Dialling 1 1 1

Has anyone had the misfortune to dial the new 111 for medical help?
My Mother was not well today so I phoned her GP first. A recorded voice said it was transferring me straight to the 'Out of hours' sevice. After a brief wait, another recorded voice came on telling me I had to hang up and dial 111. (Strange transfer I thought).
This I did, and guess what? Another recorded voice said I was to hold on and someone would come. Eventually a lady spoke and said could she ask me some questions, which I had expected - but not about 20 mins of them and most were completely irrelevant to the problem I was phoning about! By now I had been on the telephone for approx 30 mins altogether and was getting nowhere fast. In the end I politely said I realised it wasn't her fault, but I could see why so many people were complaining about the new system. Finally, she said she would now transfer me to another department for more questions!!! Next a Nurse came on and started questioning me all over again, and I'm afraid I was getting really p.... off by then. She asked if I wanted an ambulance and I told them I could drive Mum there myself and that all I had wanted was for the out of hours Doc to see her and issue some antibiotics to catch her wheezy chest before it turned any worse. (I should have explained to you earlier, that Mum has cancer and her immune system is practically non-existent, and her MacMillan nurse told me that even with just a cold, her temperature could rocket very quickly, so I that is why I wanted the prescription a.s.a.p). Mum has had pneumonia and 2 chest infections as well, so I felt confident I recognised the early warning signs, but just needed someone to believe me.
The Nurse then told me to hang up and another person would phone me back!!! Lastly a very nice Doctor rang and within about 3 mins flat had booked me in to see the out of hours doc at the hospital about 12 miles away. I thanked him and told him he had been the most helpful person I had spoken to all afternoon!
When we got to the hospital, I heard people in the waiting room muttering about how long they had been there, so I enquired at the desk whether they were running late and was told Yes, at least an hour. So we waited, and waited, and eventually were called in and within minutes he agreed with my flippin' diagnosis and gave me the prescription I needed. Hoo- flippin'-ray !!!
What a day.
Let's just hope the medication gets to work pretty quick now.

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Thanks for the warning, lass. I've never had to use this service but, in a way, it's a continuance of another thread in the Health Section about Misuse of A&E, albeit slightly different.

In 1988 my mum, who was suffering from angina, had a bad attack one night. It was at around 9.30 p.m. so firstly I phoned for the on-call out-of-hours doctor whose wife answered the phone and said she would inform her husband. Bearing in mind, this was in the days before mobile phones, so how she contacted him I'm not sure - radio perhaps? After half an hour I phoned my brother who lives 10 miles away and he said he was on his way.

Anyway, she phoned me back and told me to wait for the doctor as he was already on out calls. My brother arrived 20 or so minutes later and got straight onto the phone and rang for an ambulance. The ambulance service was told it was a suspected heart attack but we were given a 20 minute waiting time.

The Paramedics performed tests on mum then carted her into the ambulance, just as the doctor arrived. He said: "I thought you were going to wait for me." I replied by saying that "my mum couldn't wait for him!"

The truth is, the doctor would only have phoned for an ambulance anyway but if I'd realised how long this was going to take I'd have phoned the emergency services 1½ hours earlier. She died a couple of days later.

We've come a long way in the last 30 years - or have we?

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Sorry about your Mum Mollie, very sad.
They suggested today that I took her to A & E but I declined because I know A & E are struggling to cope as it is, and I said Mum wasn't an accident or an emergency so why A & E? We would have probably still been sitting there now. As I said, all I wanted was an appointment to see the out of hours doc for a prescription.

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It's not right Jean, and it's not fair, but mum would have sadly died anyway.

In April of 2011 I started to feel weird at around 9.30 p.m. That's the only way I can describe it, so I rang my friend up the road whom I'd only left 15 minutes earlier for her to come down. My computer had crashed and she's an expert so I'd left my computer with her.

I was feeling a bit stressed and then I started listing to my right and my speech had slurred and no, I hadn't been drinking.

Well, I knew something was wrong so I phoned my brother who told me to phone for an ambulance and he'd meet me at the infirmary. I didn't like doing it but it was a good job I did as I was having a mini-stroke.

For weeks I couldn't use my right hand properly and there's still numbness in my right fingers, but other than that I'm fine now.

The point I'm making is, if you genuinely do feel the need for an ambulance, then ring one rather than a doctor or 111; but in your case, I'd say you were seriously let down by a service which purports to help.

I honestly think it depends on the area in which you live though, as I've heard horror stories from people living down south, but in truth I've never had a problem with our health service up here in the north west, so I guess we're luckier than most.

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Oh dear Mollie, you've not had it easy have you. That must have been very frightening, I know I'd certainly be scared if that happened. I always think it must be worse if you're on your own as well. I'm so glad you have recovered, you are one of the lucky ones. God bless.

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No lass I haven't had it easy but like everybody else we have to keep going without thinking too much of what might happen.

I've a feeling this thread may be moved to the Health section but, for now, my next little tale of good service.

I noticed last year that one leg had swelled out so I became a bit concerned. I phoned my surgery on a Friday and didn't ask for an appointment, but said I was coming in to see a doctor - any doctor would do. Luckily I got to see my GP that same evening after work and when he saw my right leg he wrote out a letter and told me to go immediately to A&E as he thought it might be a DVT.

I got there at around 5.30 p.m. and was seen immediately and I mean within 5 minutes. Fridays and Saturdays are not good times to be in any A&E in the country.

I had blood tests done, this, that and t'other, was given a prescription for six weeks of Fragmin which are injections into the stomach until I could receive an appointment with the Veinous Unit. I couldn't do them myself so had to call every evening at 4.15 p.m. precisely at a local medical unit to have them done for me by a nurse and they were awful but, just one week later I had an appointment at the hospital where they did a scan on my leg, which proved to be without a blood clot, thank goodness!

So you see, I can't complain about the medical treatment here and how swiftly they deal with it.

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I haven't used the system myself but haven't heard many people having a good experience. I am so sorry you had a bad experience but better not say too much as Pats is convinced I am always bashing the NHS as it is

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During the heat-wave back in July, I had cause to use the 111 service as I was struggling to breath in the heat (it was 29 o C here in my lounge). Apart from trying to speak to answer the interminable questions, the person at the t'other end of the 'phone was helpful and sent a Paramedic to me very quickly. I could have gone to hospital, (the Paramedic asked if I wanted to) but I declined after he had treated me with a nebulizer and oxygen therapy for about 20 minutes.

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I think - like with everything, its a matter of luck - who you get at the other end for a start ......

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We have a similar system here. Out of hours you ring MannDoc (I think it's called) and the complaints I've heard from people when the doctor refuses to come out but insists you go to him - and they're paid £95.00 per hour to man that service. No wonder the ambulance gets called out so often.