DS has fever and sore throat - strep A?

[Badgerandfox227]

So my DS 4 came down with a fever overnight and has a sore throat. He’s had some calpol and has gone back to sleep. I would normally let something like this run it’s course, but it’s concerning with the Strep A reports and seems that getting antibiotics early is the best thing if it ends up being Strep A.

AIBU to call 111 and try and get an out of hours?

Thanks @JessicaFletcherInvestigates. She is insisting her throat doesn't hurt, but it doesn't look healthy to me. Normally there's absolutely no way I would go to A&E with this, but our OOH are saying we could be waiting up to 24h. Not sure what to do.

If you can afford it and your child is showing all possible symptoms of strep A please please go private and pay for a private gp appointment!!!!! Phone your local private hospital and see what they can do! I know it’s not fair or right and we could debate til the cows come home about the unfairness of it all but I am so surprised when people who can afford to go private don’t go!! Not saying that anyone here is refusing it. Good luck

This is what I'd do too.
A private GP where I live is around £50 for the appointment. I'm not rich by any means but I'd pay for this.

Just an aside but I really think its time they change the rules to let qualified pharmacists prescribe antibiotics.

Agree with this, 100%

My gm called it scarlatina, I think. I caught measles, German measles and whooping cough at school between ages 5 to 6 - I'm in my 70's. So I think you're right to be very vigilant about your ds. Hope it clears up quickly

Absolutely, my 15 year old told me he had a sore throat, one look at his tonsils and I could tell ot was tonsillitis, Drs were already closed, pharmacist in Sainsburys said 100% tonsillitis but can't give him anything. Next day called the Drs and offered to send in a photo but that wasn't good enough they had to see him. 2 days later we get an appointment we were in there approximately 30 seconds he took 1 look and prescribed penicillin. All could have been achieved by the pharmacist days earlier.

Some pharmacists can prescribe - I know when I did my nonmedical prescribing course half were pharmacists

Some pharmacists can prescribed but they need an extra qualification to do it. But not all of them want to do it or have the time to do it.

Please don't call 111 unless your child is actually unwell. If they have a fever and a sore throat but otherwise OK then you can manage with self care until the GP is open, could be all manner of things! All you are going to do is put strain on the out of hours services when people really need it due to hysteria. A&E for an unhealthy looking tongue seriously? Please apply some common sense before potentially clogging up the services, they're under enough strain as it is and they have some seriously sick people to deal with. And it's not the person at 111 who thinks you need the out of hours, it's the system referring you there on the balance of risk.

Do it! Seek medical attention and if it’s possible demand antibiotics. I always let things run its course and my children hardly ever sick, don’t remember the last cold… But I’d rather let them have a course of AB than risk it. They never have AB but special times require special measures.

So my DS 4 came down with a fever overnight and has a sore throat. He’s had some calpol and has gone back to sleep. I would normally let something like this run it’s course, but it’s concerning with the Strep A reports and seems that getting antibiotics early is the best thing if it ends up being Strep A. AIBU to call 111 and try and get an out of hours

You mention fever and sore throat but have not mentioned any other symptoms. If the only symptoms of illness are fever and sore throat what do you expect 111 to tell you?

I would be keeping a close watch over them but cannot really see what a 111 call achieves.

@Dandelionsinthegarden
It’s not easy to access simple medical help, that’s way people are “exploring” different options to get their child seen and checked. If we had easier access to medication or check (like people mention on this thread… pharmacist? Out of ours something? Anything!), maybe we won’t be in a position where the child is too unwell and has to be hospitalised and I kind of think it’s doing a greater damage to NHS above anything else. I remember being literally tortured when I had a strep throat, I’ve been treated like a criminal. After a week not eating and hardly having any sleep, I’ve been finally granted antibiotics after a positive swab. Did I have to suffer that long and gaslighted into thinking “it’s just a virus”? I had bloody pus visible on my throat. I haven’t been to the doctors for ages, I’m just tired to be fobbed off so I prefer to go unchecked. But if my child gets sick, I don’t care how overstretched NHS is, they will be seen one way or another.

@Isntitakward that is a totally different situation to what the OP has described. Seeking medical attention when you have bleeding pus filled tonsils and can't sleep or eat is non comparible to a child with a fever and a sore throat who is sleeping as we speak. People need to take more responsibility for themselves and their children. I doubt you've ever worked for 111 so don't know how it works, but encouraging people to call them for mild symptoms just pushes everyone further back and further back in the queue. It's taking over 24hrs at the moment to call back seriously ill patients because of nonsense like this.

They really should. Pharmacists are so careful when giving medication, even more so than doctors, I can't see what would go wrong.

Like a covid test?

yes the strep swabs are like a covid test (except you swab the back of the throat). in my country you can just buy them at the pharmacy.

I think my concern is his tonsils - are those white spots or food? If white spots he has an infection and needs antibiotics

Dispensing pharmacist? We have one locally at our late opening chemist. Brilliant.

If every parent with a child with a sore throat and fever today tries to see a doctor the system simply will not cope.

If our child is really out of sorts and in a concerning state then we need to seek help, but if panic about Strep A inundates the service with standard sore throats that are rife at this time of year we are putting genuinely seriously unwell kids at risk.

@ItsNotReallyChaos

Completely see your point. However as the parent of a 6 year old, I AM very worried about this, and I’m not ever going to just think “Christ can’t overwhelm the NHS” if I’m even slightly worried it’s strep a. As I believe every single parent would agree. It is scary, whether or not it’s being blown out of proportion.

The strep A situation is very worrying 😢 hope he’s ok x

@Ostryga I’m not saying that people shouldn’t seek help if they think their child is particularly unwell and I myself will have my DD seen if she’s more unwell than her standard level of illness with winter viruses.

Apart from a collective need not to snow under OOH and paediatric A&E, the chances are that if you take your DC with a sore throat to be seen you’ll likely be sitting in a waiting room with other people who might have nasty infections. You might go in with a bad cold and come out having caught worse.

I feel as though the NHS are going to be forced to come up with a way of handling the surge of paediatric 111 contacts. Strep A testing centres maybe?

I thought about strep a testing centres last night too. It's a good idea. We already know how to set them up.

Children are dying.

You can be as pissy as you like but if my child gets unwell I will be doing whatever I need to do. And if that means a&e? I'll do it. I don't care.