Christmas OOH

Re: Christmas OOH

Hannah Wynne Richards — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:08:24 GMT

Gillian I don't know who gave you the red star-I've tried to give you 5 golds-at least you and I can argue without it getting personal

Happy New Year

Wynne

Re: Christmas OOH

Gillian Mostyn — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:22:28 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]PS I thought it wouldn't be long before we were arguing again [/quote]

Re: Christmas OOH

Wren — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:46:29 GMT

Mixed practice, 4.5 vets

I didn't do Xmas but apparently one badly fractured puppy leg on Xmas Eve (referred) and that was about it!

I am on call from now through to the 3rd - what do you bet my ride isn't so smooth?

Re: Christmas OOH

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:23:28 GMT

As it happens Gillian the answer is definitely YES I didn't actually need a doctor, just paracetamol and hot water bottles and plenty to drink-but if my flu had degenerated into double pneumonia, I would have expected a doctor to be available-and our patients deserve no less We didn't have to be veterinary surgeons we voluntarily chose to join a profession dedicated to treating sick animals whenever they require that treatment, so we ought to take the rough with the smooth and stop whinging

To someone of my generation (and admittedly old-fashioned views ) keeping on reasonable terms with neighbouring practices is just part of normal professional courtesy

You finished with "no practice available " How many times is it necessary to repeat RCVS have already made allowances for the genuinely very very rare occurrence in genuinely remote areas where they expect veterinary surgeons to do their best to provide a 24 hour service, but take a pragmatic view when that very very occaisionally fails ? Current regulations already make allowances for when it is TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE to provide cover This does not provide a moral justification for all and sundry attempting to get out of their obligations to our patients

I am still totally opposed to any further dilution of our 24/7 obligation

Wynne

PS I thought it wouldn't be long before we were arguing again

Re: Christmas OOH

Tim Cheyne — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:22:17 GMT

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"][quote user="Lucy K"]

Take a trip to Budapest Tim. They're everywhere! They are lovely dogs but a bit too much like English Pointers on speed for my liking! I've yet to meet a calm one.

[/quote]

You must have been to a different budapest - they're more a plains dog than a city dog! :)

[/quote]

Well, as I am unlikely to visit Budapest I accept the words of both of you!

Thanks for replying, anyway.

Tim.

Re: Christmas OOH

Mark Hedberg — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:22:23 GMT

[quote user="Lucy K"]

Take a trip to Budapest Tim. They're everywhere! They are lovely dogs but a bit too much like English Pointers on speed for my liking! I've yet to meet a calm one.

[/quote]

You must have been to a different budapest - they're more a plains dog than a city dog! :)

Re: Christmas OOH

Jacquin Mitchell — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 21:17:55 GMT

I have a very quiet mobile practice but the phone always goes non stop at this time of the year with people who want me to come out and see their animals, when they normally see another vet. 80% of them are too far away for me to get to, another 5 couldn't wait for my DH to get home and take over the kids, 3 more were 'How Much?' and the one call that was from an actual client of mine culminated in a peaceful PTS.

For those of you who are concerned about the ones I didn't see, the area is crawling with Medivets and VetsNow, these people just didn't want to have to take their pets to them and thought they'd sound me out first.

Re: Christmas OOH

Gillian Mostyn — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:21:25 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]Have dragged myself in to work today, but am asking 9and paying the covering practice to do tonight[/quote]

Sorry - can't resist. Just feeling mischievous.

We've had this conversation before, but what would you do if your illness lasted quite a few days and your covering practice refused or, worse, there wasn't a covering practice at all?

Still think that we should all have to provide OOH or risk disciplinary action, without any exceptions or special circumstances?????

Re: Christmas OOH

Hannah Wynne Richards — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:00:03 GMT

I was off but went down with flu Spent most of the holiday in bed Have dragged myself in to work today, but am asking 9and paying the covering practice to do tonight

Wynne

Re: Christmas OOH

Lorna McHardy — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:51:45 GMT

I shared it with a colleague. Between us, we had 14 euthanasias, one dead on arrival, and one dead under GA.

If the new year weekend's anything like it, I'm changing my name to Typhoid Mary

Re: Christmas OOH

Stephen Courtney — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:13:31 GMT

[quote user="nikki"]

I didn't have to do any on call over xmas but chose to do a couple of shifts for Vets Now.

[/quote]

I wondered how manic Vets Now could get...hats off to you guys!

Re: Christmas OOH

Lucy K — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:35:24 GMT

Take a trip to Budapest Tim. They're everywhere! They are lovely dogs but a bit too much like English Pointers on speed for my liking! I've yet to meet a calm one.

Re: Christmas OOH

Tim Cheyne — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:22:30 GMT

[quote user="Lucy K"]

.......We had a viszla.........

[/quote]

Had to look that one up on Google, new to me but sounds a nice dog.

Tim.

Re: Christmas OOH

nikki — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 01:45:21 GMT

I didn't have to do any on call over xmas but chose to do a couple of shifts for Vets Now. Our clinic covers an awful lot of local practices - wouldn't like to think about how many FT vets we are covering for.

Yesterday they had been really busy during the day with a c-section, RTA, seizuring animals of varying types but the evening was very quiet. We had a couple of stable in-patients (a pyothorax which is on the mend and not much else) and I saw 3 and had to put them all to sleep - RTA cat with # spine, ancient Rottie pouring blood out of its back end with a HR of 200 and so shocky its peripheral circulation was kaput and an old deaf/blind Collie x with vestibular disease on top of a host of other probs. Apparantly today was v quiet but this evening was mad - in-patients from before and an extra which had been stitched up in the daytime then we had a huge GDV in a Dogue de Bordeaux and various other injuries and illnesses, 2 others admitted onto IVFT, a wound patched up to be sutured tomorrow and everything else sent away again.

Not really looking forward to tomorrow as suspect it will be mad and we are a couple of vets down due to holidays.

Re: Christmas OOH

Joyce Whitehead — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:04:44 GMT

Small animal/equine practice - 3.5 FTE vets. We were on duty (husband and wife) from Christmas Eve till this morning. Medical colic admitted Saturday morning, owners declined surgery as not insured and not worth much. Stable most of the day, but deteriorated late evening and euthanased 1am Christmas morning. Rest of Christmas Day quiet.

Boxing Day - one horse stitch up, subsequently admitted for wound flushing and IV antibiotics, and 10pm collapsed dog which turned out to be ketoacidotic, but also with heart disease, kept overnight but owners opted for euthanasia this morning. Off today, but there has been at least one colic and one Boxing Day hunt injury to see, not sure yet what else.

So not a good start to Christmas, and rather tired due to late night calls, but we still managed to cook for the rest of the family on Christmas Day, and enjoy it too!

Hope everyone has a peaceful New Year (we are off duty, hurrah!).

Re: Christmas OOH

Alan Tevendale — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:14:38 GMT

Not been too bad here. Just been on yesterday and today so far and we've had a down cow, two euthanasias, one bitch caeser, a stitch up and finally a dressing change. One phone call from the zoo as they had found a stray dog. Throw in a few farmers collecting drugs and it's been enough to keep us amused. I am however working right through until 5pm on Thursday.

Re: Christmas OOH

Stephen Courtney — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:26:05 GMT

So just in case you haven't realised, the list of case types were not all seen by one vet on one duty shift, but were more an accumulation that was waiting for me on my shifts, as well as new cases that came my way.

Re: Christmas OOH

Stephen Courtney — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:22:44 GMT

We provide cover for a fair few neighbouring practices, i would guess close to 30 FTE VS's including our own.

We do either a night shift, a day shift in wards, or a morning shift in consults ( though not on Christmas morning). so in the morning there is a ward vet ( 8am to 7pm) , and a consulting vet (9am-12pm). the night vet arrives at about 6pm, and the daytime ward vet usually leaves after a hand over, but depends on how things are going - usually you would finish something you had started! We have 3 nurses during the daylight hours, and two at night. We also had daytime reception cover on boxing day and today, which makes a massive difference - it is so frustrating when you are waiting to do something and the nurse keeps getting caught on the phone ( or you do!)

In addition to what comes in via phone calls and unannounced arrivals at the door, we also have in-patients to deal with and will provide hospitalisation with 24hr care for our client practices. fortunately these last few days the wards have been lightly populated, and critical cases have been just a couple.

So long as things go steadily, it is all doable and we have a good team with brilliant nurses. What i struggle with is multi-tasking, where you have to prioritise your actions, these include not only treating and investigating cases, but looking at in-patients, filling out the notes, entering things on the computer...and worst of all phoning people about their pets. the busier we get, the harder the phone calls become to manage.Sadly, this means that the pushier clients get the best communication, which is something I resent intensely.

Invariably requests for visits cause mayhem. We fit them in as best we can if we can't persuade people that is is not really in their animal's best interests to wait until a vet and nurse is free to come out. We don't have a second call, it might be nice but would mean an increase in on-call that none of us would relish. If the ordure really hit the fan, we get someone to ring around our colleagues and see if anyone is available to help out - we are a big practice and there is usually someone who can save the day!

As frantic as it can get, the saving grace is that we just do a shift, so there is always an end in sight! I'm in awe of farm vets, who i have to admit i think of as 'real' vets a la Herriot, who have a far more strenuous lifestyle!

Re: Christmas OOH

Busybee — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:50:52 GMT

Stephen, that does sound manic!

I was on call from 8.30am Christmas Eve to 8.30am Boxing Day. Saturday morning surgery was steady and one call out for a PTS. Saw one dog saturday afternoon with acute collapse (followed by acute recovery!) and only had one call Christmas day for an old man with an old cat that had been ticking over for weeks and he just wanted to book an appointment for Wednesday! So got off very lightly :) Not sure how the vets on Boxing day and today got on. Oh, and no in patients either!

Mixed practice 80% small, covering 5 full time vets.

Re: Christmas OOH

Lucy K — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:37:34 GMT

I was one of the students on at my uni clinic last night. We had a viszla with peritonitis and pancreatitis, a rottie with IMHA, a vibrating cat with suspect ethylene glycol toxicosis and a yorkie with tracheal collapse. Oh and ummmm my own foster-beagle who ate something delicious off the street-buffet and gave herself gastroeneteritis, requiring fluids.

Not so bad - that's just ICU. There were more in the surgical ward but I didn't get a chance to see what they were.

Re: Christmas OOH

Tim Cheyne — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:50:46 GMT

The most frustrating Christmas visit that I had some years ago was leaving my dinner and driving forty miles to 'a poultry epidemic' and being shown two anaemic chicken carcases infested with red mite; obvious to the owner and the referring vet (but he did not visit. Well, it was Christmas Day, wasn't it?). My thoughts were not particularly 'Seasonal"; 'Goodwill to all men', you must be joking.

Tim.

Re: Christmas OOH

Michael Woodhouse — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:06:38 GMT

For this to be fair we need the number of full time equivalent day vets you are covering for - that sounds manic!

I calved a cow tea time on Christmas Day and another 7am Boxing day morning. Been off this afternoon, but on all day tomorrow.

Mixed practice 80% large animal, covering for 4 FTE vets!

Thought I got off quite light.