A woman was admitted to the Dunfermline Accident and Emergency unit with a report of sunburn. The unit was thrown into chaos as nobody had experience with the condition. An enquiry regarding resources has been announced.
On Saturday Morag Roe spent most of the day in the garden of her house on the outskirts of Dunfermline. Her husband noticed that her face was very red. Concerned they took a photo and posted it into their family and friends group on Facebook. Several people suggested it could be sunburn. Having never heard of it before and because it sounded serious they set off for the Accident and Emergency at the hospital.
When they explained what they thought it was at the hospital chaos and confusion ensued. Nobody knew what sunburn was. On consulting the records they found the last case of sunburn in the area had been 1976. They looked up the treatment notes and it suggested Calomine lotion or butter.
Something was not quite right. One of the nurses realised it couldn’t be sunburn as there hadn’t been any sunshine for 8 months. After a bit more detective work the doctors decided that she had been lashed by rain in a gale – normal Scottish weather.
An enquiry has been launched into why Dunfermline does not have an accident and emergency unit.