Today I called an ambulance.... and was put on hold

[Crunchymum]

About 4pm today I called an ambulance as my disabled almost 2yo had a severe allergic reaction (first time its happened)

I dialled 999, asked for ambulance, and got a recorded message telling me I was in a queue.

Hung up, called a cab instead.

Firstly, I was called back (approx 5 minutes later at most) and secondly whilst it was a severe reaction, breathing wasn't compromised. But what if it had been?

Maybe I'm part of the problem? I did make my own way to A&E (weren't admitted but needed steroids and more antihistamine) so should I have not called an ambulance to begin with?

A&E was as you would imagine. We were seen relatively quickly but took ages for meds and then discharge etc.

I think there should be a public education campaign on when to call an ambulance /need a visit to A and E. I would only call an ambulance if immediate treatment was required between home and the hospital ,otherwise I'd take them there myself. Likewise, I'd only go to A and E if as the name suggests, it was an accident or an emergency (ie, cant wait for a GP appointment within the next 24 hours). I know people who take their children to A and E with coughs and cold they've had for a few days, or when they've fallen and bruised their knee but perfectly capable of walking. It's pretty clear that A and E wont be able to do more than you would at home (painkillers and maybe a dressing) but there seems to be this reliance on someone in uniform pointing out the obvious.

A couple ofntimes a year I unfortunately have to call an ambulance about a family member. Unfortunately although its extremely important she gets to hospital (once ended ip in intensive care, once resus, usually majors and lifesaving...) it doesnt present as urgent in that moment as she doesnt have breathing problems, just her body is shutting down....
We usually have to wait hours, and each time Im frightened for her if this will be "it."

Also even once settled by ambulance with oxygen etc this last time its a sad state fo affairs stanifng in the "ambulance queue" with the trollies to even get into A and E properly. Lots of sick people on ambulance trollies and ambulance staff who haven't handed over, so all those ambulances out of action.

Everone was amazing, and Im in awe of botht he ambulance stuff and the A and E staff who go from life threatining issue to life threatening issue in a day. But the underfunding was evident. And the waiting evennonce admitted with no one to check how we are, or even to tell us whats haplening - it absolutely looked like firefighting.

I was on hold before for police 999 and once someone set fire to the front garden where I worked with vulnerable people. I phoned 999 for fire brigade and no one ever turned up! Fortunately only one large tree burned down, but what if it had fallen onto our building or another building, car, onlookers, etc

Hope you and your DC are ok now

Hope your DC is ok now.

Having watched the fly on the wall series about the ambulance service, I think I have a better understanding of the pressure they are under. Not enough people and not enough ambulances to meet demand. Some of the things people call an ambulance for are ridiculous (not a criticism of you!)

Completely agree about the misuse of ambulances, as I say I was able to get us to A&E via other means but a severe allergic reaction (child was red raw from head to toe, very itchy - despite me giving Piriton - and shivering / distressed) so I think calling an ambulance was the right thing in this instance? I assume had I not got a recorded message there would have been a wait and I'd have got a cab anyway.

No, I wouldn't have called an ambulance. We had a similar situation and bundled in car and took to A&E.

Itching is not a reason to call an ambulance, as you say his breathing was fine.

There have been various public education campaigns about when to call ambulances but individuals always assume they apply to everyone except them...

Unless the situation is life-threatening, I think basically you try to use other means of getting help and treatment. So anaphylaxis causing breathing issues, absolutely call an ambulance. If there weren't breathing issues, I'm not sure why you didn't get a cab anyway.

No. This is what happens when the ambulance service buy back 111, which was being run by Care UK, and try to merge the two services.

Was this a government decision to cut costs? Essential services have been merged left, right and centre under this government with a view to centralising services and reducing overheads/staff. This inevitably has an impact on service users not to mention the immense pressure the remaining workers are now under. Depressing.

@Thismonkeysgonetodevon no the Care UK contract had expired so the ambulance service, along with many private companies, pitched for the contract and the ambulance service pitched much more money than anybody else was willing to

There is also a misconception that arriving by ambulance will get you seen quicker - it won't.

I think it’s was 2017 or 2018 when we had some really bad snow my dc2 was having an asthma attack, couldn’t control with inhalers, I called 999 and was told that off the record there was no ambulances, and the wait would be over 3 hours...I bloody got in my car and drove to a MIU as it was the closest, dc2 was blue lighted (still had to wait over an hour for an ambulance but at least dc2 could be nebulised) to the a&e and was admitted to the children’s ward. Dc2 would have died if I hadn’t of driven through 4ft snow drifts.

I then got a home neb no way was I doing that again!!

The whole nhs is under resourced, my recent trip to a&e and being an inpatient have shown that.

If you'd tried to treat it before calling, and he wasn't in a life-threatening condition you didn't need to call 999, in my opinion

^^
This I'm afraid. The pressure on ambulances is huge and, although no doubt scary seeing your child very unwell, this in no way required an ambulance.

I've taken one DC to hospital twice where they did actually have some breathing difficulties - once for really bad croup and once with a chest infection so bad the medical staff were preparing to intubate them. Both times we got there by car. I have called an ambulance once when my DF collapsed. They were superb. But honestly when you watch the ambulance programme so many of those calls are unnecessary.

Ambulance is for immediately life threatening in my opinion.

Have you seen 999: What's Your Emergency? The underfunding is a crisis.

It depends what the allergic reaction was. Itmf it was just hives, you could have just gone to your local chemist.

It’s very normal now. It absolutely shouldn’t be but that’s how it is.

If you can get to hospital yourself you should. Thing is, when it’s your child it is fucking scary and you want the expertise and support of fully trained paramedics with you. So I absolutely see why you called one.

Whilst at work I was trying to help someone who had lost lots of blood through self-harming (upper arm long vertical cut to the bone) 90 scary minutes later the ambulance turned up (I did chase and express the urgency)...I was trying to stop the bleed with lots of pressure but at the same time, she was getting ill due to blood loss,.. Bloody scary as I thought she was going to die. Cant be good being paramedic..no wonder that the job has a high suicide rate.

I am so shocked and sad that there can be a waiting list with no chance to even say how serious the condition is. Fucking hell, I so want to pay more tax and properly fund our services.

I do agree though, that you didn't need an ambulance? You could get there yourself, your child didn't need emergency treatment in the home / to be moved safely due to injury. I'm reluctant to ascribe blame to individuals rather than austerity, but we are clearly in a situation where people do need to consider whether their call is necessary.

My elderly neighbour had a stroke recently. Managed to crawl to the phone and dial 999. Friday afternoon.

The ambulance took nearly 2 hours to arrive :-( Said they had been in a town some miles away when they did finally arrive.

She was Ok thankfully as they said we need to move fast, got her in and got the anti-thrombolysing treatment she desperately needed.

Very scary though and she had to try and keep ringing back. She could hardly speak

She needed two of them to get her out on a stretcher from her apartment, no way could have got a taxi

I think you should put a complaint in to PALS.

I live abroad and in this country people can call ambulances for non-life threatening problems. For example, if your child falls and breaks their arm, it is better to call an ambulance as they will be able to be seen immediately at A&E and not wait, which is what happens if you go by taxi or car.

From my perspective, the state of the ambulance system in the UK is really shocking. So many people have died because it is underfunded.

The other day, I was shopping and an elderly man passed out. There was an ambulance there within 5-10 minutes.

There is also a misconception that arriving by ambulance will get you seen quicker - it won't.

Well they can pick up serious stuff on the ambulance and this helped me with something serious in the past. I had morphine in the ambulance and they measured temp as 34.5 - signs of sepsis. A & E was seriously packed and hospital just closing to new admissions- due to this was taken straight to majors area and treated very quickly. - I mean that was very much needed, it was a closed loop small bowel obstruction which need surgery within 24 hrs - very glad we called the ambulance

My Grandma died 2 weeks ago today. She was 94 and had pneumonia which had turned into sepsis. She was in a care home and in end of life care. She was distressed and agitated. We had the meds she needed as they'd been prescribed a couple of weeks earlier in anticipation of the end. We needed a GP or a district nurse to administer. We called at midday and were told a GP or nurse would be there asap. Six hours later her heart rate was 160, resp rate was similarly alarming, lips blue, blood sugars so high they were unreadable. We called an ambulance. The paramedics were able to administer some drugs but not what she needed so they had to stay and wait with us, keeping her as comfortable as possible. Ultimately, they spent their entire shift with us. The district nurse turned up 15hrs after she was needed and too late. Grandma died minutes later.

That crew and that ambulance could not respond to anything else because they were plugging another gap in our health service.

Our local A&E has ambulances queuing all the time. It's terrifying.

OP you were right to call an ambulance allergic reactions are unpredictable and given your little one was having a full body reaction it was serious.

Put on hold here when child had epileptic fit.

If you can safely get to hospital yourself do. If you can't move the patient or it is impossible to travel by private vehicle (e.g. too much blood). It will most likely be quicker and arriving in an ambulance does not impact your triage time in hospital anyway. You did right to call a cab, please do in future if you are able