NHS Question

[cd365]

A couple of Saturdays ago I had a bit of a fall on my bike, whilst freewheeling up to a junction I hit the back brake, hit a wet spot in the road and the back wheel decided it wanted to be the front wheel.

I got up, checked the bike over (fine), checked my clothing (fine), I was OK, a bit sore but nothing I couldn't live with so finished what I had planned doing a further 18 miles after my spill.

Got home, had a good look at myself I had cuts and bruising to my left arm and some cuts/scrapes on my left butt cheek.

A couple of days later I had two spots of swelling start to appear, top left of my thigh and on my left butt cheek. By Saturday just gone, the one on my thigh had almost gone but the one on my cheek was now like half a tennis ball sticking out. Yesterday morning with the pain quite intense and no signs of the swelling going away I made an appointment with my GP and went to see her. She did a few checks to see if I had broken anything, had a look at the swelling and sent me straight to A&E saying that I had a hematoma and that she wanted them to have a better look with their equipment.

Whilst checking in to the reception at A&E the receptionist asked me what happened, I explained that I had fell off my bike, she asked that since I had been in an RTA would I mind if the NHS made a claim to get some money for my treatment. I told her that I had a fall on wet tarmac and that no other vehicle was involved so who would she make a claim against. So she said, OK you mind so we won’t.

Just in case you are interested, which I doubt, after 2.5 hours waiting, a doctor saw me, obviously hadn’t read any of the notes from my triage, told me that I had a hematoma (I’d told him that was what my GP had said before he even started). I said that my GP wanted A&E to have a good look. He said it would be fine and sent me home telling me to take painkillers and have a bath. I’d messaged the wife 2 hours earlier saying that was all that they would do!

But my question is this, who would they have tried to make a claim against? All I can think of is that I would have received a letter from the NHS asking for my house insurance details to claim against that? Or am I missing something?

Sorry for the long ramble.

 

[confusedcyclist]

They probably assumed you were in a collision with a car and that an insurance firm, or the MIB might compensate them for costs following a collision. IIRC, everyone with a car insurance policy contributes a little to the MIB who settle with claimants for any costs of uninsured or untraceable drivers.

It makes sense in this scenario as it wouldn't be the tax payer that has to pick up the bill for your care if they can claim it back. Obviously though, as it wasn't a car that dunnit it wasn't relevant.

 

[raleighnut]

I get the feeling it may be down to insurance claims, if you get a payout for injuries then you may get a letter that say's "Oi we'll have some of that sonny"

 

[jefmcg]

I had a hematoma

Keep an eye on that.

It can go wrong

@vickster

 

[vickster]

Keep an eye on that.

It can go wrong

@vickster

This, can get very nasty.
Your bum should be fleshy enough to absorb the blood (could take months), my shin wasn't, haematoma size of a grapefruit got infected and I needed two operations. I and Bupa do have a driver to sue

If it gets hot or you feel unwell, go to Dr asap

 

[cd365]

They probably assumed you were in a collision with a car and that an insurance firm, or the MIB might compensate them for costs following a collision. IIRC, everyone with a car insurance policy contributes a little to the MIB who settle with claimants for any costs of uninsured or untraceable drivers.

It makes sense in this scenario as it wouldn't be the tax payer that has to pick up the bill for your care if they can claim it back. Obviously though, as it wasn't a car that dunnit it wasn't relevant.

I get the feeling it may be down to insurance claims, if you get a payout for injuries then you may get a letter that say's "Oi we'll have some of that sonny"

I had told her from the off that it was a wet road and no one else was involved though! When she mentioned an RTA I was explicit and said that I had not been involved in one (no motor vehicle was involved), but she kept pressing!

 

[cd365]

Keep an eye on that.

It can go wrong

@vickster

That's why I went to the docs, was getting worried because it was (is) getting no better.

This, can get very nasty.
Your bum should be fleshy enough to absorb the blood (could take months), my shin wasn't, haematoma size of a grapefruit got infected and I needed two operations. I and Bupa do have a driver to sue

If it gets hot or you feel unwell, go to Dr asap

Thanks @vickster I had thought that if it gets hot I should get worried, but wasn't sure if I was right or not. It isn't and I hope it doesn't get that way. If it does get worse there is always medical malpractice to sue now! lol

 

[ufkacbln]

The figures are staggering and a source of income greatly missed

One study suggests that the NHS misses out on some 3 Billion pounds a year by not following up on insurance claims and the money to which they are entitled.

 

[vickster]

That's why I went to the docs, was getting worried because it was (is) getting no better.


Thanks @vickster I had thought that if it gets hot I should get worried, but wasn't sure if I was right or not. It isn't and I hope it doesn't get that way. If it does get worse there is always medical malpractice to sue now! lol

Why medical malpractice? There's no assumption that it will get infected. Just keep a watch on it. Prophylactic antibiotics not warranted. You don't want it excised. I had to as the haematoma was agony and a threat to the bone. Not an issue on your bum

 

[KnackeredBike]

They quite probably not actually trying to claim from anyone except the Clinical Commissioning Group.

The days of hospitals getting paid a chunk of money and being told "get on with it" are long gone, in preparation for Tory privatisation you now get paid for each stage of a process and get paid bonuses for treatment outcomes, for instance, if you treat someone on the same day, and fines if you balls up.

This means it's in the hospital's interests to get someone to tick as many boxes as possible - so, for instance, rather than A&E sending you to a ward you will now be sent to a second specialised triage (more money, no fine for being in A&E for more than four hours), then get ANY initial treatment so they can say they've done something on day one, then onto a ward.

Triage is "profitable" at the moment in my CCG so everyone is fighting to get GPs to send patients straight to triage rather than A&E. Eventually the CCG will catch on to the fact they are paying to triage people for the hell of it and will move the goalposts, and all the money spent on establishing 24/7 triages will be wasted.

Behind this of course are thousands of clerks, secretaries and clinical coders who are responsible for deciding all the things they can claim for your stay.

This is apparently "competition" and therefore saving money, except the NHS is competing with the NHS 300 metres away.

 

[Simontm]

They quite probably not actually trying to claim from anyone except the Clinical Commissioning Group.

The days of hospitals getting paid a chunk of money and being told "get on with it" are long gone, in preparation for Tory privatisation you now get paid for each stage of a process and get paid bonuses for treatment outcomes, for instance, if you treat someone on the same day, and fines if you balls up.

This means it's in the hospital's interests to get someone to tick as many boxes as possible - so, for instance, rather than A&E sending you to a ward you will now be sent to a second specialised triage (more money, no fine for being in A&E for more than four hours), then get ANY initial treatment so they can say they've done something on day one, then onto a ward.

Triage is "profitable" at the moment in my CCG so everyone is fighting to get GPs to send patients straight to triage rather than A&E. Eventually the CCG will catch on to the fact they are paying to triage people for the hell of it and will move the goalposts, and all the money spent on establishing 24/7 triages will be wasted.

Behind this of course are thousands of clerks, secretaries and clinical coders who are responsible for deciding all the things they can claim for your stay.

This is apparently "competition" and therefore saving money, except the NHS is competing with the NHS 300 metres away.

It's more likely to be the NHS Injury Cost Recovery scheme where it claims back costs from insurers if there's been a successful personal injury claim.

 

[ufkacbln]

It's more likely to be the NHS Injury Cost Recovery scheme where it claims back costs from insurers if there's been a successful personal injury claim.

Which is the one missing £ 3 Bn per year

 

[GrumpyGregry]

My hematoma, on the outside of my hip, flares up from time-to-time, like overuse from running three HMs on consecutive weekends. Apparently this is not unusual.

 

[screenman]

I had told her from the off that it was a wet road and no one else was involved though! When she mentioned an RTA I was explicit and said that I had not been involved in one (no motor vehicle was involved), but she kept pressing!

You telling her and her listening are often not connected.

 

[User33236]

I work for a large NHS Trust in NW England and our 'return from sickness' forms have recently been computerised.

After the basic information is a box to tick if the absence period was the result of an RTC.

Never had to tick it for anyone so don't know what results from it.