"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