On hold to ambulance

[AlizeeEasy]

Earlier this evening I had to call for an ambulance, I was shocked to be put on hold for a few minutes. I’ve never had to call them before so I don’t know if this is somewhat the norm, especially for a Saturday evening. Does this seem like it should be the case?

For context I had initially called for the police as I thought the matter was more appropriate for them and they answered immediately but told me to hang up and call back for the ambulance.

I have such a deep respect for the emergency services, so this isn’t a critique of them, just of the apparent lack of resources to cover busier periods.

My mum was an A&E nurse in the 1950s and once had a patient walk in holding her head in both hands… it turned out that she had a broken neck. So thinks haven't really changed all that much, I don't think.

things

Learn CPR (the British Red Cross I think has an app, or there are other resources) and get yourself to A&E. I’m a dr that’s waited on a few occasions recently >8hrs for a cat 2 ambulance. The system and nhs has sunk.

Yep, the emergency plans/worsening advice are beginning to change across the board now. Only call 999 if unable to make your own way to hospital. I do telephone triage on occasion and have had to ask some really really unwell sounding people to get a lift in since I just didn't think they were well enough to wait for an ambulance.

Same happened when I phoned them. Operator kept popping in to say 'please hold please hold' asked me what had happened and had a first responder here within two minutes followed by another ambulance (bigger one) two minutes after the first responder.

:) This just reminded me of the time I arrived on scene at a patient performing CPR on themselves, there'd been a significant misunderstanding during the 999 call!

That's the norm now yes. I had to ring one for my daughter in our local Aldi. Another shopper didn't understand I was on hold. So rang them herself. She said oh they've answered I said no they just transfer the call. You have to wait again to be put through to the ambulance service. Then have to give all details bare in mind we're in a busy Aldi on a Friday afternoon.

😢😢😢

Don't go to A&E or read threads about it.

It's absolutely terrifying.

My dad was having a heart attack and we phoned and they literally said the ambulance wait would be about 4 hours and could he make his own way there , we were horrified

Just to give some hope.. a few weeks ago my seriously disabled and non verbal DD started to bleed from her mouth in her sleep- never happened before so I was terrified.
the first responder was there in 7 minutes (he said he was just around the corner thankfully). First ambulance 12 minutes in. We had to wait til a second ambulance turned up because the first had only one paramedic (driving) and they wanted one in the back (for obvious reasons).

They were fantastic all round. They’d come from a serious RTC for her and I really wish there was some way of doing something to make this shit situation better

Some one i know called for an ambulance after being advised on 111, ambulance turned up 4 hours later ish and advised them to go to hospital... but they didn't. What is the point of that? (Person is not housebound in any way)

I will get a taxi if it's not an emergency situation. But sometimes it's impossible when they're lying there dropping in and out of consciousness. You really have no chance of lifting them out the house without assistance and a wheelchair.

I don't bother with 111 anymore because they insist we need an ambulance but that's often not the case. I don't drive myself. But we are a few minutes drive from the hospital. I can get her there quicker in a taxi.

They can no longer stay on the line with you until the ambulance arrives. There will be a queue of people after me in just as much need.

Someone where I work had all symptoms of a stroke. Called for an ambulance. Put on hold initially, went through all symptoms with the call handler when I did get through, who then asked to speak to the patient...who wasn't able to speak as I'd told the handler.....
Was then told 6 hours for an ambulance. For a stroke victim. (Confirmed when one of my team took her to a&e and stayed with her until family were gotten hold of.)
Terrifying.

111 do send ambulances unesaserily. I just don't bother ringing them and take her straight up to A and E. I ring because it hasn't got to the stage of being an emergency. But she needs to be seen by a doctor.

We have been waiting 18 months for an assessment of meds. She is ment to be seen every 6 months. Because people's underlying health conditions are not being well managed. That adds pressure on the A and E departments. Because it's the only way they get to see a doctor to treat them. GP's can't alter medication they haven't prescribed. So it's useless going to the GP.

This is the result of the Tories absolutely deliberately running down the NHS to prepare the ground for full privatisation. We shouldn't be surprised, their intentions have been clear for years.

Read it and weep, literally.

This is why the nurses need our unyielding support. Who else is standing up for the NHS,. which, when funded, pound for pound outclassed the American joke of a system?

Happens all the time. People call for reassurance to 111 regards some niggling ache or pain ?cause. 111 is defensive and has limited options - advice to see pharmacist, GP, await OOGP callback, goto A&E or transfer to 999.

If the niggly pain is in your abdo/chest/back/head then often that'll goto 999 unless you insist you'll make your own way to A&E. But a reasonable number of people accept the 999 'to be checked out'. But then the ambulance crew arrive, normal the patient looks well, they've got normal observations, but they've still got the niggly pain in the abdo/chest/back/head. It's probably minor illness, but minor illness is complicated/needs a GP to be confident of dx, and we are not GPs! There's a tiny chance it could be something serious. They just wanted to be given reassurance and to be checked out but is it worth the crews job to do just do then when they don't actually know what's causing it and the limited tests available don't really rule anything out.

Now they could write on the paperwork "pt states has pain in chest, not sure of cause but looks alright, advised to remain home" which in most cases will be fine, but one day it won't be. And when it isn't someone will read that paperwork and say what on earth were you thinking, and now their career is at risk. Or instead they can tell the patient they don't know what is causing it, you should see the Dr in A&E...

Crews need to be trained in minor illness as it's the vast majority of our work so we can start managing it properly and not just google what the patient is c/o and take a guess at what sounds about right.

Yes, that's all you can do

I've been on hold with 999 a few times. Mum was in hospital last week. Over the years, my parents had a few hospital admissions. This is the first time I've met quite a few people in for mental health related reasons. May just be coincidence but I doubt it.

"My mum was an A&E nurse in the 1950s and once had a patient walk in holding her head in both hands… it turned out that she had a broken neck. So thinks haven't really changed all that much, I don't think."

😒 really? Doubt she trotted off herself due to a 9 hour ambulance wait tbh

And we were 3 hours physically in the ambulance on Sunday. Wonderful people. But they are stuck so long with one patient, in order to avoid handing over to A&E, they can't do what they are meant to.

this is a change from mum's 18 hours on a trolley in A&E last time. This time it was 3 in the ambulance and maybe 8 in the corridor.

she is now tucked up safely in a care home, allegedly for two weeks, but I would be happier if she stayed there. The staff are terrific - as are the NHS paramedics, nurses, doctors. I wasn't allowed in on the previous admission, but I was this time. They seem to be choked by mad levels of bureaucracy.

It is possible to do better. In NYC the average ambulance response time for a call deemed critical is under eight minutes. For a call classified as serious It is ten minutes.

www.nyc.gov/site/911reporting/reports/end-to-end-repsonse-time.page

@SleepyRich
Surely though ambulances should be for emergencies not reassurance, but I guess that's already your view!

@SleepyRich "Now they could write on the paperwork "pt states has pain in chest, not sure of cause but looks alright, advised to remain home" which in most cases will be fine, but one day it won't be. And when it isn't someone will read that paperwork and say what on earth were you thinking, and now their career is at risk. Or instead they can tell the patient they don't know what is causing it, you should see the Dr in A&E..."

I'm the one time it wouldn't have been. Overcautious and very kind paramedics saved my life by insisting that yes they really thought I should go to hospital because they weren't sure what was wrong but it could be something serious. It was something incredibly unusual (be outing if I said what) and if I hadn't been in hospital when the situation 'peaked' and therefore able to be rushed into ct scan and from there straight into surgery I would without doubt be dead.

Sadly a relative died this time last year due to really long delay in ambulance arrival. Her husband is now in hospital having nearly drunk himself to death since because of how awful and traumatic the whole thing was.

They also gave me two shots of morphine thank god, I would never have survived the 10 hours of being ignored on a trolley in a&e without it. I only got any attention when I was literally close to death and everything became very, very obviously wrong.

This is a bit terrifying.