Long post, make a cuppa and get comfortable before reading.
Well the cc of the email to my solicitor appears to have worked and I did get a reply. the email did apologise for the person quoting Terms and Conditions which were broken anyway, they also advised my bracelet was on the way, I decided to sit back and wait.
Well the bracelet finally arrived after nearly 7 (yes SEVEN) weeks! And to be frank I am a tad disappointed. In my previous post I pointed out that the engraving machine used by Medic Alert UK cannot engrave a Spanish 'é' however, now it seems it is incapable of etching a simple phone number! The first obvious problem is the font is a little on the small side but, the last two digits touch each other making 18 look like a B! Add this to the fact that a previous poster pointed out they had a spelling mistake on their emblem shows there are definite quality control issues, how did they let these emblems out of the workshop, just who was proof reading them? The chain attached to the emblem whilst quite light in appearance seems good and strong but, the round links that connect the chain to the emblem are in fact simple pieces of wire with the ends pushed together, the first time this gets caught on a sleeve etc the links will open and it will without doubt be lost in very short order, a sensible solution would have been to solder them, but then you would never lose one, you know where this is going right? Stop it Dave you are being cynical, Medic Alert would probably replace it free of charge, oh oh, have you seen the size of that flying pig? :mrgreen:
Of course there is an upside to wearing the bracelet, it does carry the phone number of the Ambulance service of the UK and also a code which gives the caller your personal details or even the details be offered to the ambulance being sent to your aid. This in itself is a great idea however on the face of it though I think modern technology now outdates the usefulness of this system.
Let me offer an example keeping in mind this could apply to anyone not just a diabetic/heart patient or anyone else for that matter.
I am in the UK and and collapse on the pavement. The first person who comes to my aid will almost certainly have a mobile phone if not, another bystander/helper without a mobile is very unlikely so they will do one of two things. They will either ring 999 something UK dwellers will be familiar with, or the less known 112 service. Or they will see the bracelet/necklace which identifies you as a diabetic and ring the number on there which also goes direct to the ambulance service, or would they? It does not mention who the number contacts, it could be a relative, so with uncertainty they would probably ring 999 anyway. A card in your wallet/handbag is unlikely to be found by Joe public, it could be construed they were robbing from you, they are unlikely to go through your personal belongings.
The difference thus far is the slight delay of deciding whether to ring the number on the bracelet or 999, there is also the delay answering the question 'which service do you require?'
So the ambulance service is on the way, let us assume the bracelet has been discovered and the information has been relayed to the ambulance operator, he or she can relay that to the ambulance/paramedic crew already dispatched to your location however, whilst noting the information they still follow a set procedure. The ambulance operator will also be able to advise the person assisting you if there is anything they can do to help, great so far, there is also a reference number which can allow the service to pick up other information about you, other ailments etc.
At this point the bracelet has helped by virtue of giving the information you are a diabetic, if you did not have the bracelet then the paramedic/s would follow a well rehearsed diagnostic procedure and should have an idea how to help you within a few minutes anyway. The bracelet without doubt will have helped with the procedure and offered a clue to your problem but the paramedics do not assume you have collapsed due to diabetes, the procedure of diagnostics is the same, I however like the idea of being responsible and made the effort, to wear/carry something to help in the event I was not 'with it'.
Now let us look at my personal case, I wanted something that can be worn with the pertinent information however, living in Spain most of the time means in the event of an emergency, I can safely assume I would be dealt with by a Spanish paramedic. From this point you can assume the procedures would be followed as per the UK service. The bracelet does have a number to ring with the international code for the UK and it seems there will be a translator available but this will all take time. So a bracelet or necklace's usefulness is limited until the emergency IS OVER!
Now having your name and address and next of kin is great, it is also true you may have other ailments and cannot get all the information on the 'emblem' you are wearing then all should be well, if this information was not available then, without doubt there would be a delay in a family member being contacted assuming they were needed (I explain later why this might not happen anyway), and fully understandably this has to be paid for, and that is my point.
In this modern day and age is there a more cost effective idea? Many of us now know that if you put ICE1, ICE2 (In Case of Emergency) in front of a contacts name in your phone, this is assumed by the emergency services that you wish the number/contact to be called in an emergency AFTER they have concluded you are not going to be able to do this yourself in the very near future, also if you put AA in front of a contact the name always comes up first in the directory. So is that great idea? Not really, because many of us lock our phones (or it locks automatically) so the only number that is allowed to be dialled is 999/112, so most phone's are as useful as a chocolate fire guard if you are unable to give the PIN number, add to this the statistical fact that less than 25% of the European population knows what ICE means anyway.....did you?
So my decision is this, I am going to have a necklace made and use two 'dog tags', with the following information, keep in mind you can use both sides of each tag and the ability to wear them one at a time or as I will both, then not needing to remember when I am travelling to switch tags and spend time looking for the appropriate one.
ENGLAND Obvious to most right?
Name DOB Used by most authorities to identify you anyway
Diabetic Self explanatory
Call 999 Understood by any cognitive person living in the UK
NHS number Your personal medical record/next of kin on a computer and accessible in a minute
The other tag:
España
Name DOB
Diabético
Llamar 112
Spanish hospital number
So there are limitations to this but, all the necessary information is there to help a 1st responder AND gain access to both of my hospital records wherever I am very quickly in the correct language, it is possible to add a family number on there but the reality is, that if you were seriously hurt and near to death or God forbid dead they would not ring the family anyway, this is always done face to face. It is reasonable to assume your doctor/hospital knows where you live, and of course they have next of kin information, worth noting is your hospital records are linked to your passport if you have one, Big Brother in this case a definite advantage and, if you are out of the UK you will have used a passport, your passport information is available to EVERY country regardless of where you are in the world, it would not be unreasonable to add the passport number if you felt like it? What would you add/alter on my proposed tags?
In a nutshell, a necklace/bracelet/card is in my opinion a very comforting and responsible thing to have about your person however, you have to (quite rightly) contact Medic Alert (or your chosen company) with changes to your medication/condition as and when it happens to make it pertinent and reliable, something your doctor/hospital obviously already has NOW, add to this the yearly subscription costs which whilst understandable are in fact in my opinion, NOT a necessity in this modern world, think about it.
Dave MH
