Thursday
Yet another example of the vileness of the culture which pervades the management of the public sector...
Paramedics fighting to save a nine-year-old road accident victim were told rigid rest-break regulations meant the closest crew could not be called upon for back-up. Lifesavers at a crash scene in Upton were told they would have to wait for a crew nearly 20 minutes away because paramedics in Poole still had a few minutes left on their break.Ambulance staff treating little Bethany Dibbs then called Poole ambulance station directly. A second crew abandoned their break and raced to Sandy Lane, arriving just five minutes after their colleagues [...] But the South Western Ambulance Service Trust is standing by its decision. A spokesperson said the trust took its statutory health and safety duties for all staff very seriously.
But this is also an example of the fact civil society still has at least some life left in it, because the paramedics on the scene said "screw it" and just called the people they needed directly themselves... and of course those lads came immediately, teacup in hand no doubt, regardless of the rules and regulations that the South Western Ambulance Service Trust and the union think are so damn important.
[via Reason]
The failure of Market Garden was caused by lousy intel rather than lousy leadership really.
Posted by Perry de Havilland at November 19, 2009 01:38 AM
Hmm. Either the world is becoming a farce, or this is slightly old news, as I thought I had read about it elsewhere before.
Most likely, the world is becoming a farce. This same stupid series of events could be repeating itself over and over and over, and nothing essential will really change.
Posted by Gregory at November 19, 2009 01:49 AM
I would offer odds on whether, should the necessary savings ever happen, the first redundancies would be among the paramedics or among the pointless bureaucrats who perpetuate this nonsense.
But, somehow, I don't think I'd get many takers round here.
Posted by the other rob at November 19, 2009 04:45 AM
Reminds me of a story that circulated in a mountaineering club I used to be in.
Climber lost/hurt somewhere in the Cairngorms in bad weather. The police, who (in those days at any rate, don't know if it's still so) had the job of coordinating mountain rescue efforts in Scotland, decide that the weather is too dangerous for a helicopter to fly, sends out mountain rescue team on foot to victim several hours away. Not in itself an unreasonable decision. But. Friend/companion of the victim is ex-RAF and knows telephone number of pilot's mess at Search and Rescue base. "Er, I'm told you're afraid to fly because its raining a little bit ...". Minutes later, helicopter arrives.
Posted by Alan Little at November 19, 2009 08:54 AM
That story could have come straight out of Atlas Shrugged.
Posted by Capitalist at November 19, 2009 09:23 AM
Are we sure this is not a result of the EU Working Time directive?
Posted by Andrew Duffin at November 19, 2009 12:04 PM
For the benefit of those of us who don't know what "Market Garden" is/was, could someone please provide a link or explanation? All I could find on-line were reference to a WWII operation, which doesn't appear to be what you're talking about here.
Posted by Laird at November 19, 2009 02:55 PM
Really? Who "stoped for tea?"
That tankers who knew better than to advance against dug-in 88mm anti-tank guns before the infantry and artillery had caught up with them, that's who... that is why it was described as "A bridge too far".
Posted by Perry de Havilland at November 19, 2009 03:00 PM
Astonishing that the men turned up to help.
A clear breach of health and safety (and other) regulations.
The union and the administrators will wait till the fuss dies down - and then deal with these people in some way.
Posted by Paul Marks at November 19, 2009 09:52 PM
