"999"/"111" "Hello what service do you require?"

I would have to say that one of the most difficult things about living on the cut is accessing emergence services.

Due to living on the water it is not like you are able to receive door to door service form any emergency service that you may require.

This is some thing that I personal had to deal with nice living on the cut and have alway insured that we have moored near a main road if possible or a bridge that is near a road.

When you have children aboard and are pregnant there health must come first.

However people always tend to forget how import it is to keep them selves safe and how mooring next to other boaters, near roads, bridges, pubs and built up areas etc could be the matter between life and death.

Not to mention knowing your surroundings and which hospital you many end up and how you will get home once you are discharged so carrying some money with you, knowing a cash machine, taxi number or having someone pick you up is something that you seriously need to think of.

I know a lot of what I have said is common sense, how ever when you constantly move around and are not tied to one particular area it is surprising how much things can change in such a short space of time especially Publish Services e.g

Local Bus Services
Shops available
Post Offices
Leisure Services

I have found this a lot since traveling in an around Warwickshire that most dissension that are  made within Warwickshire are agreed by Warwickshire Country Council.  There has even been talks that all decisions for places like Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council many be made and go though Warwick direct.

You may be thinking how dose this effect me?  Especially when you live on the cut, but it would effect any one wishing to claim benefit sure as Housing Benefits to help pay for there Boat Licence.  It would mean having to travel to Warwick and apply for your licence there.

One of the main things that I personal have breathed a sire of relief of is that the Maternity Unit is currently being refurbished at George Eliot Hospital.  This means that I should have no problem having my second child there IF we are in the area when my baby desired to enter this world.

http://www.geh.nhs.uk/

A few years ago George Eliot use to have a children's ward called "Catrina Ward", which as now closed.  There still have facilities at A&E for child but for any thing major you must take your children to Coventry University Hospital.

To my knowledge if you were to phone 999 for your child it would be Coventry University Hospital that you would be taken too.

http://www.uhcw.nhs.uk/

At present you can get between George Eliot Hospital and Coventry University Hospital  it is a service that is provided by Travel De Courcey

http://www.traveldecourcey.com/default.aspx

At present the estimated cost in a taxi from Coventry University Hospital to Nuneaton is about £70.00 one way.

At present the estimated cost in a taxi from Atherstone to George Eliot Hospital Nuneaton is about £40.00 one way.

When my son took ill in November 2014 we were moored at the Anchor Pub it cost me £40.00 in total.

With myself I ended up have to make around 8 calls to 999 and be admitted to A&E at George Eliot Hospital lucky I was only moored in Atherstone of very local to the Hospital so was able to walk home or stay with friends and family that live local to the area.

With regards to doctors surgery I still use a families address for my son and myself and use the GP Lead Health Center in Nuneaton that was set up to relive pressure off the Local hospital by also being a Walk in and out of hours surgery.

http://www.gpledhealthcentre.warwickshire.nhs.uk/

For the past 5 years or so this as been great and there needs to be more surgery in the UK like this.

I choose this surgery because it is open 8.00-20.00 7 days open week and 365(6) days of the year.  I got in trouble with a lot of employers over this who refused to believe that I could see a GP on a Saturday or Sunday morning when I was so sick a few years back that I ended up being bed ridden for almost a month sold.

Living on a Narrow boat, it has helped to be linked to a surgery like this and able to use a hospital so close to the cut, I would recommend both of these NHS Service to any boater especially one with a long term illness, disability, long term treatment or possibly needing an operation.

It is a shame that both George Eliot Hospital and the GP Lead Health Center are always facing budget cuts, being Privatized and being given negative feed back in the press from time to time.

I am able to travel along the Coventry Canal for my medical appointments when I am required to do so for both myself and my son.  We are lucky to get all of our appointments either on the same day or in the same week.

At times we have used public transports if moored too far away or have a medical emergency, that way Alan can take his time to move the boat if required and meet use there later on in the day or week.


Below I have put some local news reports that may interested in reading.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/283778/WalkInCentreFinalReportFeb14.pdf

"STILL WATERS RUN DEEP"

Between about the 11th April 2015-14th April 2015 we were probable the most HATE people on the cut and the most talked about after I posted a phone conversation on my You Tube count between Mr Alan Baxter and a member of the Canal and River Trust.

Some of the comment that we revived were unbelievable and the post finally was take down by "Narrowboat Users Group" after being posted by Mr N Brown Founder, Legal Officer, Secretary at the National Bargee Travelers Association.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Bargee-Travellers-Association/344120208964161?pnref=lhc

www.bargee-traveller.org.uk

With in one day we had over 1,000 people view the conversation that can be found at the below link.

https://youtu.be/4u5k9DCiyXU

The You Tube link was shared at the following Face book Sites listed below.

Canal Dwellers R Us
Boating Families
K & A Boaters
London Boaters
NBTA Users Group
Oxford Narrowboat Engineering
Lock 88
River Lea & Stort Boaters
Rickmansworth and Watford Boaters.

Below are some of the comments that were made.  I have tried to remove personal details.

• Fabulous, we should all record our phone calls to them 

  12 April at 14:09 · Like · 4
•  Nice one! Did you get a letter?

  12 April at 14:47 · Like · 1
• Well held Alan! That WAS an intentionally intimidating telephone call.

  12 April at 14:52 · Like · 1
•  reckon that let him know he bit off more than he can chew,

  12 April at 15:40 · Like 
•  This needs to be shared on the CRT page lol...

  12 April at 16:21 · Like · 2
•  CRT believe that they can be vague on rule definition but law of the land always over rules ace handling of a very aggressive caller good for you

  12 April at 16:28 · Like · 5
• Well handled that man!

  12 April at 18:25 · Like · 3
• .. class... game on...

  12 April at 18:35 · Like · 5
•  Stunning. The level of communication from someone perporting to be a 'professional' beggars belief. There's a training opportunity waiting for someone to suggest how to hold a customer service call with customers. This is a fine example of what NOT to do.

  12 April at 21:22 · Like · 3
•  Well done Mr.... And so, Ladies and Gentlemen, this is an shining example of how to handle harassment by CRT...

  12 April at 21:33 · Like · 3
• geeza didnt know what he let himself in for when he made that call,at least its on record(or do do the crt not record calls)that crt had phoned this gentleman to harass him,but only because he might of looked like an easy target,i take my hat off to that man

  12 April at 21:35 · Like · 1
•  How is a mechanical breakdown being unreasonable?
• 12 April at 22:01 · Like · 1
•  I finally heard it! Yep - reasonable in the circumstances and he had no clue what the circumstances were!

  12 April at 22:02 · Like ·1
• • This is sure splitting the ranks. Over on NUGs they are giving 
  • Alan Baxter a right panning.

    Yesterday at 07:45 · Like
  •  I think crt were reasonable and the boater out of line and childish

    Yesterday at 07:48 · Like · 1
  •  Why did it take 5 months to fix it? What was wrong? I can't see this as a win myself and bandying "I just bullied a crap enforcement officer" around ain't going to play well with the opposition
  • 12 hrs · Like
  • Just listened... I'm giggling...

    12 hrs · Like
  •  Mate ignore the negative shit that's been said... "most" of the boating "family" are supporting you

    11 hrs · Like
  • there was no foul ball played in the conversation i heard,just like a football or netball or any match the opposition are there to be beaten,and the person in question was making a call just to introduce himself(apparently)well after 2 minutes his attitude changed,like the man said(seeing as he called on a mobile phone so call wasnt recorded)well hey ho it was,and will never stand up in a court of law

    11 hrs · Like
  •  No the opposition are not there to be beaten in this situation; they are there to be negotiated with and Mr Garner was trying; albiet wimpishly, to do exactly that. He got bullied and in other corners of FB the CC haters are having a ball. Epic Win... Not!

    11 hrs · Like
  •  alan you dont need to explain yourself to any of us,you have notified the powers that be.
  • im gonna put me foot in me mouth again and say,dan mellville if you dont like this page get the fuck off and it isnt your problem anymore,simples

    11 hrs · Like
  •  fair play Alan; sadly that doesn't show in your posted conversation; hence my concerns, however I must say that the lot was probably three days' work all in... It took 5 months. That doesn't help!
  • 11 hrs · Like
  • ignore the negative comments alan,cdrus is about people that support each other,not just on boating issues,thats the difference betwen this page and nug,we are all here for each other no matter what situation we are in

    11 hrs · Like
  •  lmao,he seems to of hushed down a bit,maybe he will pipe up somewhere tomorrow when he has actually got a life and realised people on cdrus stick together/
    you go and have yourself a peacefull night alan,you have done nothing wrong,sleep well my freind

    11 hrs · Like
  • Bollocks Alan Baxter and you know it! for the sake of dropping the gearbox you would have know the crankshaft seal was sound, then a leaking hose and a new filter, 3 days is being generous! Dropping the gearbox is the only real work that's been involve...See More

    10 hrs · Like ·2
  • Alan is a fecking dickhead. He has proved only that he is a nob of the highest order!!!

    9 hrs · Edited · Like
  • Just what CRT like to see. All of us falling out with each other. 

  
  

  
  
• Found out to day that the recording as reached Canal World Discussion Forum.

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=75356&page=11