alt Hacker NewsWhile away from home, my son (5 yo) cut his finger and was in need of disinfectant and a bandage (steri strips).
Pharmacy was useless, no medical skills or knowledge of their own products. Asked me to figure out myself what I needed and put it on my son myself.
Local GP surgery sent us away: no registration, no visit. Me saying this was an emergency just made them suggest A&E.
A&E is where we ended up, and while that definitely works, going to the emergency services of a large hospital for every little thing is not only a waste of my time but also of resources. It seems however to be the NHS way: whenever the littlest of troubles arise, just go to the hospital, or even call an ambulance.
Replies
Sorry for being too American to understand, but why would you need to talk to any medical professional to put a bandaid on your kid? Is this about NHS being paying for the bandaid? About medical expertise to apply a bandaid?
You call 111 if you don't want to bother the 999 guys. 111 will tell you what you need to do, including "go to A&E".
What is wrong with going to A&E for an (as you said yourself) emergency?
A pharmacist dispenses medications and should know about their safe usage. They won't tell you how to bandage a wound.