Doesn’t Need A Bank Or A Post Office But A Hospital
BAD BEHAVIOR, BANK, BIZARRE, ENGLAND, HEALTH & BODY, PATIENTS, UK | HEALTHY RIGHT | JANUARY 19, 2019
(I have been helping a patron set up a direct debit.)
Me: “And is there anything else I can help you with today?”
Patron: “Yes, can I have a packet of first-class stamps?”
Me: “Oh, I’m afraid we don’t offer stamps, but there is a post office just down the road. Just head right as you step outside.”
(Her head does this awkward jerk and she looks around in confusion.)
Patron: “This isn’t a post office?”
Me: “No, it’s a bank.”
(She looks furious, but before she can say anything else, she collapses on the floor. I’m the closest first-aider so I go into action. The door security guard calls 999. It looks like she’s having an epileptic fit, so I try my best to work with my training. I check her handbag for an identity card, but can’t find one. The guard walks over and tells me EMTs are coming just as our manager answers the phone. He looks so confused, but he addresses us.)
Manager: “What’s her name?”
Me: “What? How is that relevant?”
Manager: “I’ve got one of the paramedics on the phone. She’s asking.”
Me: *confused* “[Patron].”
Manager: “It’s [Patron]…” *to me* “She says to put a cushion under her head and check her handbag.”
Me: “Already done. I couldn’t find anything. I don’t know if she’s epileptic.”
(He tells the paramedic.)
Manager: “Was there anything drug-related in the bag? Pills? She’s asking for a colour.”
(I grab the bag and check. There is a small, clear bag in one of the side pockets. I don’t touch it but I can see small, round tablets.)
Me: “They’re pink.”
Manager: “Pin– Oh, they’re already here.”
(Literally as he says this, the EMTs burst through the door, with the woman my manager was speaking to hanging up.)
EMT: “Sorry, once we knew it was [Patron], we knew we had to hurry.”
(I surrender her to the EMTs. After a few minutes and an IV, she comes around. She is laughing and quite jolly with them as they take her away on a gurney.)
EMT: “Thanks for the help. I’ll just need to ask some questions.”
Me: “Sure, but how did you know it was her?”
EMT: “Sweetie, I’ve lost count of the number of times we’ve been called out for her. Now we just take it as standard to call ahead when we’re told it’s a middle-aged woman.”
(I really have to commend them. I can’t imagine having to deal with the same woman time and time again as she slowly destroys herself.)
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