These pictures are a little dark and blurry – because my crappy phone camera doesn’t have a flash and because they were taken in a hurry. After all, you’re not really supposed to take photographs in hospital corridors are you? Probably not. Both are signs from NHS hospitals I’ve been involved with and they are both regarding “assessments”…
I took this first photo when going to get assessed, before having my gallbladder removed.
Yes, that’s right – I was about to let these people slice me open and rip out one of my organs, when they couldn’t even get their sign right. I mean, come ON, somebody accepted this sign (or did they order it to be like that?), then someone else put it up, then all the staff walked under it day after day… But nobody noticed it was WRONG? Or were they too sloppy to care? Either way, it worried me. The op was a success, luckily.
My second photo is from the hospital that treated my Dad for cancer (he is now dead, sadly).
Again it mentions assessments and I suppose I should be glad that they can spell the word… But STILL the sign gave me a “What the f*ck?!” feeling – because they appeared to be assessing penguins. Despite that and the existence of “Panda Ward”, this was not an Animal Hospital… So I had to assume the place was being run by Surrealists, crack addicts, or Furries – which worried me almost as much as the misspelt sign back at the hospital that treated me.
My final assessment of all this? Based on my photos – the signs are not good.
Blogmella's Handbag Of Wisdom 
I’m sorry, but what’s wrong with the first sign? I don’t get it….
Oh, right. LOL! I AM as bad as they are. ;)
It says “Assessmemt”, with an m imstead of an n. You’re as bad as they are! Hahaha (although their sign is about 4 feet long).
“Assessment” is the area where they go through your pockets/wallet/purse in an effort to determine whether you’re able to pay what they tell you.
As far as “Assessmemt”, I have no idea what the hell that is.
No, I’m in the UK! I don’t have to pay a thing.
Therefore, it is the area where they check all your health details… And then lose the vital printouts, so that just before surgery the checks have to be done again.
Did you write this post for the dodgy joke at the end?
God no – that was my sad and desperate attempt to round the thing off!
The Penguin and Panda sections would worry me I think. But who is Richard Watts and why does he get his own unit? And the Way out – main entrance thing makes it sound like you’re going around in circles, LOL.
Sorry about your dad.
Thanks. And I have no idea who Richard Watts is – probably some kind of Zoo Keeper.
You don’t pay anything for medical care? Over here we live in fear of getting sick. Getting sick means going bankrupt and/or dying because you can’t afford the doctor bills. No one I know can afford insurance, unless they are very poor and then the state pays.
We pay “National Insurance”, as part of our tax system and that ensures free medical treatment for anyone who needs it. Sometimes we have waiting lists for operations and not everything is perfect but nobody ever has to live in fear. Whatever happens, we know we will not have to pay. People who are not very poor have to contribute to the cost of prescription drugs (unless they are part of hospital treatment) and some basic dental costs (cosmetic dental work has to be paid for privately too) but anything else is free.
Chuildbirth, cancer treatment, accidents, scans – nothing has to be paid for (unless you want to go private and jump queues etc.).
I don’t follow politics much (or at all), but Obama is trying to do something like that here. Insurance will be mandatory and you will be fined for not having it. If he’s talking about a national insurance, it wouldn’t be so bad, but if he means insurance through a private company, I’ll have to move somewhere else. Private health insurance is ridiculous and there is no way I could afford it on my wages.
I know Obama’s plan is causing a big kerfluffle here. No one wants socialized medicine but no one can come up with a plan that everyone can afford. In the meantime, I have to be nearly dead before I will go to the doctor.
I’m sorry you have that system. I think Obama wanted what we have but people won’t support him. The idea that people will be forced to use private companies is odd… But I don’t know the details. National Insurance is the way forward, because it is linked to earnings.
The “way out – main entrance” is a little wonky too. (It’s like the grooviest main entrance ever.)
But it was the penguin assessment ward and the notion of a hospital run by furries that really had me in…(wait for it)…stitches.
Haha! Yeah, coming through the entrance is obviously some kind of psychedelic “happening”, although I can’t remember it. (If I could remember it, I probably wasn’t there though, right?).
I’m glad you enjoyed the post enough to make that awful “stitches” joke. Hehehe. Your blog is awesome by the way.
It was rather unforgiveable. My apologies.
(And thanks for the compliment. I enjoyed your post a great deal and look forward to reading more.)
Here’s my Assessmemt: I’d gladly trade a few misspelling and share my ward with pandas if I could actually get some kind of health care.
Have you ever tried to get a penguin to turn its head and cough? It’s a difficult task and one that takes years of schooling and practice.
I bet it does! But yes, I know we are lucky. Reading the experiences Americans have with health really scares me.