A quick thank you.. to Gloucestershire Police

Lum

So this evening has been a bit of a crappy day. I'm at the shops in Newport, South Wales, and I get a call from my partner who is in Gloucester, one of the rear wheels has broken off her new wheelchair and she's kind of stranded, can I come and pick her up. I agree to do so but suggest she call 101 and see if the Police can help.

5 minutes later she calls me back, just before I'm passing J23A (and thus would have to pay bridge tolls) and tells me that the police have agreed to come out. I turn around and head home.

5 minutes after that, they come to her, on blues and twos, have picked her up and taken her and both parts of her wheelchair to her car, helped her into it and she's now safely on her way home.

I know a lot of people, me included, like to have a moan about the police, but today is not one of those days, and it's worth giving thanks and credit where they are due.

Turns out they actually couldn't be bothered to come out and passed it on to the ambulance service, see post 5.


Now I just have to figure out what we do about tomorrow. This chair is only a month old and her other chair is still in for repair after the incident where she hit a broken dropped curb. This time there is no impact or anything to cause it, just an overtightened bolt that has sheared.

OneYorkshireLass

Good for them. Glad she's safe,and hope you figure out what to do about the broken chair.

altyfc

Well done, them. You're right - it's all too easy to make yourself heard when you have something to moan about, and to not do the same when good is done. Credit to them - and you for your efforts!

kingfisherblue

Great to hear such positive comments, but how frustrating for your partner. Hope you can get sorted soon.

Lum

I spoke too soon LOL. The police couldn't be bothered and passed it on to the ambulance service to deal with. So one of those Paramaedic estate cars came on blues and twos to pick her up and the driver had a good moan about how long gone are the days of the helpful bobby on the beat.

Still, thanks to the ambulance service, and to the police for arranging for it to happen, I guess.

datostar

Lum wrote: »

I spoke too soon LOL. The police couldn't be bothered and passed it on to the ambulance service to deal with. So one of those Paramaedic estate cars came on blues and twos to pick her up and the driver had a good moan about how long gone are the days of the helpful bobby on the beat.

Still, thanks to the ambulance service, and to the police for arranging for it to happen, I guess.

Not sure that's it's entirely fair to say 'the police couldn't be bothered'. Traffic patrol vehicles are packed full of equipment and the ordinary beat cars are basic family hatchbacks or saloons. Obviously the ambulance service has the right type of vehicle for carrying disabled people along with wheelchairs etc. and specialist trained personnel. Sounds like the police did the right thing in passing the matter to the correct service. They were obviously persuasive enough to get the ambulance service to turn out and regardless of the driver moaning about the 'helpful bobby on the beat' being long gone, his despatcher/controller obviously considered it an appropriate job.

Lum

Quick update. The chair is sorted, turned out to be a bolt that was overtightened during assembly and sheared.

Still cost her a day off work and 60 litres of LPG to take it back and go and get it sorted. :mad: I'm also somewhat surprised that such an important part is only held on by a single bolt!

As for the "can't be bothered" comment, I was just quoting the ambulance driver, but thinking about it, I'm kind of glad it was the job of a paramedic, not a copper, who had the job of helping her up. A copper with no specialist medical training would probably have gone "what's hypermobility?" then proceeded to pull both her shoulders out of their sockets. :rotfl:

mynameistallulah

Lum wrote: »

Quick update. The chair is sorted, turned out to be a bolt that was overtightened during assembly and sheared.

Still cost her a day off work and 60 litres of LPG to take it back and go and get it sorted. :mad: I'm also somewhat surprised that such an important part is only held on by a single bolt!

As for the "can't be bothered" comment, I was just quoting the ambulance driver, but thinking about it, I'm kind of glad it was the job of a paramedic, not a copper, who had the job of helping her up. A copper with no specialist medical training would probably have gone "what's hypermobility?" then proceeded to pull both her shoulders out of their sockets. :rotfl:

Or perhaps they would have said "I'm sorry, I don't know what hypermobility is - I'll ask for assistance from someone who does i.e. the ambulance service". I still can't believe you called them in the first place - they are not a transport service.

Lum

Pretty much desperation at that point. The alternative was having her stranded at the side of the road for the hour and a half it would take me to get to Gloucester.

I did first suggest that she call a taxi but she was reluctant to do that.

blessings3

Goodness Happy to call the police who should be dealing with serious stuff but not happy to call a taxi ????

Lum

If you were a taxi driver, how would you feel about being sent to a job that involved picking the person off the floor?

If you had hypermobile shoulder joints that dislocate really easily how would you feel about being picked up off the floor by a taxi driver?

I don't necessarily agree with every decision she makes, but I'm not the one with all the disabilities so I'm not really in a fair position to judge.

None of the emergency services directly have this kind of thing in their job description, but I suggested the police as part of their remit is to protect vulnerable people, and how much more vulnerable can you get than literally stranded at the side of the road in a town centre with a broken wheelchair as it's starting to get dark and your nearest alternative help over an hours drive away! The other reason for suggesting police is that in theory they should be patrolling that town centre anyway, and she only needed to go a short distance, so maybe they could've collected her en route.