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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

When is it right to call 999?

210 replies

CanadaMoose91 · 31/12/2017 00:14

Let me preface this by saying that obvious time wasters (scraped knee, runny nose) need not apply.

But I've seen so many people say that only cardiac arrest, stroke, or issues breathing are acceptable. This worries me, as I haven't got a car, and wouldn't be able to drive myself or my family to A&E if anything happened.

For example, a few weeks back I was having severe pains in my back and stomach - a pain so intense that I was writhing, was vomiting, and couldn't keep anything down. It took over 5 hours of this pain to actually call 111, who told me I should have called earlier and sent an ambulance. It was diagnosed as kidney stones, and was told it would pass. The crew left immediately. I felt so awful and felt I had wasted money and resources on an already crumbling NHS.

The thing is, what is someone supposed to do in that situation? I don't want to cost the country a fortune, but what if it was something as serious as it felt? I don't want to be goady, I really just want to know if there is an alternative to 111, 999 or A&E if breathing is ok.

OP posts:
NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1 · 31/12/2017 00:16

OK. Was there any reason why you didn't go to your GP with this problem?

Butterymuffin · 31/12/2017 00:16

If in doubt always call 999. They'd rather it was that way round than, as you found out, you didn't call when you should've done.

Why are you feeling bad about your call? It's fairly well known that kidney stones can cause severe pain. Not unreasonable at all to ring for severe pain especially when you don't know the cause.

Butterymuffin · 31/12/2017 00:18

Maybe the pain started too late in the day Not? Plus she didn't know what was causing it.

I once knew someone who worked as a 999 operator who said they had regular calls about requests such as changing a light bulb or how to cook certain foods. Those are the people who need a stern talking to.

titchy · 31/12/2017 00:18

GP, Out of hours GP or a Minor Injuries Unit (taxi there) are the obvious alternatives - which depends on issue and time of day.

minisoksmakehardwork · 31/12/2017 00:25

NotSuchA - is there any need for that? Writing in pain, vomitting and waiting it out for 5 hours, with presumably no improvement. So you then try to get a GP appointment?? OP did the right thing in calling 111 who followed their procedure. She didn't dial 999 herself.

OP fwiw, I had to take DH to out of hours with similar symptoms one sunday - he had woken up like it and after a few hours of no change, he begged me to take him to minor injuries and illness. They diagnosed kidney stones and packed him off to hospital in an ambulance, because they wanted to ensure they could get him comfortable enough for transport. imo I would call 999 for a clear life/death or significant incident. 111 would be my go to for advice if I wasn't sure. If they choose to send an ambulance then you have ticked enough of their criteria to warrant one. I know sometimes they can seem overzealous in their approach and they have advised me to attend A&E several times when I have wanted advice rather than immediate medical attention for the children. But in every case where I have attended hospital, the staff who have seen us have reassured us that they would sooner see a patient and treat them effectively sooner than deal with an emergency situation which could have been avoided by seeking more prompt treatment.

Just be warned though that in DH's experience, he was in and out of hospital a few times before he actually had the stones blitzed so he could pass them. The pain alone was enough to warrant it and the consultant he saw was lovely and reassuring.

EB123 · 31/12/2017 00:26

I don't drive so would use a taxi if I needed too get to be seen,

I think you would probably know when a direct 999 call is needed.

Dont feel guilty about an ambulance coming to you, they obviously thought it necessary or you would have been given an out of hours appointment instead.

Original poster
CanadaMoose91 · 31/12/2017 00:29

It was out of hours, GP was no good. My GP doesn't offer out of hours. I am not from the UK so didn't grow up eithe UK system - are they available at many clinics? A google search on the day said that my town hasn't got a walk-in clinic. What is a minor injuries unit? Is it part of a hospital?

Sorry, the Canadian system is very different, and this was my first experience with the NHS.

OP posts:
NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1 · 31/12/2017 00:30

I genuinely wondered why the GP wasn't the first port of call, thats all.

MiddleClassProblem · 31/12/2017 00:30

If 111 said I needed an ambulance I would probably think that was best as I’m not medically trained (other than a 10 yr old first aid certificate Confused)

Original poster
CanadaMoose91 · 31/12/2017 00:34

I appreciate all of the replies - I do feel guilty that an ambulance was sent for me, as I am perfectly fine now and someone else could've been seen sooner. The information is so valuable, but the NHS website seems very unclear about what constitutes an emergency. I just wanted to be sure that my views matched the UK!

OP posts:
PickleFish · 31/12/2017 00:34

my city doesn't have a walk-in clinic or minor injuries unit either - it's 111, out of hours GP, or A&E, so I can see why some people have a tough call to make.

Heratnumber7 · 31/12/2017 00:34

There's always an out of hours service OP.

I'd enquire at your local surgery so you know what to do next time.

Our surgery gives the ooh number on the answer phone message. It varies according to who is on call.

SWBCRTMWSC · 31/12/2017 00:35

It sounds like you needed the ambulance to check why you were in so much pain.
For future reference all go practices offer an out of hours service. You call their normal number and there will be a message with the number to call.

titchy · 31/12/2017 00:35

All GP practices have an out of hours service - usually one service combined with other local practices.

GColdtimer · 31/12/2017 00:35

We called an ambulance for my mum in similar circumstances - it was her gall bladder and suspected pancreatitis so definitely the right thing.

My mum called an ambulance for me when I broke my leg. I thought she was overreacting but then realised my foot was at the totally wrong angle. No way I could have got to a&e I'm in the car. I was in agony.

Original poster
CanadaMoose91 · 31/12/2017 00:39

I will ring the GP then and find out about out of hours! It wasn't on their website, so I assumed (wrongly!) that it didn't exist.

OP posts:
RainbowWish · 31/12/2017 00:40

You were genuinely unwell and was advise to phone an ambulance. You did the right thing OP. It's not like you phoned straight away. You had 5 hours before seeking help.
It's better to be safe than sorry.
Hope you feel better Flowers

KatnissMellark · 31/12/2017 00:41

DH called an ambulance for me when I had agonizing abdominal pain- collapsed, writhing on the floor, couldn't be moved etc. He was worried he'd overreacted but they reassured him he'd done absolutely the right thing.

Kursk · 31/12/2017 00:44

For me it’s for life threatening situations only.

Especially since moving to the USA. a visit to the ER is $1750 with our insurance.

stilltheykeepcoming · 31/12/2017 00:46

It's sometimes very difficult to tell, isn't it? There have been two threads on here in the last day or so about ankle injuries. One had everybody saying that calling an ambulance was a total waste of time as it was diagnosed as a sprain, and they should have gone to hospital by car. The other one turned out to be a really nasty broken ankle and an ambulance would have been totally appropriate.

Floralnomad · 31/12/2017 00:47

I would only call an ambulance if I couldn’t get to hospital under my own steam ( drive or taxi) , frankly the ambulance service is so stretched in our area that it’s way quicker to get yourself somewhere than wait . An ambulance was called for me this year , genuine emergency and dh was first put on hold , then explained the issue , the ambulance car arrived in about 45 minutes and the actual ambulance took an hour longer . If I could have got out of the house I could have been at the hospital within 15 minutes .

WhatToDoAboutThis2017 · 31/12/2017 00:52

Every town has pretty much the same leaflet about what service to use in which situation. You can usually pick one up from your doctors surgery or your local pharmacy.

A quick google brought me the one below, which happens to be Sheffield. Chances are you’re not in Sheffield, so you can ignore the Sheffield specific information, but the general idea is there and it explains the services available in the UK and when to use them.

www.sheffieldccg.nhs.uk/Your-Health/choose-well-guide.htm

I’ve also included a handy picture.

Try googling your town followed by NHS services, NHS choose well, or something similar; it will give you more tailored information.

When is it right to call 999?
BoreOfWhabylon · 31/12/2017 00:55

CanadaMoose91 you did the right thing callng 111, it's what they are for. They triaged your symptoms and sent an ambulance, not unreasonable for someone writhing in severe pain, and I'm quite surprised that the crew left without organising pain relief.

Broadly speaking, 999 is for illnesses or injuries that appear to be life-threatening.
111 is for when you urgently need medical help or advice but you don't think it's a life threatening situation.

www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/Emergencyandurgentcareservices/Pages/NHS-111.aspx

BoreOfWhabylon · 31/12/2017 00:57

In many areas, OOH GP services are accessed via 111. Check with your GP whether this is so in your area.

TabbyTigger · 31/12/2017 00:59

Give 111 a call!! They will recommend the next stage - such as arrange an out of hours GP appointment if one is needed.

We had a relatively similar issue with our 13yo last week - she had a tummy ache that started at 8pm and just progressively got worse, so at about 1am we called 111 and they booked us an out of hours GP appointment. She went, they gave her some buscapan, we came home and about half an hour later started shaking uncontrollably and vomiting everywhere and crying from the pain, so we called 111 again and they called an ambulance for us. She was then pretty bad for a few hours after but was given an anti-emetic and some antibiotics through a mixup and was suddenly fine aside from a niggling tummy ache - after multiple scans and tests we still don’t have a clue what happened! We never called the ambulance though, just waited for a professional to tell us it was ambulance-worthy.