To call an ambulance for my baby?

[Kanfuzed123]

So my baby is 3 weeks and caught the horrid cold I had at delivery. Day 10 and 14 midwife and HV said he seems ok but watch out for retraction, as colds can become bronchilitis, if he starts retracting he needs to get to a and e asap. He looked worse today, couldn’t get to see GP so sent a video, GP said he seems ok but monitor. Tonight he started retracting more significantly and he’s been so sleepy, falling asleep in feeds. So I went to take him to hospital but my fucking car won’t start, and an error message has come up on the dashboard. Ubers keep cancelling and the only taxi firm answering have more than an hr wait.

I should call an ambulance right? I don’t want to over react and drain NHS but equally my little boy is struggling

I work in care and we often get a private ambulance. We get them by calling 999 like everyone else and the NHS summon them if they are too busy to attend to our call within an acceptable timeframe (last time it was two hours for a lady who was struggling to breathe. She spent two weeks in IAU and was eventually discharged on 24/7 oxygen and end of life).

The one thing I will say for our private ambulance service is that they are very very good. They spend a lot more time trying to stabilise and treat people at home than NHS paramedics are able to.

Otoh, when we call to report an obviously dead body, even if we report a DNR who is blue and cold (not nursing care I assume nursing get there before they are cold) we get three ambulances, one private ambulance and one police car

The whole system is fucked and woefully underfunded.

It was actually the GP that wouldn’t see him, the receptionist put it as a query on the system and have been told for 3 days now ‘no appointments available’. I ended up calling back and said that on x mas eve after not seeing him after the video was sent in that baby had to go to hospital in an ambulance and I’ve been advised to complain to the practice manager and the ccg by the local children’s hospital (it’s a famous one) and then 5 mins later, call back to come in that afternoon. O2 was ok and chest was clear (but as the childrens diagnosed bronchilitis I dont think it can be) but he said he could get worse again- which I really hope not!

awful you had to threaten a complaint to get seen. Please submit the complaint anyway its the only way we have to get GPs to account for failing of care