Still can't quite believe the ambulance service said 'we can't help you' :-O

[mineofuselessinformation]

DC2 (young adult) woke me at 6.30 this morning in severe abdominal pain. I ran through the usual things: painkillers, constipation etc.
By 7.30 it had escalated (pain score 8), so I called 111. They advised that DC needed to have help: they would call back within the hour or send a non-urgent ambulance. Advised if pain worsened to call 999. Happy with that although not good to see DC so unwell.
30 mins later pain had increased - DC slapping themselves on the leg to try to distract from the pain and in clear distress, so called 999. Ran through symptoms with them, told them 111 had advised to call.
Their response after asking questions: 'we can't help you'.
Luckily 111 called back five minutes later so I told them what had happened. They sent an ambulance which attended. Advised to take DC straight to A&E as symptoms weren't giving a clear picture as to what was wrong, clearly needed to be seen, but not at death's door just yet. (I don't have an issue with this but did tell them I was concerned at driving quite a distance with someone so unwell in the car in my own.)
We duly attended and the upshot was that DC has what used to be called a 'grumbling appendix'. We were told symptoms may well recur and to attend A&E if they do. (By this point the pain had settled a lot due to codeine.)

I've never experienced this before - the 999 call handler had no way of knowing nothing serious was wrong with DC, yet still gave me a flat no - and I was told to ring by 111. (And DC could have had a ruptured appendix, given their pain and symptoms.)
I don't know why I'm posting except to get it off my chest, but I am wondering if the call handler needs to have a bit more training?

OP I'm sorry you didn't have someone that could have driven you, my DD had severe stomach pain Friday night my DM drove the 20 mins with me in the back with my DD, IV antibiotics then appendectomy last night. It is terrifying on your own driving a sick child, maybe ask a friend or family member to drive you ? Hope little one is feeling better.

999 is for immediately life threatening emergencies. The first two questions - is the patient breathing? Are they awake? show the level of severity.

Very good point.

Op surely you must know that stomach pain in a teenager is very very unlikely to be life threatening? Appendixes generally don’t go from 0-ruptured in a matter of hours and even if they did, the ambulance crew aren’t exactly going to whip it out in the back of the ambulance?

I know it’s not nice to see your son in pain but seems a bit dramatic to say you were “shit scared”

One of the major reasons why hospitals cannot admit promptly from A&E is that beds are occupied by those who are well enough to leave hospital for medical reasons, but who cannot be discharged safely because there is inadequate (often absent) social care.

Slow the output of a system, and the input has to be reduced too (whatever the size of the capacity between those two points).

@StormyTeacups

To be fair it doesn't sound overly like an ambulance issue, I'd probably have driven.

I agree with this. It wouldn't have remotely crossed my mind to call an ambulance.

I'd absolutely have driven to A&E in this situation.

That doesn't take away from the worry at seeing your DC in such pain. I hope they're ok soon.

this is a consequence of a pandemic fucking up the NHS

Can I ask posters who drive people to A&E, where do you park your car to get them out safely and into the queue for the reception desk inside?

At our (major hospital A&E) there is nowhere to park outside, just ambulance drop-offs only. The car-park is quite a walk away, and very busy.

There really aren't paramedics and surgeons hovering about like on Casualty and Holby City outside A&E.

When you get in, there is just an ambulatory queue for reception. You queue for however long it takes to give your details and then you sit and wait for a triage nurse to come through and call you through a massive closed door.

Then they decide what to do with you.

If you're fucked, you need to get in to A&E via an ambulance stretcher or trolley, basically.

I would have been ' shit scared ' if I had to drive my DD on her own and she did have appendicitis. Give the OP a break.

Good job you don't live near me. Our nearest hospital is 35 minutes away.

I can't believe you didn't just drive them in.

@SpindleWhirling

My nearest hospital (20 minutes away) has a massive car park. There is the main car park out front, then an overflow carpark down one side and the maternity car park down the other. And it's free parking.

I had called 999 beforehand, they told the hospital I was on the way. It was the middle of the night for me so the car park had loads and loads of space. I think I pulled in across 3 spaces, picked my son up, told me youngest to follow us and ran in. We got help. Not difficult.

@SpindleWhirling at all the ones I can remember there are wheelchairs in the reception, so I park the car, get a wheelchair and wheel the patient in.

@SpindleWhirling the child wasn't fucked and taking him by ambulance could be preventing someone with something such as a heart attack or stroke.

Like I said in my previous post, my DM took me to hospital with appendicitis and she helped walk me into A&E and when we could, she found a wheelchair to take me in.

It really is no excuse to take up ambulances.

If you're fucked, you need to get in to A&E via an ambulance stretcher or trolley, basically

That is totally wrong, and a really irresponsible myth to be spreading. All patients who arrive in A&E are triaged, using the same criteria. If you arrive by ambulance and are non urgent, you will be sent to the waiting room. If you walk in and are an emergency, you will be taken to Resus.

Are you seriously suggesting people dial 999 because they can't work out how to drop someone outside A&E?

I've been in this situation, and drove my son to A&E. It wouldn't have crossed my mind to call 999.

Out of interest OP, how old is your dc? You say adult - I think most posters are missing this point. Adult, not a child. Adult.

You could, and should, have taken him to hospital yourself.

@MrsLargeEmbodied

this is a consequence of a pandemic fucking up the NHS

Regardless of any pandemic, an ambulance wasn't needed.

@Muckingfuddle123

I would have been ' shit scared ' if I had to drive my DD on her own and she did have appendicitis. Give the OP a break.

I'd be happy to give her a break, if she wasn't slagging off the ambulance service for keeping emergency ambulances free for actual emergencies.

@Namechangehereandnow

Out of interest OP, how old is your dc? You say adult - I think most posters are missing this point. Adult, not a child. Adult.

You could, and should, have taken him to hospital yourself.

Yeah I missed that it was a young adult

@SpindleWhirling well that’s a bit dramatic. If you’re ‘fucked’ 30 min away and you collapse in the waiting room, you’d have collapsed earlier waiting an hour for an ambulance and at end of day my child is going to get better care on floor of A and E than in my living room, waiting for an ambulance ( with no surgeons on it). Amazed at what people think ambulances are FOR!!!

@livelyliz sending you a massive cuddle. I am so sorry you and your daughter had to experience that.

I remember going into a and e with ds when he was about 18 months old with a severe asthma flare up (he ended up in for a week) we arrived by car and where taken straight in. Someone else in tje waiting room complained they had come in by ambulance so her sons sore ankle should be seen first

Some people don’t get that an ambulance isn’t a short cut to the front of the queue. People are seen in order of need

Many years ago my 9 year olds appendix burst at home - I will never ever forget her piercing scream - it was horrendous, I drove her to hospital myself. I genuinely don’t understand why you didn’t just do that.

Op, I've known at least 6 people who have had an appendicitis...most saw a GP first and then got to A&E themselves. A quick google highlights it takes over 36 hours in most case to rupture.

You panicked, fine and understandable if you don't have any experience, but once you knew it wasn't life threatening I'm surprised you posted here to blame a despatcher. They were right, you didn't need an ambulance.

@Muckingfuddle123

I would have been ' shit scared ' if I had to drive my DD on her own and she did have appendicitis. Give the OP a break.

You'd do it though. Most mothers would do anything within their power to help their child. A 30 minute drive is nothing.

@Itsmeandhim, maybe we live near each other? As I've already said, the drive is around the same time for me.....