Protect the NHS, part 2. Reduce avoidable hospital admissions.

[Fab Foodie]

I once almost broke my ankle whilst filling up a bird feeder, how would I do that more safely?

Move that bicycle out the way...

 

[Rezillo]

This morning, it was blowing a gale and our rooftop weathervane decided that 20 years on a roof was long enough and it would shear most of its rusted mounts and dangle by the two that remained. A mass of sharp and heavy iron now hung at an angle several metres above the ground creaking ominously as its vane swayed in the wind.

I couldn't leave it dangling there as it could drop and blow into the road or onto a walker so there I was up the top of my two part ladder in a steady 40mph wind with a hacksaw and bolt croppers (nothing fancy about cutting it down). I was very relieved when it all crashed to the ground and I could climb back down.

 

[Venod]

with a hacksaw

You sawed vane, I bet you think this thread is about you.

 

[MarkF]

I often work in one of the busiest A&E departments in the country, I have met 1 cyclist in there in 5 years! He had a broken arm. Just go and ride, enjoy life and stay healthy.

 

[Profpointy]

Skolly on his commute telling others to ride safely

View attachment 556009

He's been emulating the land speed record chap in the Vincent motorcycle

 

[Mr Celine]

I have only ever once required medical treatment as a result of a cycling injury. That was sustained falling off at walking speed. (Broken radial head, and it was two weeks before I went to the docs).
I'll carry on as normal thank you very much.

 

[Rusty Nails]

I'm sure we all watched the BoJo speech yesterday with dismay, but a feeling of inevitability, as he set out the re-introduction of national stiffer restrictions? Personally I found it quite shocking as he described the prospect of medical staff being overwhelmed and forced to decide which patients to treat while others have to be allowed to die! It was also alarming that this situation was potentially only a few weeks away.

Obviously, if the data analysis is sound, we must act now to avoid this. Nobody can really argue with that? Something that was stressed during the announcement was that we, the population, should keep our existing NHS appointments, continue current treatment and medication and seek medical help for new conditions or problems in the normal way for the time being. Essentially, business as usual at the NHS, but stay at home to reduce the CV spread and impact.

Today a cycling buddy fell off his bike. No one else involved, just a mistake on his part or maybe some oil on the wet road and luckily he walked away and called his wife to pick him up. However, this could easily have had a different outcome and resulted in hospitalisation. This has reminded me of the last Covid spike crisis in the spring when a lot of activity and sports enthusiasts cut right back on the amount and level of activity to reduce the chance of being hospitalised due to avoidable injuries and therefore avoid being a burden to the NHS at a critical moment.

Todays incident has reminded me that maybe it is time to revisit this strategy? Nobody ever really intends to injure themselves this way, but we all have an accepted level of risk, chances we are happy to take, or expose ourselves to risk through inattention or lack of foresight.

As cyclists is it again time we proactively reduce our exposure to injury risk in order to reduce avoidable hospitalisations?

Don't most accidents requiring hospital visits take place at home or in the work place?

We all have a duty to not go to work and get out of the house as much as possible, but not to ride in a car, or cross the road.

Personally, I'm giving up base-jumping during any lockdown.

 

[classic33]

Yes you do.

Every time you put a forkful of food into your mouth you risk choking. Every time you pull your pants on in the morning you risk falling over (I believe that, anecdotally, putting on trousers causes quite a large number of hospitalisations each year). Every time you do something, either mundane or extraordinary, you are exposed to an associated risk. We accept these risks constantly, either because there are low consequences or the likely hood is perceived to be low.
You most certainly do take risks when riding a bicycle.

Not sure how you have arrived at that conclusion from the statements I have posted in this thread? I agree that cycling is not inherently dangerous.

I am just suggesting that, now more than ever, we take care. Not everyone will be able or need to change anything, but perhaps rather than putting so much energy into starting an argument, it would be a better use of your time and effort to take a step back and do a quick risk assessment of your activities?

A bit old, but they do give an idea behind the numbers
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jun/07/angeliquechrisafis1

 

[Blue Hills]

I once almost broke my ankle whilst filling up a bird feeder, how would I do that more safely?

Shoot the food at selected lucky birds?

 

[hoopdriver]

Shoot the food at selected lucky birds?

Feed them bird shot and then dine on pheasant...

 

[Drago]

How much more money is your wonderful NHS going to extract out of the economy to achieve diddly squat?
Answer me this question...if this second wave has been seen coming why has no-one done anything to stop it? What is actually being done to eradicate this virus? Nothing that anyone can see. All efforts are directed to finding as many positives as possible. And then what? Self isolate for 14 days then carry on as before. That's a really goood way of dealing with the problem. Ostriches have more perception with their heads in the sand than the bosses in your wonderful NHS.
NHS bosses sit back on thier big fat arses/salaries and just complain that they want more. Just like Oliver Twist they always want more. They never deliver more. Unless you want a baby or the doctors think they can get on a TV programme, you are just at the end of a very, very long waiting list.
We no longer have an NHS, all we have is a National Virus Service.
The boss of our local hospital, a small one, takes home £500,000 per annum. That's half a million pounds going to one person running a small hospital. Then there are all the assistants and deputies. It costs a small fortune to get nothing.

And have you seen today's news? The data that this lockdown is worked on is already out of date and is a minimum of 4 times overstated. But never let the facts get in the way of a good lockdown.

The NHS doesn't have a clue, and hasn't had a clue for years.

Indeed. Mrs D briefly worked in the NHS and it did her head in. Managers managing managers managing managers, whole tiers of managers with nothing to do but manage managers below them while in turn being managed by managers above them, with very few making an actual contribution to either healthcare or service delivery. Mrs D, with an MBA so no small expertise in the area of business managememt, just couldn't get her head around the vast waste and willfilly crass inefficiency so she walked before she said something that got her sacked.

Thr NHS is hardly short of cash but even so, if the dead wood were cut out - well paid dead wood, by and large earning far more than the typical clinically trained staff member - then it would be rolling in lolly.

 

[kingrollo]

cycling uk asking for clarity.

https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-uk-urges-government-clarity-cycling-rules-278421

 

[weareHKR]

Indeed. Mrs D briefly worked in the NHS and it did her head in. Managers managing managers managing managers, whole tiers of managers with nothing to do but manage managers below them while in turn being managed by managers above them, with very few making an actual contribution to either healthcare or service delivery. Mrs D, with an MBA so no small expertise in the area of business managememt, just couldn't get her head around the vast waste and willfilly crass inefficiency so she walked before she said something that got her sacked.

Thr NHS is hardly short of cash but even so, if the dead wood were cut out - well paid dead wood, by and large earning far more than the typical clinically trained staff member - then it would be rolling in lolly.

Spot on Drago... & yes I have several family members in the profession who say the exact same...

 

[rivers]

I've still got to go to work (I work in a university and until the VC says otherwise, I need to be on campus), and my preferred way to get to work in cycling. I'm not going to start driving in regularly any time soon. I'll still go out once a week for a ride, either on my own or with a friend. However, I will keep them sub-50 miles (it's winter after all). And if I want to cycle with more than one friend, well we've already got our weekly Sunday Zwift and discord sessions set-up. It got us through the last lockdown. Getting out on the bike keeps me sane, which is something I'm not going to give up.

 

[Blue Hills]

cycling uk asking for clarity.

https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-uk-urges-government-clarity-cycling-rules-278421

as some of the comments say a big mistake to ask this question.
Just take care folk, don't mix with more folk than you are supposed to, and use common sense.

If some penpusher now feels that it's their project to devise some barmy restrictive set of rules we all know that cycling uk are the folk to blame.

I will be cycling solo, keeping my distance from folk and taking my own supplies but I don't want some nit trying to tell me where I can go.