To go to a&e

[AnxietyIsMyShadow]

DD 5yrs woke up with a headache, no temperature, gave her Calpol, ate breakfast and was running round with her brother. Sent her to school, then school called to say she was unwell so I picked her up. Slept all afternoon, said she has a headache and tummy ache and sore throat when she swallows. Large vomit. Should I take her to a&e? These are all signs of Strep according to the NHS website.
I suffer terribly with anxiety and am struggling to stay calm.

The thing in the news right now is invasive strep. This could be normal strep, could be a lot of other things, but doesn’t need worrying about yet.

Please don't go to A&E and waste their time, they're busy enough as it is, especially at this time of year. Ring 111 and explain her symptoms, they'll be more helpful than sitting around for hours on end in a cold hospital.

My DC's would kick off if they had to sit miserably in A&E for hours on end

I have worked a shift on a children's assessment unit today. Referrals come through GP via consultant (or from the emergency department). The amount of GP calls we had for 'Strep like symptoms' was off the scale! Some GPs just sent people in without a referral. They all ended up taking up bed for several hours because we are short staffed, these children did not need to be there (but we have protocols to follow once they arrive) and were all discharged home with advice to treat as you would any other illness. Strep A in itself is not an emergency.

The symptoms listed are no an A&E job in my opinion.

This sounds like normal illness exacerbated by end of term tiredness. Bed rest, calpol, fluids. She should be up to watching some telly/colouring in a day or so.