Another frustrating experience with 111. My daughter has been prescribed strong drugs for a stomach problem and the GP said to call if any problems. It's a Saturday and sadly I had to call 111 out of hours service as she had dreadful, new, 10/10 on the pain scale stomach cramps after taking the medication, strong enough to make her cry, which subsided after 20 minutes (and might be side effect of the drug). I wanted to know whether this is normal and whether we should continue with the medication.
I told the girl reading off a computer screen what the problem was and the names of the drugs and then had to go through twenty minutes of questions - is she pregnant. Has she had a miscarriage (she's 11). I was told I'd get a call back that evening (it was already 11.50 pm so there was no evening left). When I asked if it would be sometimes within the next five hours she said yes. By 8 am still no call back I called back again and was told that they were another area of 111 so had no record and no way to access my previous call as that must have been picked up by a different area (this it turned out was a 111 not covering my area - but when I suggested just calling the 111 unit that did cover my area she said 'we don't have the ability to do that'). She had to close my case and reopen a new one 8 and a half hours after I'd called up the first time. I then had to answer all the same moronic questions again and the woman didn't even take down the name of the drugs my child had taken (until I insisted).
She said I'd get a call back sometime in the next five hours which would be 16 hours after my original call.
Surely there is something wrong with this? Can't we start some kind of campaign for reform of the f'ing system. this is not the first time they've been rubbish. normally they pack you off to a and e for a headache.
Does anyone else have terrible 111 stories to share. or a way of making proper effective noise about the rubbishness that is this service.