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?

@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.

We’ll have to agree to disagree. Appendicitis is relatively common and highly unlikely to be life threatening unless left untreated for days. Even with a ruptured appendix the likelihood of dying is believed to be less than 1%.

Are you telling us you have a car and drive?? Why not just take them to A&E yourself before it got to this point for goodness sake.

You know the NHS and ambulance service is under immense pressure? There are people actually dying because of the waiting times who have no other means to get themselves to ED? I.e those that do not drive / elderly / children etc not to mention people living alone and unable to take themselves due to the symptoms?

I keep posting on here in absolute frustration because the result of people misusing the ambulance service means others watch people die, unaided … because of this sort of misconception about emergency services.

No wonder ambulances are always so stretched when people are calling them for none emergency reasons.

And yes I have had to move in a rush more times than I can remember for emergency reasons. Unless I've been in the company of a driver, I've called a cab.

Even 5 years ago waiting times were horrendous.

I really think they should start charging for none emergencies.

Sorry you had such a stressful time OP. I had a similar situation with my DH a while back. Sudden acute abdominal pain which ended up being a medical emergency and was rushed to the operating surgery. He was in absolute agony, and the 20 min drive to hospital was dreadful. I was so scared and stressed. However, never did it cross my mind to phone for an ambulance. It would’ve been a waste of resources and also delayed him getting help. Even if the ambulance had got here pretty quickly, we would’ve had to wait for them to get here, then him be assessed and then drive to hospital. I understand the panic but it really makes no sense.

@mineofuselessinformation well it's either Norfolk or Suffolk. My money is on Ipswich hospital - live north of Woodbridge? Or up the 140? Either way hope your son is better

[quote mineofuselessinformation]@Itsmeandhim, maybe we live near each other? As I've already said, the drive is around the same time for me.....[/quote]
I'm sure there are plenty of people who live around 35 minutes from their nearest hospital unless you're being sarcastic.

The ambulance service is on its knees atm, if you were that worried you should have put them straight in the car and gone to A&E.! Abdo pain never gets a cat 1 ambulance anyway.

*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.*

This is not true, I took my DS to A&E on the advice of the GP, by the time we got there he was unconscious and looked very grey. I carried him in and in before I knew what was happening the receptionist had come out from beind her desk and physically pushed me through some doors where a nurse or Dr took DS from me and suddenly everyone descended on us and luckily after a scary few days DS was ok. It was actually very much like Casualty. The reason why it normally seems like a very slow moving boring process is because generally most people who turn up at A&E are not in urgent need of treatment.

For others, did you not read that I was panicking and was scared something would happen on the way? If we had been closer to the hospital I would have felt more confident in driving with no help for DC.

OP, you were in the same situation at home surely? Just you and your DC? No medical help if something has gone wrong there whilst waiting hours for an ambulance.

Half an hour drive without medical help
V
Several hours wait with no medical help

I would have gone for the half an hour option and got in my car.

Sounds horrible and very scary, but the call handler was correct; an ambulance wasn't necessary. I am surprised you cannot see that now yourself, in the cold light of day. I personally wouldn't call an ambulance for someone if pain is the only symptom, only if their condition was unstable. But to be fair, I am an HCP so maybe in a better position to make that judgement. Anyway, if you feel strongly enough about it, by all means contact your MP or send in a complaint. Hopefully you will also send a thank you to the staff in A&E though!

‘By 7:30 it had escalated to a pain score of 8’ just says everything. A call handler assessed the symptoms and gave you the correct advice as your DC didn’t even need treatment!

Absolutely shocking you think this needed an ambulance even after leaving without needing treatment. The people they were treating could have been mid CPR or a baby not breathing.

@SpindleWhirling not entirely true. My husband was pretty fucked when we got to a&e. The person that greeted us took his name quickly and whisked him away urgently as soon as we got there. So no ambulance or stretcher required. They could see quite clearly he was in the shit and acted accordingly as it turned out that with less prompt treatment it could’ve been life threatening. I drove him up in the early evening and they were operating a few hours later

Are you telling us you have a car and drive?? Why not just take them to A&E yourself before it got to this point for goodness sake.

You know the NHS and ambulance service is under immense pressure? There are people actually dying because of the waiting times who have no other means to get themselves to ED? I.e those that do not drive / elderly / children etc not to mention people living alone and unable to take themselves due to the symptoms?

^^THIS ^^

@mineofuselessinformation
How entitled and not in tune with reality you must be.

I would have taken him to A&E, I wouldn't have called an ambulance for it

The reason why it normally seems like a very slow moving boring process is because generally most people who turn up at A&E are not in urgent need of treatment

You are right. I took my DD to A&E when she was a baby. She was pale & lifeless. They took her straight off me when I arrived.

The waiting room was full.

I appreciate that was really scary for you OP. I think you’re projecting as you’re upset that you left your DC in pain when you could’ve driven. Don’t beat yourself up as it ended up being very minor in the end. Next time, if anything does happen, you’ll likely remember that it’s easier to drive and it’ll be much more efficient.

It’s not the fault of the call handler but rather the system I’m glad your DC is doing better now

@NinaDefoe blimey. Hope your LO was ok.

Yes people are seen on a needs basis. Not arrival time.

@SpindleWhirling

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've walked in/ been helped in more times than I can remember. Give reception specific details. Wait for triage and get taken through to be treated.

So no you don't need to be tucked for an ambulance to get urgent treatment.

I'm the patient you all hate though lol. Within minutes of coming in off the street I'm in an a&e bed. Longest waiting the past several years has been 20 minutes.

Sorry OP I think you were sloppy on how you handled this. You sat around waiting on others to serve you. You should have asked for an appointment or attended A&E yourself for triage

I'm in my 60s. I've had cause to go to A&E several times. I've never been in an ambulance. We like to think we can pick up the phone and dial 999 and someone will be there in 5 minutes - like they do on the TV programmes. That doesn't happen anymore. Best just to drive. I can't think your teenager would be worse off in the car and at home.

@SpindleWhirling
I carry my kids in when they’ve needed it. If they’re old enough that I cannot carry them, then I drop them, park and meet them.

@SpindleWhirling you can get urgent treatment. I booked in at reception, triage came out to shout someone else in, saw me pacing around and took me straight in for morphine. I had cauda equina and a pain score was 10/10 and I wasn't coping and she said I looked grey with the pain
If you turn up at the front desk with a child going blue, they're not going to let you wait for treatment

Sorry OP, this isn't a matter for an ambulance. You need to have taken your son to A&E at 6.30 when he originally came in to tell you about his troubles.

In my home country it costs $400 to call out an ambulance (unless insured, but even then I think there might be an excess). Would you have been willing to pay $400 to get your son an ambulance? Or just take him yourself?

Ambulance is for life/death situations.