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Original poster

Anyone else had to call 111 recently?

28 replies

mobbarIey · 02/04/2023 12:21

I rang 111 last night at around midnight for my baby, I was told a clinician would contact me within the hour. 5am I had a phone call from a health visitor saying sorry you've been waiting so long, a clinician will be phoning you shortly. I still haven't had a call back. I know they're under pressure and have been reading articles about long wait times for callbacks. I don't think my baby's situation is urgent, but just wondering if anyone else has been through similar recently?

OP posts:
Luckingfovely · 02/04/2023 12:39

I called for a DC a couple of weeks ago, and was called back by a doctor within the hour.

I guess it's just the luck of the draw on staff levels and demand at any given point in time.

Original poster
mobbarIey · 02/04/2023 12:46

I guess area probably comes into play too. Are you in London?

OP posts:
Bossedbyasmallperson · 02/04/2023 12:57

Did the online form for myself at 8am on a Saturday a few weeks ago. Was contacted by a doctor that evening who said I needed to be seen. Got seen at 8pm Sunday night. The poor woman when I was in there was making so many phone calls apologising to people that they wouldn’t even be contacted by the doctor that evening. The system is failing I’m afraid.

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QueenSmartypants · 02/04/2023 12:57

I don't think this is new...several years ago I called on two seperate occasions for advice on managing something which could potentially turn life threatening. Once I waited 8 hours for a call back, second time they didn't call me back at all and I ended up in a&e.

Original poster
mobbarIey · 02/04/2023 12:59

Oh interesting. I've never really had an issue when using them before, perhaps they're just not gonna get back to me.

OP posts:
Tellmethespoiler · 02/04/2023 13:01

Yes, I phoned 111 for me. I was wondering if I should make my way to a hospital and wasn’t sure. They decided to call an ambulance, which arrived within 10 minutes.

bearfood · 02/04/2023 13:08

In July I called on the Saturday for advice as my 17 year old son was unwell. They said a doctor would call within 4 hours. That was around 5pm. Waited all night for a call that never came, and eventually called back at midnight. We will call you back, they said. Waited another 11 hours for a doctor to call, who said go straight to A and E.
DS was immediately diagnosed as diabetic and admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis. My heart breaks when I think about the what ifs and how much less sick he would have been if they had bloody called back on the day I called!

Original poster
mobbarIey · 02/04/2023 13:11

Wow, I'm so sorry to hear that. They tell us not to go to a&e because they're overwhelmed, not to phone an ambulance because they're overwhelmed, and now 111 are overwhelmed. Scary times.

OP posts:
Myworldjusthim · 02/04/2023 13:13

mobbarIey · 02/04/2023 12:21

I rang 111 last night at around midnight for my baby, I was told a clinician would contact me within the hour. 5am I had a phone call from a health visitor saying sorry you've been waiting so long, a clinician will be phoning you shortly. I still haven't had a call back. I know they're under pressure and have been reading articles about long wait times for callbacks. I don't think my baby's situation is urgent, but just wondering if anyone else has been through similar recently?

I’ve had to call a few times recently. Sometimes called back within the hour and sometimes called after 6 hours to be told no appointments and wait until GP open.

rattymol · 02/04/2023 13:15

Yes. Called back within forty minutes.
How soon you are called back partly depends on how serious your issue sounds.

UseOfWeapons · 02/04/2023 13:17

I called recently for me. I’d phoned the GP, but they had offered me an appointment 2weeks away. I rang 111, spoke to the nurse, and she said I needed to be Siemens within the hour. Saw a doctor at the UTC, and had the prescription in my hand within 1 and a half hours of calling. Probably luck of the draw, tbh.

Original poster
mobbarIey · 02/04/2023 13:17

If anyone can offer me some advice then, my 1 year old has had a cough/ cold for over a week now but otherwise fine. But yesterday she wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink, slept all day, very clingy, had a slight temperature but felt very warm to touch, threw up a few times. Last night she felt like she was burning up and threw up yellow bile which is why I phoned 111. Today she's again just sleeping constantly, and when she is awake she just cries. Still not eating or drinking. She doesn't feel warm to touch anymore and doesn't have a temperature. Very snotty nose and cough still. The last time she threw up, it just looked like phlegm. Shall I just ride it out?

OP posts:
UseOfWeapons · 02/04/2023 13:18

Seen within the hour, obviously, not bloody Siemens!

Anotherspacecowboy · 02/04/2023 13:21

1.5 hours to get through, and 17 hours for a callback. I will never ever use 111 again. Straight to A&E in future for out of hours issues. We ended up there anyway as didn't think they'd ever ring back! (this was in January).

The system is broken and frankly dangerous.

PeriConfused · 02/04/2023 13:21

Called 111 at 8am, had a call back at 2.30 following morning
Sent to minor injuries unit who then could not see me due to my condition and was told to call 111 again & go back through the process
Eventually got prescription that took the chemist ages to get ready
The system is not functioning well at all

Strawberrycream1 · 02/04/2023 13:21

If a 1 yr old has not taken in fluids in 24hrs then I would go to A&E as they can dehydrate quickly

Jules912 · 02/04/2023 13:25

Yes, called at 1.30 yesterday for my daughter, got a call at midnight and another at 6.30 to say sorry we know you're still waiting, nurse called at 7.30 and finally spoke to the doctor at 9.30 who booked us in for a face to face appointment this afternoon. I'm pretty sure she has tonsillitis so not life threatening but hadn't realised just how stretched they were.

Original poster
mobbarIey · 02/04/2023 13:25

@Strawberrycream1 she has been having breast milk when she's awake, but won't drink water which she usually has a lot of.

A&e scares me frankly, I've heard such bad stories recently.

OP posts:
bobby81 · 02/04/2023 13:26

Called about a month ago for DD. Got through within a few minutes & dealt with straight away (they made us an appointment at local urgent treatment centre.) It was for something fairly urgent so I guess that's why it was so quick.

Original poster
mobbarIey · 02/04/2023 13:27

@Jules912 It's awful. I don't know why they still bother saying you'll have a callback within the hour! They must know that won't be the case. That's what they told me, anyway.

OP posts:
Original poster
mobbarIey · 02/04/2023 13:28

@Strawberrycream1 thank you. I think she very well could be..

OP posts:
Mycatisfatafatcat · 02/04/2023 13:34

I got told a call back within two hours when I phoned for child with Strep-A. They phoned 24 hours later and left a message saying as they didn’t catch me if I still wanted help to ring them again. I did that and was told I had to start again - this time they just didn’t call back at all. By this point it was Monday so I went to my doctor.

704703hey · 02/04/2023 14:26

Not recently but they've been good in the past and fairly quick. They bypassed my GP surgery who refused to give me the medication I needed and I just had to pick it up from the chemist. Not quite sure how they did that actually?

And they really made me laugh a few years ago when I got glued to the mains and couldn't detach my fingers, the lady asked "do you look like Shirley Temple? Off to A&E with you" and ordered a taxi.

The set questionnaire is a bit annoying as so much of it can be irrelevant but they can't skip it.

apric0t · 02/04/2023 18:23

I waited over 48 hours for a callback for my 18 month old recently, I took him to A&E a few hours after calling