MOBILITY STORY 2

A follow up for readers of the last blog. Having gained some expertise on mobility scooters ….. the difference between Class 2 and Class 3 for example, but failing to see what makes one brand twice the price of another ….on reflection its probably about a Mercedes and a Vauxhall, more bells and whistle, bigger batteries, full leather upholstery etc etc. In any event I had to make some decisions, one, did I want to stay on the pavements and thus restricted to 4 mph or two on road which can propel at 8 mpg and has lights, indicators and mirrors. There are even all terrain models with big tyres and uprated suspension, deja vu of offroading in my Jeeps!

It then starts to get more difficult, firstly big people need bigger scooters and these tend to be 8 mph ones but these in the main cannot be dissembled to fit in a boot, so ownership of one of these implies, somewhere to park at home, if you have room in the garage, then OK, if not there is a variety of solutions, from polythene tents to mini wooden huts.

So with scooter plus structure, I could go out the door and drive off, with c 20-30 miles range. Some analytical thought however says why would I want to do this, I can get in the car and drive to the supermarket, bank etc and in the winter I think a heated Citroen is better than a cold journey maybe with ice or snow.

So maybe this is only a dry and warmish season opportunity. I really wanted something to allow mobility at the destination e.g. on holiday to cruise the prom, explore the stately homes and gardens etc and this means transporting not only myself and passengers but usual luggage and stuff plus the scooter.

I have seen as I am sure many of my dear readers have seen, especially adapted van style cars with a ramp to ensconce the scooter safely to and from points of use. After musing on that I decided that I was not prepared to trade in my car for such a vehicle, though clearly with no ability to stand or walk more than a step, it would be necessary. I can walk a short distance.

This led to a consideration as to what other aids are available and surfing the net I found various, trailers and tow bar fitting cradles. The expense has now increased by £750 plus. I did find one USA solution which combined tow bar clamp with a hydraulic platform and a set of castored wheels so the weight was on the road. Unfortunately these are not available for UK towbars which have a different fitting.

I am therefore led to the conclusion it is too expensive and of marginal utility to become an owner, even of a recon or second hand machine. But all is not lost, in many City Centres and big shopping centres there is a Mobility Aids place which lends, sometimes free or at a lowish cost, a scooter to travel around. In the case of Nottingham, they have units at both the town’s shopping centres and the linked bus stations and you are also enabled to go on pedestrianised streets. This seems the best option for the moment.

Some other shops Tesco, Asda, etc offer small in shop scooters, as does Ikea and B&Q and these are useful for that purpose. An unexpected outing to Ikea with my son in law who has had a knee operation and cannot walk and me and my other half who has had a fall (my daughter also had a less serious leg issue, any statistics to calculate the probability of 4 people and all left legs !

Any way I digress, maybe Malcolm’s Musing should be Malcolm’s Ramblings ! We decided only two of us would enter Ikea so Leon and I went in, me, with a stick, he on crutches and asked for TWO scooters. Fortunately a quiet day and not peak shopping so we went forth navigating the aisles much to the interest of ambulatory shoppers and the attention of children, I think they wanted a go.

So such aids can also be accessed but probably best for one person as most stores only have a few.

I guess if I lived in warmer climes like California or Florida etc then full time ownership would be worthwhile, or you could have a big Ram Pickup with a winch or crane !

So another diversion mentally and physically in the continuing journey.

AGE, MOBILITY and OTHER DIVERSIONS

This time in this year seem to be a procession of milestones. Time truly seems to pass, once slowly, then quickly as events happen. This is what I call relative time…..do not worry….. no quantum physics here….. rather the subjective feeling , than the ticking clock or the turning calendar. Tsitsi turned 60 …perhaps a little reluctantly, but with an enjoyable gathering of relatives and friends. A number of new people whose connection I needing explaining several times and I am still unsure about where they fit in the Mtetwa family tree, and some old friends of hers who came to celebrate.

But now is approaching another milestone, in July, which is almost on us, I will become an official OAP. I have filled in the forms to get my State Pension. Apart from that, I am not sure it changes my status, I already am a pensioner freed from working,  I already have my bus pass and free prescriptions…..In all I am expecting a low key change, I will have to tick a different box on forms asking for age, I suspect that travel insurance etc will increase, though why one day later I am a greater risk, seems to be somewhat arbitrary.

What has struck me though is that it is now 7 years since I worked properly, apart from odds and ends as described in previous blogs …. how many years to go ? and unless we start to count 70, 80, 90 and 100, a number of which are rather unlikely I feel, I am without milestones.

If I survive intact, until say 80, that is 15 years which is a significant period of time and of course it could be longer …………my birthday resolution (have I just invented a new thing !) is to try and put meaning into the declining years. I will not want to survive if my mind and body are not up to the task but as long as I can think ……………….

I also have pondered how adaptable human beings can be. Stories appear about people with great mental strength adapting, I am only suffering from mobility problems, but the ticking of the body clock has caused and will inevitably cause more need for adaptions and compromises. I was struck with that thought when I discovered the Mobility service at Nottingham’s major shopping service, rather by accident. It is a slightly complicated story but in brief, I had to take my car to a Citroen specialist in Ilkeston, about 8 miles from my home, Tsitsi had gone to work, so I was faced with getting home and then returning later to pick up the car. That is a journey almost but not quite possible by bus, as the bus from Ilkeston would leave me in Chilwell, only 2 or so miles from home but insurmountable to me on foot.

So thinking laterally and having scouring the timetables, I determined to leave the car, take a short i.e. 200 metres walk to the bus stop and then journey into Nottingham about 10 miles, I had hoped to be able to hobble slowly around a little and the retire to a cafe and then reverse the journey. It was here that happy chance intervened, I was walking, slowly, from the bus station into the Centre when I saw a Shopmobility office. Suffice it to say that after filling in paperwork and being trained on the machine, I was set free with a four wheel electric scooter and at zero cost !

I have to admit I had tried these before in USA supermarkets, but this one was different, not only could I travel round the Shopping Centre but I could exit and go down pedestrian streets and indeed normal pavements to other parts of the City Centre and the other shopping Centre at the bottom end.

What was of interest was several things, I was now unembarrassed by my use of the device, maybe I am accepting the inevitable, I was surprised that pedestrians do not think and just do U turns, or sudden stops and indeed on some occasions I was clearly invisible (I resisted the temptation to use the horn), but I made progress and was lucky with a dry and sunny day, in the rain and cold it may be a different experience.

Reflecting as I write this piece I now realise that having become a scooter user, I was reluctant to get off it. In retrospect, I could easily park up outside a shop and walk the few yards in with my stick, I will try this multiple mode transport another time. This might allow me to accompany Tsitsi on City Centre shopping trips ………… though on reflection this might create a new dynamic. Though I am sure that even with the disability, I could deploy the tactic used by men everywhere when their ladies are browsing in clothes and ……the ultimate experience to be avoided, shoe shops. “You go ahead Darling, take your time and I’ll meet you in ..(insert favourite cafe, pub etc) later”

Now I am still attempting to get the knee operation I need, that is another story, suffice it to say that The Nottingham NHS Treatment Centre complaints system totally fails to meet time limits for replying, the cynical me surmises that they hope I will get fed up and give up …………. not yet, not yet……….

But assuming I fail then should I get myself a scooter of my own ? That needs some thought, especially since that would need a new vehicle in which to transport it but would give me back the freedom to do as others do…just wander around old streets in old towns, perambulate or rather motor around stately homes, gardens etc etc. It seems an interesting intellectual exercise so watch this space dear reader…………………I feel another musing in the making.

TIME MARCHES ON ………….

Just in case there are still readers checking dutifully to catch my musings, my apologies. I have often thought of writing an item but somehow it never got to the top of my motivation reserve. I do seem to be lacking drive and revert to simple things like eating, drinking watching TV, must be old age, my 65th birthday is in sight and I am unsure how I see that. Well I have claimed fro my OAP, happy to accept money from the government.

Anyway a brief update on life, Malcolm and the universe.

I am still in a life partnership with my special African Queen Tsitsi, she turns 60 soon and would rather stay younger. This relationship has turned out to be an essential in my life, someone to help and be helped, share similarities and recognise differences. I now realise that being old and alone must be a difficult and undesirable situation.

I have resigned from the Board and Chairmanship of Nottingham Credit Union. It is difficult with volunteers to get unanimity but our, and indeed many other Credit Unions financial position, are not improving. Not helped by the delayed and delayed Universal Credit scheme which we were ready to support tenants and landlords. Any way the bottom line was I believed that a radical approach needed to be taken and that just trying to cut costs again and make more staff redundant was to invite extinction. An alternative plan to push for growth in members and loans, revamping our image and streamlining and automating processes did not get enough support. Though I am told that my resignation email was discussed at length and broadly the points I made were supported. What seems to be lacking is courage to take a bold step with no guarantees. Any best wishes to all at NCU, maybe I will be proved wrong.

I had a new experience, following on working with The Patients Association on complaint handling in the NHS post Mid Staffs issues, I was invited to be involved in a full CQC (Care & Quality Commission) inspection of a Trust in Berkshire.

This was  interesting though I did share concerns that the role of the Patients Association team (of two) was an add on not integrated into the inspection. Clearly lots of issues to consider but complaints are an indicator of other problems and given that many dissatisfied patients or relatives do not ‘want to make a fuss’. They can be a valuable signpost for further inspection and questions.

We stayed in a nice hotel, got fed well but were working long days e.g. up at 6:00am to bed at 11:30pm. Probably my semi retired self had grown used to shorter self managing timescales and age and infirmity became so much more pronounced.

The old saying ‘act your age’ comes into mind, its just difficult to accept your limitations, the mind is willing, mostly, the body not.

The ending of the funding for IT training, my giving up off roading and sold my Jeeps means I have so much more time unallocated, I still do Magistrates Duty and indeed have been able to fill some short notice gaps recently, but overall there is more time. You can only watch so much TV, so my gift subscription to Netflix has been well used.

As I pause here to collect my thoughts, seeking the inspiration for bonne mots and insightful observations, I admit I am entering a new category and the third age offers challenges but also maybe opportunities. The last few years, since I started this blog, is full of unexpected and unforeseen things so maybe the next phase will continue to be unpredictable.

I have the time for some for musings and would be happy to be inspired by readers as well as my own journeys. 

65 (almost) and not out yet.

Waiting,waiting.....waiting

Now I know the Brits are renowned for queues but I have to muse or more probably rant at the NHS.

Reading any UK papers or TV will give the impression that the NHS is near collapse, my little experience does not support this but does give thought to how patients are very clearly the second class citizens of the system. 

The originators of the NHS had high ideals that all people would have free at point of use health care, so what happened ............well I guess my readers do not want a multi page academic analysis, which is just as well, but lets review a small incident that happened to me recently.

I had been diagnosed after various other treatments had failed, as having .......Droopy Eye. I like that it actually describes the problem ..........and not a touch of Latin anywhere.

The treatment involved having my eyelid cut and lifted, sounds less than pleasant .......... I am still in recovery and waiting for bruise die back but the procedure was efficient and skilled and lasted about 40 minutes under a local anasetic, no gowns, no beds, walk in and out of the theatre.

What my complaint is about is the organisation ..... I use the term loosely and with a touch of irony ......

of the administrative aspects. Appointment letter comes, saying report at 12:00 noon, seems fair, (we will not get diverted into the parking issues at the hospital) I arrive just before then, announce myself and told to take a seat, waiting area has around 12 people some patients, others relatives, friends. I wait, occasionally some one is called by a Nurse, goes somewhere else and comes back 10 minutes later and sits done again. My turn is at 1 pm and it achieves me having to remember my name and date of birth and be tagged and asked a list of questions that seem to have limited relevance to my procedure. 

I must admit I see the need as patients come in all varieties and will have issues thst need recording, but I definetly sense a "cover our backs" mentality.

 I sit back on the appallingly uncomfortable chairs, clearly the procurement person never tried out this when ordering, I suspect they were the lowest quote, and then get another call where another nurse, looking more senior, asks many of the questions again and countersigns numerous boxes on the forms. It as this point that I find out that surgery will start at 2 o'clock. A foreboding grips me, we had all been told to come at 12, yet nothing is to happen until after they have had their lunch. So two hours for a simple admin procedure.

Being on my own and having not been informed about the need to bring food and drink, I quietly starve and dehydrate. Of course I should of realised that two o'clock is a generic time .......... lets shorten the tale, its 3:45 pm when my turn arrives to be called, I was the last.

Anyway as I opened, the procedure was well managed, though another two people wanted reassurance that I knew who I was and what operation I was happening, before I got onto the table.

At 4: 30 I got to sit down in an empty room but with much better chairs, mine had eletric recline etc, and shortly after I got some documentation and was released, just in time for my transport to get stuck in the rush hour traffic.

So what's the issue I hear you say ...............there was clearly a list of people needing less than an hour in theatre, so why were we all told to report at one time when we could easily have been staggered at hoursly intervals ? ie I would come in at say 3, for paperwork, been done and went home, the staff would have a phased workload. It seems to me to be so obvious that I cannot see how anyone with basis planning experience would have devised the " get them all here for 12" strategy. Its like telling the builder, electrician, plumber and decorator all to come on the same time on same day, so they are there when needed ............. that of course would not happen, as these are people charging you £40 + a hour. Patients apparently do not count, ...... wait I pay taxes for the NHS.........

Musings from America 6 - Thanksgiving

A unique American public holiday, the Last Thursday in November, 28 Nov this year, its interesting that unlike the UK where holidays get moved to the nearest Monday usually, this is celebrated on the day. A day which seems to gave an even greater significance than Christmas and is celebrated by all Americans. It comes from the event probably exaggerated over the years, when the first settlers, well the first white settlers possibly, were saved from starvation by the Native Americans by the meal of turkey. Unfortunately the courtesy and the humanity of the natives was later repaid by wholesale slaughter and theft of their lands..........is less remembered. Like most festivals the original concept has become rose-tinted over the years and it know is a celebration of "family" . Hence people trek across the country by plane and car to their family, it seems almost compulsory. Do not try and travel the days before or after unless you like delays at airports and jams and accidents on the road.

Anyway it was my first Thanksgiving and being that it is a black family I am associated with, some other cultural influences get incorporated. Turkey is still de rigeur but accompanying vegetables etc  owe much to African and especially Zimbabwean cuisine, though on this occasion the worms, locusts and other exotica are missing but oxtail does appear.

The kitchen is a scene of semi organised chaos as the 'head chef' or most likely several people who all believe they are in charge, give instructions, check others efforts and generally create an atmosphere of chaos, men are sent out to get missing items quite often double ordered by various people, there is the lady of the house, but her position is complicated by the presence of the Mama, a power struggle occurs but somehow resolves itself with the added contributions of the sisters etc .....

The American black people and the author and observer, are handicapped by the fast paced exchange of views, instructions etc in Shona whilst the new baby cries, sleeps and generally moves through the day unaffected, ..............think carefully young man, it will not be so long before you join the chaos.

Those sent shopping, ring in with queries and to receive new instructions, it seems certain some of the cooks will be disappointed but that pragmatism will prevail before the meal.

An enquiry elicits the information that some more people will be there later, it is unclear whether they are having the meal, but the quantity of food seems to indicate they will, a throw away line,  also predicts another batch of people in the evening .............

The TV adverts indicate that consumerism has not been ignored, sales and special deals, on the occasion known as Black Friday, start in the evening for many stores, so have dinner and about 8 pm you can start shopping. The stores that persist in staying shut on thanksgiving day, open at 6 am on the Frid, family gives way to bargain hunting and the advice is to avoid shops and malls until after the weekend at the earliest.

It is November and the sun is shining, though temperatures are low, here in Tennessee, snow is rare and brief, though further North, snow ploughs are out.

🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Everything went a bit quiet until the shoppers returned with what seemed some substantial extra purchases, the power play for Head chef resumed ......... I maintained my status as the silent observer, until the "meal is ready, help yourselves" was announced ..........the only missing bit was that the turkey and the ham had not be owned by anyone and were still cooking .........hunger moved my status to participant and the other chefs' leapt into action. The setting the table chefs having denied that they had any responsibility apart from vegetables and the oxtail.

I am however happy to report that the meal was excellent...............

Two additional relatives, please do not ask me to identify their actual relationships, were present, we watched some American football, or football as it is called here, the other game played throughout the world being soccer. I have a vague sense of the game but still cannot fathom out the roles, moves nor rules ......... anyway some, no most of the men departed, bowling, ten pin, not lawn, being the suspect, and quietness descended for a few hours, and some cake and pie, until about 8pm a bus load arrived, some were known from previous gatherings, some attached in ways unknown to those, I think. Some greeted me as a long lost friend, but no one offered their name ..........drinks were dispensed and platters of food kept the microwave busy. The conversation levels, in Shona of course, this being the Nashville Diaspora, increased, the baby seemed to have genes attuned and was little troubled by his position, various ladies heaping attention, even when the dancing to loud music started. I, on the other hand made my apologies and retired upstairs, to write this blog and listen to some proper music from the golden ages of the sixties and seventies on my headphones ........sometimes you just have to admit to being a grumpy old unsociable man.

Musings from America 5 - Cars, Bureaucracy and Postmen

America is truly the place of the car, OK Herr Daimler may have been the first, but the USA has embraced them fully. It may be to do with distance but virtually every family has two or more cars, you rarely see anyone walking, apart from the car to the mall.

Now I thought I knew about car models, but clearly my European perspective missed out on the brands available and even where the brand is known, there are unheard of models.

So Scion is unique as is Plymouth, Buick, Ram trucks, though they are part of Dodge who has a few UK models, Cadillac known but rarely seen in UK ...........there are Japanese and Korean, so Toyota is big, Hyundai, Honda, Nissan are commonly sighted, ........ though the latter is pronounced Neesan, .........are all present but no sign of Renault, Citroen or other individualistic marques, but Volvo is here on a small scale, BMW, Mercedes and some Jaguars and even Range Rovers.

Since Fiat bought out Dodge and Jeep there are dealers selling Fiats now, though I have not seen many on the road. Most Americans seem to be in the "big is beautiful" sector, so whilst in the UK, Toyota's big saloon, sedan in American, is the Camry, here there are larger models like the Avalon. But look at the SUV range, UK and USA has the Rav4, though the model I saw seems to be ahead of UK ones, but here there are three bigger SUVs, a Highlander around the Jeep Grand Cherokee size and two more above that.

 Now I like big cars but have to admit I have met my ceiling in that regard, I have on hire a Chevy Suburban as mentioned previously and after a few weeks, I now pronounce it too big, too wide, too long, anything that can make a big Jeep or a Range Rover a standard SUV, with mid and full size above is really big, unless of course you are on the Interstate surrounded with three 18 wheeler artics, (say semi) in the pouring rain, then it seems marginally better, no idea how a Fiat 500 would feel ! 

This has three rows of seats and then luggage space, thankfully the parking spaces are equally wide and long.

I have however had my first and hopefully last encounter with the Police, due to a slight collision with a small Toyota Corolla, minor damage only but the police were called and turned up in about 30 minutes, with blue lights, we were off the road and safe.

Being fair I did not encounter the attitude that you see on TV and Films sometimes, and they coped with my UK licence and that I had no insurance certificate, people carry both everywhere, fine, they took details and then retreated to the patrol car for 20 minutes at least, leaving the other party and I having a pleasant conversation. Maybe I was being checked with Interpol ....... no idea but they came back and gave us a notice of the rights of citizens, you have to pay later for a full report, government agencies everywhere find ways of separating citizens from their spare cash.

I assume I am not being charged, as I never got the American Miranda caution, in the British tradition, I expressed reject but did not admit fault, though as I hit her from behind that may well count. I reported to Car hire people who were severely underwhelmed, I still have the car, but sent in an accident report.

Now that in itself is a triumph of form over function, imagine a form, barely 4 inches x 5 ( no metric stuff over here) crammed with tiny boxes to fill in detailed information, some of which was repeated in another section and unless you have tiny writing impossible.

I went UDI and typed a report covering most of the information requested, and the submitted this with my customer feedback as above.

Then the bureaucracy of Dollar Car Hire became more frustrating, you have various numbers for Customer Service, breakdown, renewal etc, I had a number for the branch but that was not answered and circulated back to the call centre. All I wanted to know was where to send this, I assumed there might be an email, wrong, I assumed the call centre would be able to advise, I guess I am not the first customer to have a prang ................but advice and helpful information was lacking and the website needs a new design and some more useful information.

As a result I printed the report, put in an envelope and posted to the Branch from which the car came. So far no reply, they are probably writing to me in the UK ! 

At least I got a chance to try out the US Postal Service, same queues, same one person open, the others closed ....... but at least a new experience. There are no postboxes, I believe you can give letters to the postman who comes round in his van, stopping at your post box which is on the edge of the property. No he does not get out, he delivers through his window and then drives on, so you must not park in front of someone's letter box.

Still an interesting experience and this continues, trips to Memphis and The Smokey Mountains to come, maybe a trip on a riverboat. More things to discover I am sure.

Musings from America 4 - Hospitals, Babies and health

Now going on holiday does not usually involve hospital visits, unless you are unlucky, or in my case due to my step daughter having her first child. It is sometime ago that I was last involved, over 30 years and whilst I can recall some things, especially the overwhelming feeling which I cannot really describe, when the baby emerges from the mother. This was a new experience.

I did not repeat that particular part as the proud Father and even prouder, if that was possible, Grandmother, were there at the birth along with a doctor two midwives, two pediatric nurses and two care assistants.  American health care is very good apparently.

This conclusion was reinforced when I went to visit the next day. The first impressions, maybe slightly unfair was the hospital approach where there was..........wait for it...... plenty of free parking ! UK readers will confirm that NHS hospitals make parking an income producing activity. 

We walked past A&E, I was later told that this was often empty waiting for people, I am sure the local inhabitants of Nottingham sitting waiting, if there any seats that is, for an hour or so, surrounded by managed chaos, as ambulances come in and more critical or serious patients take places at the front of the queue, would be surprised.

Entering the normal entrance you first see the Security Guard, directed to the lift, known as the elevator, we then had to buzz through to maternity unit. We needed to sign in, given a wrist band, and then the reception calls the patient's room and seeks her permission to let us in.

Of course every patient has their own room, ensuite naturally, TV. I saw two rooms, we got moved, and the simplest comparision is a good level hotel room with adjustable bed and oxygen !

My partner, the grandmother, or Gogo as it is called in Shona, is a nurse and her assessment of the stress load on the nursing staff vs NHS hospitals was very clearly USA low UK high.

I know the days when hospitals had strict visiting hours are mostly now relaxed, but all day seemed to be the norm, just as well as there was a succession of relatives, friends and work colleagues appearing throughout the day and Father slept on a sofa bed overnight.

Baby, Miles Judah, if anyone asks, is home and the great expedition that is child care starts. 

Of course all of this is covered by health insurance which is essential and indeed now mandatory for everyone, not much public funding here, but if you have the money or a good plan, from my limited experience USA medicine is good.

My other encounter with the system was getting an INR test done. Thus is something that I have to monitor and regulate my blood clotting by the use of warafin. Being away for several months the usual system did not apply. I was told to get tests done in USA and contact the UK hospital clinic to get the dosage altered.

This was actually quite simple, first I search goggle for testing clinics in Nashville. I find one and see the test costs $28 which is not to bad, but of course if I did need this every two weeks or so, the total cost would be more significant. Anyway I sign up on line, order a test online, pay via Paypal, get a receipt and form and the details of the clinic.

I drive to the clinic, no appointment needed, wait a short while, mainly because receptionist is AWOL, and get blood taken very competently, the computer file updated and I leave.

Two days later, I was tested on a Friday, I get an email with the results.

En passant, I reflect that the entire body of other people waiting, were there to get drug tests, I suspect court ordered or as part of some treatment regime. As a non drug user, I was in and out whilst the others still were waiting as I left.

Now came the less easy part, I thought why not email my test sheet to QMC hospital in Nottingham, they can run the calculations and email me back.............too simple, too obvious........Extensive searching revealed only one public email address for the entire Trust. I sent my results and an explanation to them, but was not convinced it would get to the right department. Remember I am on a 6 hour time difference, but on getting up at 9am here, 3pm UK, I am able to telephone before the clinic shuts at 4.

Fortunately the USA simcard I have includes free international calling to UK landlines, and I get quickly put through to a Nurse, I hear the handover, saying , "he is in America" and get my dosage instructions quickly and pleasantly. Now it needs repeating in a fortnight .........but the fact that a major Hospital Trust has not caught up with the use of email demonstrates the over conservative and bureaucratic approach of the NHS.......but solving the NHS crisis needs more time, so back to relaxing, shopping and eating, in between babies and this old man's medical issues.