I am so unbelievably busy at the moment, mainly because of my impending move (and the fact that the place I’m moving into was left in a barely habitable state), couple that with some nightshifts, and a few other things that are going on, and you have a very tired, busy and generally worn out EMT.

I apologise if I need to email you, phone you or generally do something for/with you at the moment, and haven’t gotten around to doing it.  I will do it in the near future.

However the last nightshift did throw up a few possibly interesting stories – so I won’t need to search for inspiration for the next couple of posts.

Night buses are wonderful things, they allow nightclubbers in London the opportunity to find their way back home after the tube network has closed down for the night.  They also seem to collect people with *ahem* ‘colourful’ personalities.

The only problem is that they tend to rock you to sleep.

Bus drivers aren’t allowed to touch their passengers.

So when a driver reaches the end of his route, and there is someone still asleep on the bus, then the driver can shout, bang on the handrail, and stamp their feet.  But they can’t shake the person awake.

So they call the police, and the ambulance service to wake the person up.  The police in case they are violent, and the ambulance service in case they are ill.

The details are often sent as ‘person unconscious’.  Which makes it a high category call…

Can you see where I come into the situation?

As it is a high category call, myself, or someone like me is often sent along, on blue lights and sirens, to well…

…give someone a shake, and wake them up.

This is how our resources seem to be allocated these days.  Waking people up who have fallen asleep on the bus.

I don’t mind the patient, because who hasn’t fallen asleep on the train or bus?  But I do dislike the need for us to turn up to a call where there is no injury or illness because bus station staff are too scared/not allowed to gently shake someone awake.

I am part way through reading the Ambulance Report, and have already thought of a few comments for it.  Stay tuned.