to think that NHS helpline was not helpful

[mumsobusy]

Yesterday a friend of mine phoned me in a panic saying her ds who is 3 had woken up with quite alot of blood coming out of mouth and nose and would not stop. I told her it could be a nose bleed but she was very upset so I told her to phone NHS helpline to ask advise. so she phoned nhs and got a telling off for phoning from the nurse who spoke to her. They didn't even give her an explaination of what it could be and said dont phone again for problems like this. What would you have done if your 3 year old had blood gushing out of mouth which you had problem stopping.
I think NHS should at least put her mind at rest and suggested what she could do to stop the blood.

I think it sounds odd a I find NHS direct usually overreact rather than the other way around....

I thought it odd too because I ve always found them helpful but theyd told her off saying dont bother them for a problem like that the line was for much more important problems. She didnt know it could be a nose bleed as I said she paniced because there was blood coming from mouth too and he is only 3 too

I've called for much less and always been properly advised after answering a list of questions with nothing to do with what I was ringing for

Are you sure she didn't dial 999?

That's never happened to me, even when I called for heatrash. NHS direct is for queries that are usually too trivial to go to the GP - that's kind of half the point of it! Sounds like she rang 999 to me!

I find them useless too, but because they go through their standad list of quns for meningitis, even when I'm on the line saying "I'm sure he doesn't have meningitis" over and over like a scratched record.

I have found them incredibly helpful when I have called.

That does sound strange, I thought they were usually happy to advise on anything, even if at the end they did decide it was minor. Though as sparkleandshinesaid, they usually will overreact, rather than underreact.

I dont think she phoned 999 because I gave her the number for the helpline and after she had spoken to the person on the phone she had said a doctor would phone but they didn,t. I said to her that the line was there so people would not rush to A&E for the smallest reason. Ive always found them very helpful cant understand why she couldn't

Definately think she completely paniced and dialled 999

I've phoned our equivilent (I'm in Scotland) for not very serious things and always found them VERY helpful and very good for reassuring you that you aren't wasting their time

Did she phone NHS Direct 0845 4647, or a local helpline?

NHS Direct always seem to tell me to phone an ambulance or go to A&E All the times I have done, it has been nothing.

The local helpline though is very hit and miss, sometimes they are lovely and reassuring and helpful, but other times they are very curt.

Perhaps they are a bit understaffed at the moment with all the panic about swine flu?

I agree that NHS 24 normally err on the side of caution (by about a mile).
This sounds very unlikely.

Agree with other posters that this is odd, ime they always overreact on the side of caution. Very odd and I would follow this up.

I think they record all the calls, so if your friend did want to follow it up it should be easy to have the facts verified.

I just tried to ring them about something - got a recorded message saying they are extremely busy and only dealing with emergency calls and that if you get through they will ring you back but it will be at least four hours.

Must be more swine flu about than it would appear...

I have always had great help and advice from NHS24 until recently when ds was ill but not ill enough for a&e but definately needed seeing and she told me that he was fine, treated me like a panicky over-reacting mother and advised Calpol. I knew hee needed more and was sooo surprised that the nurse was actually so short with me basically was told that they were only going to advise calpol and get off the line basically.
Finally managed to get him seen and poor wee man ended up in the Sick Kids on a drip of AB's for a horrid dose of tonsillitis.

YANBU. I phoned NHSDirect on a Friday when DH had really bad stomach pain and was starting to feel ill.They spoke to him and told him to call back on Monday if it wasn't better.He actually had a burst appendix and could have been dead by Monday if we had followed their advice !

Am with the majority of the other posters on here. NHS direct have always been superb with DS - erring more on the side of caution. And when a nurse has rang me back, they have always asked how worried I am, totally taking into account if I feel uneasy. I think they are fantastic and would be so surprised if she was told they were wasting her time.

BHS direct have always been good here.

NHS

haha BHS direct for a napkin or knickers emergency.alwasy attentive