and biscuits.” | “She was a bit intoxicated, visibly so, just wanted to go home, but she didn’t have a credit card, so we called her a taxi. She’s going home for tea, toast and biscuits.” |
| 12.13am GMT | 12.13am GMT |
| 00:13 | 00:13 |
| Zoe Williams | Zoe Williams |
| “We’re a very respectable bar,” said White Goodman, 26, the security guard outside Santa Chupitos. | “We’re a very respectable bar,” said White Goodman, 26, the security guard outside Santa Chupitos. |
| “You can see how cosmopolitan it is,” a passer-by says. | “You can see how cosmopolitan it is,” a passer-by says. |
| Two guys approach and are respectfully turned away. They didn’t look drunk to me, but maybe I haven’t got my eye in. | Two guys approach and are respectfully turned away. They didn’t look drunk to me, but maybe I haven’t got my eye in. |
| “No, we’re an over-21 bar now,” Goodman explains. It’s a bit early in the night to be turning away drunks, but when they are turned away, Goodman says, “they’re turned away everywhere. It’s not if they’re violent or not violent, things turn when people are drunk. They won’t be getting in anywhere.” | “No, we’re an over-21 bar now,” Goodman explains. It’s a bit early in the night to be turning away drunks, but when they are turned away, Goodman says, “they’re turned away everywhere. It’s not if they’re violent or not violent, things turn when people are drunk. They won’t be getting in anywhere.” |
| I don’t want to say it in this company, and of course, it’s early days yet… but it looks a little bit like Continental cafe society. | I don’t want to say it in this company, and of course, it’s early days yet… but it looks a little bit like Continental cafe society. |
| 12.01am GMT | 12.01am GMT |
| 00:01 | 00:01 |
| One patient has a can of Skol under the trolley... | One patient has a can of Skol under the trolley... |
| Jessica Elgot | Jessica Elgot |
| Patients are queuing on beds in the corridor at the ambulance triage in Stoke where paramedic Tracy Proud is liaising with A&E staff to speed up the transfer of people. | Patients are queuing on beds in the corridor at the ambulance triage in Stoke where paramedic Tracy Proud is liaising with A&E staff to speed up the transfer of people. |
| “It’s ridiculous,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the queue of beds behind her. One patient has a can of Skol under the trolley. | “It’s ridiculous,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the queue of beds behind her. One patient has a can of Skol under the trolley. |
| “I think if you went through most of the patients, 85% shouldn’t be here. People have a different view about what an emergency is. If I’m called to look after a teenager or young person who is drunk, I call their parents straight away. Parents don’t realise it, but it’s not our job to just be watching a drunk person who has passed out.” | “I think if you went through most of the patients, 85% shouldn’t be here. People have a different view about what an emergency is. If I’m called to look after a teenager or young person who is drunk, I call their parents straight away. Parents don’t realise it, but it’s not our job to just be watching a drunk person who has passed out.” |
| Agitated patients have lashed out in the back of moving ambulance. “I had one patient who I thought was asleep and he came to, and he turned on me. I had to jump out the side door of the van.” | Agitated patients have lashed out in the back of moving ambulance. “I had one patient who I thought was asleep and he came to, and he turned on me. I had to jump out the side door of the van.” |
| Legal highs are a terrifying new problem, on top of alcohol. “They don’t know what they’ve taken. And they are totally off their heads.” | Legal highs are a terrifying new problem, on top of alcohol. “They don’t know what they’ve taken. And they are totally off their heads.” |
| On top of the added burden of inebriated patients, consultants and junior doctors working in the resuscitation area are also dealing with patients who are critically ill with sudden or pre-existing conditions. The medics have just restarted the heart of Kyle Baker, a local South African, who has a condition which can lead to irregular heartbeats. He started feeling the telltale symptoms around 5pm and called an ambulance an hour ago. | On top of the added burden of inebriated patients, consultants and junior doctors working in the resuscitation area are also dealing with patients who are critically ill with sudden or pre-existing conditions. The medics have just restarted the heart of Kyle Baker, a local South African, who has a condition which can lead to irregular heartbeats. He started feeling the telltale symptoms around 5pm and called an ambulance an hour ago. |
| “I live near the hospital in case I need to come in. This happens all the time,” he said. “They do such an amazing job.” | “I live near the hospital in case I need to come in. This happens all the time,” he said. “They do such an amazing job.” |
| Consultant Ruth Kinston is coaching her fifth year medical student as the team sedate Baker, preparing to stop and restart his heart back to its regular rhythm with a defibrillator. He is woozy as he comes around after the shocks, asking for his mobile phone almost straight away, but will be well enough to go home tonight. | Consultant Ruth Kinston is coaching her fifth year medical student as the team sedate Baker, preparing to stop and restart his heart back to its regular rhythm with a defibrillator. He is woozy as he comes around after the shocks, asking for his mobile phone almost straight away, but will be well enough to go home tonight. |
| Drunken patients can cost the NHS in ways you may not expect. Doctors have to be sure the symptoms are not other medical issues, especially if a patient cannot communicate. If Kinston orders a CT scan for a patient, it may well be just alcohol causing the problem with memory loss or headaches, but medics have to be sure. And that can cost hundreds of pounds. “We didn’t come into medicine to judge people, we came in to treat people. If I start to lose my empathy, we shouldn’t be doing this job,” she said. | Drunken patients can cost the NHS in ways you may not expect. Doctors have to be sure the symptoms are not other medical issues, especially if a patient cannot communicate. If Kinston orders a CT scan for a patient, it may well be just alcohol causing the problem with memory loss or headaches, but medics have to be sure. And that can cost hundreds of pounds. “We didn’t come into medicine to judge people, we came in to treat people. If I start to lose my empathy, we shouldn’t be doing this job,” she said. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 12.10am GMT | at 12.10am GMT |
| 11.52pm GMT | 11.52pm GMT |
| 23:52 | 23:52 |
| Kate Lyons | Kate Lyons |
| On some nights the Polamb - police-ambulance alcohol treatment vehicle in Leicester - is a hub for treating people with alcohol-related injuries, attending up to 15 incidents in a night. It gets to the point that some of the locals recognise the Polamb and the paramedics who drive it. Jane Squire, East Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic, says one man she used to see regularly in the streets, a heavy drinker who would often call the ambulance for help, called her his “green angel”, for the dark green of the ambulance service uniform. | On some nights the Polamb - police-ambulance alcohol treatment vehicle in Leicester - is a hub for treating people with alcohol-related injuries, attending up to 15 incidents in a night. It gets to the point that some of the locals recognise the Polamb and the paramedics who drive it. Jane Squire, East Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic, says one man she used to see regularly in the streets, a heavy drinker who would often call the ambulance for help, called her his “green angel”, for the dark green of the ambulance service uniform. |
| “Sometimes they’ll come up have a conversation with you and say ‘I’ve cut my finger, can I have a plaster?’” says Squire. “Other times they’ll come up and say, ‘I’ve hurt my hand, can you take me to hospital?’ and I’ll say: ‘It says ambulance, not taxi.’” | “Sometimes they’ll come up have a conversation with you and say ‘I’ve cut my finger, can I have a plaster?’” says Squire. “Other times they’ll come up and say, ‘I’ve hurt my hand, can you take me to hospital?’ and I’ll say: ‘It says ambulance, not taxi.’” |
| But the first call-out the Polamb has received now that the policeman for the evening, Constable Joe Couchman, is on board is more serious - treating a man in his 40s who suffered a cardiac arrest on the street. This isn’t a typical call-out for the Polamb, not being alcohol-related, though it is believed the man was a heavy drinker, but they go where the need arises. | But the first call-out the Polamb has received now that the policeman for the evening, Constable Joe Couchman, is on board is more serious - treating a man in his 40s who suffered a cardiac arrest on the street. This isn’t a typical call-out for the Polamb, not being alcohol-related, though it is believed the man was a heavy drinker, but they go where the need arises. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 12.00am GMT | at 12.00am GMT |