OK it was my own stupid fault and quite minor but I thought it might be informative to let US readers know about my experience of the UK Health Service today.I’d also be interested in learning of any different experiences you have had in similar circumstances.
I must admit I was rushing to get outside for the two minutes silence at midday and grabbed a bin bag of rubbish to take to the main bins. Unfortunately I had not well enough wrapped the pieces of the broken plate I had dropped earlier. A very shap edge slipped out and put a V shaped gash about 3 inches long on the frontof my calf.

For a cut that was basically just through the skin, it was quite spectacularly bloody. In the current circumstances I was reluctant to call an ambulance but I live about a 5 minute walk from my local general practioner’s health centre so I wrapped a large handkerchief to staunch the blood a bit and went there. By the time I arrived, the blood had soaked through and was running over my foot.  

Luckily the centre was open and the nurse practioner had a look at it, irrigated it an put on a pressure bandage to stop the flow. They do not have facilities to do stiches there and because of its location, I needed stiches. I live just outside central London and I am virtulally exactly between a cemtra; London hospital (Guys) and a more suburban one (Lewisham) which both have minor injuries units. Choosing was one of those “which bus comes first” as the journey times are roughly 30 minutes either way. The bus for Lewisham came first so it was off to there. As well as the minor injuries unit, Lewisham is a full emergency hospital. Guys links with another central London one for major emergencies.

The walk-in rather than the ambulance entrace has a triage nurse to assess injuries but as I explained to the receptionist I just needed stiches, she sent me over to the minors unit. I must admit her asking me which leg needed treatment was a bit redundant as I was wearing “pedal pusher” length trousers (very hot today!!) and sporting a fresh bandage. Still she probably didn’t see it over the counter tho I did say “the one with the bandage”.  Not that staying there would have been a problem, there were only three people waiting, none in any great distress. By the time I had strolled the 50 yards or so to the unit, my details had been trasferred over and I was greeted by “hello, is it Peter?”  

I was after a couple of people getting the results of the x-rays on their sprained ankles (an epidemic!!!) and a woman who had shut her car door on her fingers. A further irrigation of the wound, anesthetic, five stiches and a selection of steri-strips later the nurse practioner there was slapping on a giant band-aid, getting me some to take home and giving me some advice about caring for the wound.

The bus home was a bit delayed – traffic is a hassle in London at the moment because of bomb checks. Nevertheless I got home clutching my stock of outsize band-aids just before a quarter to three. Most of the two and a half hours or so had been taken up in travelling and I only had to wait about 10 minutes. That’s not unusual with the walk in minor injuries units, I had to take somebody to the one at Guy’s and   there the wait was similar.

Now I know the impression you get from things like “E.R.” is hyped but we get the impression here that many US emergency rooms are clogged by people for who they are a last resort to get treatment for a chronic illness. How does the fast service for a minor injurty compare to any of your experiences? I should of course add that the costliest aspect of this escapade for me were the bus fares and a bottle of water to keep hydrated on the very hot bus. What would have been the sort of bill I might have expected if I had done it in the USA?