I hate 111

[loosenknot]

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.

I had to call 111 yesterday and found them brilliant, it did turn out to be an emergency so maybe it was prioritised differently but I'm so grateful. Having gone to the hospital in an ambulance we still didn't see a doctor for 4 hours despite being a priority. The paramedic said this isn't unusual as the NHS is over stretched. I think we're lucky it still exists at all to be honest.

Yes, I called 111 once for something minor. By the time it got to 1am the problem had subsided so I decided to go to bed and have them a call back to let them know I no longer needed their assistance.

4am and I woke up to my front door being knocked down. Apparently Paramedics had been knocking (I was fast asleep! - heavy sleeper!)

Turns out they'd got me confused with someone else with severe chest pains and as I'd told them I had my child with me, they'd decided to get Police to break in! Which I understand and appreciate - I could've been unconscious/dead, leaving my then-1yr old unattended. However how on Earth they'd got me 'mixed up' with someone else is beyond me - and quite worrying!!! What about the person who DID have severe chest pains??

Anyway, I had to pay to have my door replaced and 111 took zero responsibility!! Charming

I have had to use 111 twice in the last year and both times they where very helpful.

Those “moronic” questions have been carefully devised by leading A&E consultants and senior nurses in order to rule out life threatening symptoms.
Call handlers are not medically trained, they must ask and get sensible answers (often difficult) from people who are the eyes and ears for the patient.
They do not have access to medical notes and this is important as they need as much information from you as possible.
Stroppy, rude and irritated people often do not give the details needed in order to signpost appropriately.
You rang for information on the medication but your child had symptoms. Symptoms can change quickly, hence the questions.
Consider this, there will have been literally hundreds of calls before you and after you waiting for call backs.
These can be for a thousand different reasons.
They prioritise symptoms.
This is robust because of the answers that you give.

It is an excellent, overstretched abused service, when used appropriately it can unclog other overstretched, abused services.

They are obliged to follow a script to the letter. They're not allowed to use their own judgement for the very good reason that they are call centre workers, not healthcare professionals.

I know it can be annoying, though. Just four days after she'd given birth and was calling about a relatively minor but uncomfortable matter, a dd was asked several times whether she could be pregnant. This despite having replied, 'Absolutely not!' the first time.

No, I agree OP, I think it's a terrible service, though perhaps it varies wildly by area if some people think it's good. The diagnostic sieve they use (AKA moronic questions) is not well designed. I once called for advice with massively high blood pressure and when I got to the out of hours GP appointment I was offered, I found 111 triage had told them they suspected a UTI. I mean, wtf?

The practice of handling your calls from two different areas who can't communicate, and the first area having apparently just dumped your case, is appalling imo. I'm astonished anyone is saying the problem with any of that is your attitude.

once called for advice with massively high blood pressure and when I got to the out of hours GP appointment I was offered, I found 111 triage had told them they suspected a UTI. I mean, wtf?

And you have no awareness whatsoever, that your answers to the questions are what led them to that?

Well, they can't have, can they, italiancortado? My only symptom was a massive spike in my blood pressure. I had no UTI symptoms whatsoever. The GP I saw was also mystified and a bit pissed off. So no, no 'awareness whatsoever' of that.

I have had 111 work amazingly well and also very badly (the same miscommunication being passed on multiple times despite my correcting it each time and it made a total nonsense of my question)

111 is not a good service to handle follow up questions such as the OP's. You can definitely disappear down the rabbit hole trying to get follow up help when what you really need is to speak to the professional you saw previously.

111 should be scrapped. Massive waste of money and can be very dangerous.

If it's scrapped, what would you replace it with?

You know it really winds me up when people complain about waiting times for stuff like this.

I’m a police call handler and during peak times, the wait for 101 gets long. People just can’t seem to grasp that they can moan about it as much as they like but the NHS/police/fire have incredibly limited resources. They don’t want you to be waiting that long either. We WANT more resources. There isn’t a fat cat at the top of the chain pocketing a million pound a year salary.
I’m sure they would love to be able to call back much sooner but the services are majorly overstretched.

What could we do instead? The GP surgeries can no longer stretch to doing out of hours and we need a joined up service so try and signpost people to the right service as best we can. It isn't perfect and they don't always get it right but i do think it is bloody brilliant that I can ring up at 10pm on a Sunday and get my child an appointment with a doctor if they need it.

The questions seem moronic but they have to be asked. Some people will not think to mention bleeding, temperatures, difficulty breathing etc if they are calling about something else. Some people think people are sleeping when they are unconscious.

Well said @HammerHorror

111 generally are absolutely rammed this weekend.

I called them wednesday, they sent an ambulance for my son who was admitted for 2 nights. Today I needed to get him seen again and yes the 1 hour call back took three BUT then he was seen by a gp within 45 minutes. It works well with the resources they have.
.I also think a pharmacist is your best bet

I had food poisoning from kippers. I phoned 111 to check whether it was dangerous or not (worse than expected d&v). They said no it's ok. I googled later and found you can get botulism poisoning from kippers. If you think you have botulism you must get to hospital asap and even then you might not survive. I also had a blotchy face which is a symptom of sea food poisoning. I was not impressed with 111. On other occasions they have been good but the mistake in my case could have been fatal. Never eaten kippers since and never will!

I rang 111 when I had back pain so severe I could not turn over in bed or get up. I was answered by a young man who I could tell from his style of speech and choice of words was not well educated (sorry to sound snobby but I am blue collar background, now MSc so I can tell). He took me through a load of questions including ones about my genitalia. I said 'you are not a medical professional so I am not talking with you about my private parts'. He got uppity with me and said he was fully trained for the job. In the end I did answer the question because he couldn't proceed with his rigid little flowchart without it.

In the end, his verdict: GO TO A FUCKING WALK IN CENTRE. To which I replied, 'remember that bit at the beginning where I said I cannot walk?' I insisted on a call back from the duty GP. About half an hour later the GP called, heard what I had to say and said call 999. An ambulance crew arrived and needed gas and air to get me out of bed. I was in A&E all night. I will never call 111 ever again. I don't care if I waste ambulance time now.

I have found 111 to be useful the times I have phoned it. Last time was when I had erupted eardrum with blood coming out my ear, they got me a appointment with a doctor at the hospital within hours.

In fairness, I think everyone appreciates that the underlying problem with both the NHS and the police is the incremental withdrawal of resources over many years.

I have used 111 a few times and i have always found them to be great.
When people say you know when your or children are sick enough to go to a and e i don't agree its not always obvious.

“If it's the weekend, and I think it's warranted, I call 999”

Jesus, are you a regular caller or something?

“I don't care if I waste ambulance time”

Wow.

So I’m a GP, just home from an out-of-hours shift. I stayed an extra 2 hours to help call 111 patients back as it was so busy.

Thank you to everyone who appreciates the service. There’s a nationwide shortage of doctors/nurses etc, which means call-handlers have to be used. They have no choice but to ask “moronic” questions. Some of you who disagree might be in line to sue/complain if they miss something, eh? They get a lot of flack from patients, and I don’t envy their job.

Trust me, we’re all trying our best under very difficult circumstances. You’ll miss us when we’re gone, at some point within the foreseeable future, you’ll be needing a chip and pin card at the ready...,

When people say you know when your or children are sick enough to go to a and e i don't agree its not always obvious.

I agree. We had a terrible experience with 111 when my daughter was younger. She'd been to a&e the day before and they'd said she was fine to go home.
Called 111 the next day as worried still, they said they'd call back and never did. Called GP instead who did a house call and told us to take her back to A&E immediately. She was admitted to HDU.
GP asked next time my mum saw him how she was and he admitted he thought she might not make it.

Thank you @PlonkyPlink and I hope you have a relaxing evening!