Suspected scarlet fever but can’t get through to 111

[redjellyshoes]

My DD aged 6 has been feeling unwell for a few days - sore throat, very bad cough and a high temperature on and off.

I realised this afternoon that she has “strawberry tongue” i.e. white coated with red spots. So I think she has scarlet fever.

The UKHSA advice is to call 111 to get antibiotics but I’ve now been on hold for almost 2 hours with no answer.

I’m not really sure what to do - can I wait until morning and call GP at 8am? Or at what point should I just take her to A&E, how bad does she need to be? She’s unwell but not to the extent that I’d be really worried about her if it weren’t for the recent news.

Sorry to ask this on MN but not really sure where else to go if 111 won’t answer me 🤷‍♀️

Please stay on the line to 111, don't give up. We were on the phone at 6am for one of our DC. He was seen at 2.30pm.

Keep persevering. Took us one and a half hours to get through.

To give you an idea of how busy they are. Wales ambulance trust handled 2000 calls yesterday up 17% on the week before.

Kids have always died of invasive strep A. The rates are higher this year as there is more strep A around, but it's not a new illness, or a new cause of death. Even this year, invasive strep A is extremely rare. It feels like the publicity has whipped up a panic.

I've juat got home after a 12 hour shift. Our 111 queue hasn't dropped below 400 calls all day and ooh call backs are taking 24 hours for even urgent 1 hour referrals

My daughter had it and was blue lighted to hospital. The temperature was the problem (over 40 for several days) so if well ish I would keep checking temperature and if over 40 and can’t get down - minor injuries/out of hours/ whatever it’s called.

@Thekormachameleon thanks for all you and your colleagues are doing xx

The Trust I work for emailed to say concerned parents can get DCs swabbed at pharmacies, if that's any help to anyone.
Is it a good idea to practice getting DCs to swallow things whole in a spoonful of yoghurt? Sweetcorn, tictacs etc, as that ability could be lifesaving if liquid ABX are in short supply.

Can you use the online form on 111 website? I did this 3am Friday morning and had a call back at 5am. I'd recommend using this.

I’d keep waiting, whilst also emailing your GP.

With those symptoms the threshold for giving antibiotics has been lowered and they will likely get them. From listening to the radio there are localised shortages of some antibiotics but the several doctors I’ve listened to have all said request a different kind of you’re struggling to get it. Multiple abs are effective against SF. Strep A has been in circulation and effectively being treated for decades.

Don’t panic, in the vast vast majority of cases this will be a course of abs and it’s done. The media’s post-pandemic reporting of this has a lot of answer for.

Hope they get well soon.

Yes that is irrational and why the wait time in a&e is so long.

It’s so scary that we now don’t have medical assistance even when seriously ill

Here's the current advice OP. Sounds like your plan is a good one.
www.nhs.uk/conditions/strep-a/

@HuHunkydory99 thank you so much. I've had the most unbelievably awful shift and you've just made it seem a little bit better x

I would wait till 8am an call gp, sitting In a&e all night isn't going to help it will just be a long wait for the same outcome as going to the gp in morning antibiotics and sent on your way

Seriously ill is a stroke, cancer, invasive strep A, meningitis. Even if this is scarlet fever, it doesn't make her little girl seriously ill, it just has a very tiny possibility of making her so, of she doesn't get the right treatment. You're being very melodramatic here.

Kids have always died of invasive strep A. The rates are higher this year as there is more strep A around, but it's not a new illness, or a new cause of death. Even this year, invasive strep A is extremely rare. It feels like the publicity has whipped up a panic

Yes it's an age old illness and kids have always died, but more are dying that usual and there is a liquid antibiotic shortage which is best used for young children with it.

Yes the media are advertising the fact more kids are dying of it than normal and the issue with the liquid antibiotics, so yes, if people then look into it and get worried it will cause more visits to the GP and A&E.
I'm not sure I've seen a frenzy just more parents being extra cautious, but there may be frenzies in other areas or groups of people.

I can understand people not sending children to nursery if they can and that's what they want, it's not about keeping them from germs full stop, the 2 I know are doing it as they don't want a poorly child on Christmas Day, it's business as usual after Christmas break.

Shortages of antibiotics seem to be in hotspot areas. There is not a nationwide shortage at this point. But everyone will now be ordering more stock 'in case' which means it's harder for the pharmacies issuing lots of those antibiotics to get the volumes they need for the demand they are seeing.

GP is the best bet I would say.

Not really. My friend had a stroke last year and waited for an ambulance for over an hour! Its probably worse now.

My neighbour had a stroke in October, his wife knowing how bad the ambulance service were struggling got him in the car with OH help. They were in A&E for 30 hours.

We all panic when our children are ill. The problem is we don't think rationally when they are because we fear the worst.
From the outset, it's very unlikely a child with SF would need emergency care.
The problem is parents are panicking in case their child becomes one of the unlucky ones, and as a result the whole service becomes massively overstretched which just makes parents panic even more.

It's a shit situation all round.
We really need to remind ourselves that even though the situation is worse than usual, the chances of your child actually dying from this or needing emergency care is absolutely tiny.

I the problem is that the gov.uk website is advising parents to call 111 and get antibiotics (or your GP, but obviously that’s not an option at the weekend). Which seems sensible enough except the service clearly can’t cope with the extra demand.

To be clear I’m not criticising the staff at all as it is not their fault the service is so overwhelmed.

100% agree @DisneyChops

No this is a mess. There is no access to 111, Gp, walk in clinics so people panic and go to a&e. I really hope I don’t have a stroke or heart attack in this country.

I had scarlet fever 60 years ago. It was standard practice to prescribe penicillin due to the risks involved. Every child I knew was given it. I remember it being a pink foul tasting liquid. We tend to minimize childhood illnesses when they can cause very serious problems.

It’s a tough one op as a dc can be unwell but not enough fit A&E but still concerning due to situation