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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think NHS Direct is not really a good idea

76 replies

katiestar · 21/04/2009 16:40

I rang them for DH who had had very severe stomach ache for over 12 hours.The nurse who we spoke to said to take some paracetamol and ring back if it hadn't improved in a couple of days.24 hours later DH was admitted to hospital with a ruptured appendix
Thankfully we did not take NHS Direct's advice as gospel and gone to our own GP but another person might not have done so burstsv

Surely it is very dangerous for someone to try and diagnose whether a problem is serious or not over the telephone

OP posts:

steviesgirl · 21/04/2009 20:01

YANBU. I contacted them once when I just couldn't catch my breath one night for the life of me! I was getting quite worried and the nurse asked me loads of questions like are my lips turning blue etc etc. I'd had a lovely day, I was chilled, relaxed and happy.

The nurses dianosis: A bloody panic attack!

She argued with me too when I told her quite clearly that I was relaxed and not anxious about anything. Nope, as far as she was concerned I had a panic attack!

I think it's an insult when someone diagnoses something YOU KNOW you don't have. Until someone actually examines you, how the hell do they know what's wrong?

OrmIrian · 21/04/2009 20:03

Mum had Bells Palsy. Not nice but temporary. She couldn't smile and was so upset that she might frighten DS#1 was a newborn. Poor mum

justaboutspringtime · 21/04/2009 20:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

annoyingdevil · 21/04/2009 21:00

I've always found them excellent. They insisted DD was taken straight to A & E when she had an allergic reaction to peanuts;

Sent an ambulance for DP when he had chest pains.

referred us for numerous emergency GP appointments at the weekends when the DC have been ill.

picmaestress · 21/04/2009 21:07

NHS Direct is brilliant, but it only works if you're using your brain. If someone is in severe pain, you have to be able to make a judgement yourself as an adult if they're seriously ill. And they do too. If I had severe abdominal pain, I wouldn't f$ck about ringing NHSD, I'd go to hospital.

By the way, I had Bell's Palsy in the days before NHS direct, panicked not knowing what it was, rang my best mate, and she told me what it was and to go to hospital...so maybe the olden days weren't so different anyway ? ;)

MsSparkle · 21/04/2009 21:27

Waste of time imo. I spoke to some unsymperthetic woman who basically had a what do u want us to do about it attitude We ended up down the hospital with 10 day old ds at 2am.

oranges · 21/04/2009 22:14

bell's palsy - they asked loads of questions, about whether he could smile, blink, swallow etc then made him a hospital apppointment the same day, as new research shows that if treated within 72 hours, there is a better chance of a full, quick recovery.

JemL · 21/04/2009 22:21

I wouldn't bother with NHS direct but would go straight to our local walk in centre, which is excellent. I've never liked NHS since I rang them in my first pregnancy (which sadly ended in a missed miscarriage) with some concerns,well founded as it turned out unfortunately, and the midwife laughed at me and said I was going to have to toughen up and not worry about everything to get through a pregnancy. I appreciate she couldn't possibly have diagnosed me over the phone, it was her attitude which I hated.

JemL · 21/04/2009 22:22

THat should be I've never liked NHS Direct - I like the NHS a great deal generally!

LissyGlitter · 21/04/2009 22:38

I've always got on really well with them for giving advice, eg when dd had chickenpox I rang them to ask how infectious she would be and for how long. They have talked me through various mental health crises, and sent an ambulance out a couple of times for me. They are also really good at reassuring worried new mums.

ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight · 21/04/2009 22:42

They 'forgot' to ask one question once that meant I was put on a 4 hour callback when I was actually really ill. I called again an hour later and got an immediate callback because they asked the right question, was told to go to hospital (in hindsight should have just done it in the first place) but it was a stupid mistake on the part of the operator. Oh, and they asked me if I could be pregnant (tick box question) when I had already told them I was calling for pain after miscarriage. But the operators aren't medically trained, just call centre workers basically.

It's a pretty pointless service if you are actually ill, but it does prevent people wasting hospital and GPs' time when they aren't really ill. Good for that if nothing else.

Original poster

katiestar · 01/12/2009 12:17

Just an update .After 7.5 months I heard from NHS direct today .they have listened back to the phonecall with the nurse and her manager and have concluded that the nurse was negligent and didn't follow the correct procedure.
I hope now she will be given the correct training so that another person in the same situation will be advised to seek urgent medical attention.

OP posts:

addictedtolatte · 01/12/2009 12:28

katiestar i phoned nhs 3 years ago when i was vomiting and had a temp of 41. i was told i had food poisoning and to take paracetamol to control my temp. i also mentioned to them my vomit was orange but they insisted the colour was influenced by food i had eaten. 4 hours after that phone call my dp found me lying in bed struggling to breath. the outcome was i had bacterial pneomonia and spent the next week in hospital fighting to survive. i was lucky to survive but did lose a lung. i think nhs direct should be put into extinction. hope your dh is ok now no thanks to nhs direct.

colditz · 01/12/2009 12:34

They are very good if you have omnivorous children. Ds2 has eaten wax crayons, contraceptives, and liquid soap.

Wax crayons - they said no problems
Contraceptives - doctor rang back and told me watch for mood swings
Liquid soap - I was told to give water and keep an eye on him.

gorionine · 01/12/2009 12:45

Op I am sorry you had a bad experience with them (you too addicted to latte).

I must say I have used them quite often for the children , mostly to check wether it was worth going to A&E when they are poorly or had a bad fall outside GP hours. I always found them very thourough and helpful.

BonjourIvressedeNoel · 01/12/2009 13:09

I've had appendicitis and only sought out my GPs advice because the pain was starting to be s bad as labour - luckily she saw me even though I phoned up on 5.30 pm on a Friday night! It is easily missed, I thought it was period pain all day.

I agree that in most cases NHS direct are pointless, if I'm concerned enough to call them, I'd rather call my out of hours GP and speak to a doctor, not someone who reads out questions from a card.

gorionine · 01/12/2009 13:31

But they read questions from a card just to give something to a doctor to work on.

Every time I have called, the nurse took all the details she could but then passed them on to a doctor who called me about 30 minutes later to have a possible disgnosis/ask for more details and give advice for the next step to take. I was never "diagnosed" by the person who took the call.

Oblomov · 01/12/2009 13:49

I can't see the point of it. Well to people of very limited reasoning and inteliigence, it might be a tiny bit helpful. Other than that, useless.
If you have common sense, most people, not all the time, but most of the time, know that they need to go to A&E. And for that minority who atre not sure, prob best just to go !

gorionine · 01/12/2009 14:50

Thanks Oblomov for saying I am of limited reasonning and intelligence!

Sometimes, as parents, it can be difficult to be sure you are not overreacting. If something is really obvious there is no question but "By Oblomov Tue 01-Dec-09 13:49:06 not all the time, but most of the time,""

NHS Direct is precisely for those "not all the time"" you are yourself refering too!

gorionine · 01/12/2009 14:52

Sorry, should have said refering to not too.

Limited intelligence strikes again!

thedollshouse · 01/12/2009 14:57

When ds had the norovirus they were very helpful and called an ambulance as they were concerned ds was suffering from dehydration.

On other occasions I have been less than impressed. Once I had an upset stomach, a rash and a raging temperature, I then discovered that I had forgotten to remove my tampon which had been in there for about 4 days and was concerned that I had toxic shock syndrome. The adviser said it didn't sound like toxic shock and thought I had a cold, she advised me to have a lemsip.

Oblomov · 01/12/2009 15:12

sorry you took it so personally gorion.

loupiots · 01/12/2009 15:16

I think they are bit hit and miss. If you get hold of a sensible, experienced nurse who has the gumption to go a bit "off script", then they can be useful. But they only have a limited number of options as they are there to advise, not diagnose.

I tend to phone/use the out of ours service instead. Our practice calls back within the hour, sooner if you've got a young child and the symptoms justify it. I just feel more reassured talking to a GP who is trained to make those sort of diagnostic judgements.

I do think NHS Direct can be a bit trigger happy about the A&E option if you have a child - as it is better to be safe than sorry. But that does then bring up the question about how much they are actually freeing up/saving NHS resources.

Janos · 01/12/2009 15:46

Hmm, funnily enough OP I was in EXACTLY the situation you describe 10 years ago. I had a severe stomach ache and vomiting over a weekend. They told me it was just a bug and to rest, even after telling them then pain was much worse they second time they called.

Took myself to the doctors on the Monday morning, in quite a lot of pain, where appendicitis was diagnosed.

So in that case, yes, they were pretty hopeless but also if you were in as much pain as I remember it being you would make sure you got seen by a doctor.

However, I spoke to them at the weekend (Sunday eve) when DS was very poorly with a fever and a doctor wasn't available. He clearly wasn't bad enough for hospital and I was looking for some advice

They were very helpful and reassuring.

Elfytigga · 01/12/2009 20:17

YANBU they told me my exclusively bf'd baby needed extra water while he had a cold when I told them he didn't they told me that he needed a warm drink - last time I checked the old norks gave out blood temp drinkies.

NotBotheringWithThatAgainTiggaxx

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