NHS - sort it out.

[Beccaxo]

So yeah, I am going to have a little rant about the NHS because frankly the way the fobbed me off on Sunday night really got me angry.

My son on Sunday night got really sick but not bad enough for us to call an ambulance, so at about 8 in the evening me & my partner decided we would ring NHS direct for some advice on what to do and how to proceed, so we called them & explained my sons symptoms they said the wait would be up to 3 hours for a call back but they told me from what I described then they would put as as 'high priority' and they would get a nurse to call us back within the hour as he had a temperature and a rash we couldn't explain. The hour passed and at 9 in the evening a nurse called us back, we then went over EVERYTHING we just told the other lady on the NHS direct helpline, why they didn't have it on the screen in front of them is beyond me. She told us she'd pass our case onto a local nurse in our area and this could take up to another hour! So yeah another hour passed and at 10 in the evening another nurse called us back, and again we had to tell her EVERYTHING we just told the last two people, she then said she'd pass our details on to a doctor in our area and that could take up to 6 hours as they were busy. Well at midnight a doctor called us and baring in mind we don't have a car and everyone we know was asleep they asked us to bring him to some clinic over 15 miles away from our home, we told them we couldn't get there and they said well a doctor can't come out to our home & we would need to pay for a taxi to get there, at that time of night and how far it was would of cost us over £70 to get there and back! She told us that the doctors don't like to come out to peoples homes, well what the frigging hell are HOME DOCTORS for! My son at this point was getting worse and we kept calling up to see what is going on and what other advice they can give us. Well at 2 in the morning we had a knock on the door & a doctor actually came out to see us, he checked my son over and told us if he got worse to take him to A&E, we waited from 9 in the evening till 2 in the morning for a doctor, I mean really?! What happened to the days when you called your doctors out of hours and a doctor came out to you within an hour.
Rant over. ​

 

[laurac1988]

With regards to the triage... everyone has to ask questions again, just in case of any change. Understand how frustrating that can be, though.

The NHS is under too much pressure at the moment... really needs sorting out. I think most of the problem is that people don't know the most appropriate pathway for their particular complaint. I applaud your common sense with the path that you took, but the problem is people that call emergency doctors for something as simple as a headache or a mild tummy ache (that they haven't tried painkillers for) or calling ambulances for constipation.

Education is the key. If only more people had the common sense that you did the NHS wouldn't be under so much strain.

 

[lau86]

Sorry you've had a bad experience. I work with in the nhs, it can get very chaotic at times. Youve tried to be sensible and follow the system, but the reality is most people pitch up at A&E if theyre worried so this is where the resources are going (few that they are). It can be very frustrating dealing with all these People on the phone, not long ago I had it with my nan, I got an ambulance in the end as I was so sick of waiting. I've worked in a&e and it's my experience that those that need urgent treatment do get it, and it's a good standard if that makes you feel any better x

 

[nikkip75]

My eldest daughter has epilepsy. Everytime we have follow up appoimtments at the hospital we have to go through all the history with different doctors! Last time I had to go back 6 years and explain everything that had happened since then. I sat there for about an hour going through it all with this doctor who I couldn't understand and then I made one mistake and she pulled me up on it and said that's not what it says on the file on my computer!! Well if you have all the history infront of you why are you wasting time having me go through it all over again!!

Another time after a brain scan we went back for the results. 2 weeks later and they hadn't had the results back! My OH lost it and told the doctor to walk down to the department downstairs where the brain scan was done and get them then! I know they have to go through to be seen by different people but it was just downstairs!

Other than these occasions I don't really have any complaints about the NHS. I am glad me have it and yes they do make mistakes but still I'd rather have it than not.

I do hope your little boy is feeling better now. There seems to be so many poorly little kids lately! It's one nasty bug after another!

 

[charlotte-xo]

I'm sorry you had such a crsp experience Hun, they're usually really good. What makes me laugh is when they ask has he turned blue and is he still breathing do they not I'd be in an ambulance if that was the case. Hope your little mans doing okay, like pp said there are alot of nasty bugs around at the minute.


Xx

 

[suzib76]

The NHS will ordinarily put you in a taxi if they think you need to be seen but it's not an ambulance case emergency.

The company I'm with have the NHS contract here so see it a lot

 

[Ceejay123]

That must have been so frustrating sweetie! Is your son okay? x

 

[Beccaxo]

That must have been so frustrating sweetie! Is your son okay? x

He's not a 100% but he is lots better than he was that night & oh god was it frustrating! x​

 

[RachA]

I can totally understand your frustration. When your lo is ill time always seems to go on and on and when nothing seems to be being down its so frustrating.

I have to say that i really like the NHS - a lot of other people don't seem to know how to use it and i think that causes problems. You did the right thing to call - i'm guessing that if you were thinking it was something really major you would of just gone down to a&e. Had NHS direct believe it to be anything urgent they would of told you to go straight to a&e - we've called before and been told to do this so i know they will do this. They ask you to repeat it all to make sure you know what is going on. We've been in a&e and in hospital generally over issues with Esther - each time we've had to say the same thing over and over and it's so annoying but they want to make sure details are correct.

As far as i'm aware Doctors do not go out on home visits unless you live in a rural location and hospitals are a long distance away.
I would imagine that NHS direct didn't want to send you down to A&E for you to end up begin there for hours on end. As i said - we've had to take Esther into A&E in an ambulance twice and both times we were there for 4 or 5 hours before we were seen because she wasn't an emergency patient. From what you've said about your son then he wouldn't of been classed as an emergency either and you would of been in hospital for a long long time.

Like i said - i know how frustrating it is as i've been there but there were acting in the correct way.

 

[laurac1988]

What makes me laugh is when they ask has he turned blue and is he still breathing do they not I'd be in an ambulance if that was the case.

you'd be surprised! The amount of people who just tell you someone is "not well" and you ask if they're breathing and the answer is no...

 

[xJG30]

NHS Direct are crap, how they can diagnose someone without seeing them is beyond me.

The day I ended up in hospital, we phoned NHS Direct, I was told my symptoms were flu by the first nurse, then Gastreoentitus by the 2nd. The doctor would be with us within 6 hours... When the doctor eventually came, after we'd dialled 999, I was told I had pneumonia.

 

[lau86]

Tbh I think nhs direct is pretty unhelpful unless you really know nothing about healthcare. Most people who ring could wait and see their gp, the others need to go to a&e or have an ambulance. I just don't see a place for a service where someone tries to triage from the end of a phone.

 

[suzib76]

Tbh I think nhs direct is pretty unhelpful unless you really know nothing about healthcare. Most people who ring could wait and see their gp, the others need to go to a&e or have an ambulance. I just don't see a place for a service where someone tries to triage from the end of a phone.

our surgery does it all the time

when you phone for an appointment you go on the doctors triage list and they call you back to decide whether or not you actually need to be seen

 

[laurac1988]

But see you have to factor in the timewasters... NHS Direct is useful for the people who cut their finger and would otherwise dial 999

 

[RachA]

But see you have to factor in the timewasters... NHS Direct is useful for the people who cut their finger and would otherwise dial 999

That is definitly true.

I think you get two types of people that call: those who would otherwise be calling 999 for a non-emergency and those needing advice because they just don't know how serious something is but they don't want to waste A&E time. I've called them before just to get advice. I knew it wasn't serious enough to call 999 but I needed advice on what I should be doing.

The service I find more of a waste of time is the out of hours drs service. I've been down on several occasions and assumed they would actually help me. All they actually do is prescribe painrelief to keep you comfortable until you can see your GP or decide to go to the hospital.