I've been ill but can't reach 111

[Ohbuggerohno]

Name changed for obvious reasons.

I was badly ill, had to stay off work. Basically slept all day and could only drink tea. The stairs were like Everest. I was sick and had a productive cough. No idea if I had a temperature as I was too out of it to think to take it.

Assumed it was just a cold/flu. Then someone died of Covid-19 at a hospital DP works at. As far as we know he didn't have contact with the patient. But there are likely others who did, and other patients. The hospital aren't testing any staff nor is anyone self isolating.

My work want me to get tested but I haven't been able to get through to 111.

My manager thinks Corona is a whole lot of fuss over nothing and she's very critical and waspish about people who self isolate as a precaution.

Senior Management have given vague advice to do what people think is best, but not told anyone to stay at home. I have Big Important Stuff and Meetings over the next 3 weeks. I'm very worried that if I self isolate for 2 weeks and cancel them and it turns out to be nothing I will be blamed for missing targets before year end. But I will no doubt be flayed alive if I infect the whole office. God forbid somebody dies.

Today I think I'm experiencing shortness of breath but I don't know if this is a secondary chest infection or anxiety or the bloody Covid finishing me off.

GP will not see me. I don't know what to do.

Maybe use the 111 online service

Hi, that was my first port of call actually. But because I haven't been into contact with someone who is confirmed to have it or been abroad the quiz came back with "call your GP if you don't feel better soon".

Use the online service but unless you have just returned from one of the countries ( China, Italy, etc) or have been in contact with someone that had tested positive, then they won’t test you! Had a member of my team go through this yesterday. We have told her to self isolate just in case. Also took the nhs over 24 hours to get back to her when she first contacted 111.

If you've had a productive cough then that indicates it is corona.

My friend was on hold to 111 for 57 mins so expect that but it should be your first action

He also called the local hospital who have a testing pod in the car park outside A&E but they wouldn’t take him without travel history - do you have travel or contact with a confirmed case?

As they have changed testing volumes dramatically today, I’d hope that would mean their testing parameters have widened so call anyway. If you don’t know where a testing pod is, call your local A&E maybe?

The testing pod staff told my friend to go to his GP despite this being against advice. That was this morning so I don’t know what’s happened at the gps or whether he went

I’m sorry you’re ill 😔

The telephone service will say no different to the online service .

Unfortunately your job issues/politics aren’t the NHS’s concern. If you don’t currently meet their threshold requirements for testing they aren’t being negligent, particularly if your partner who actually works at the hospital isn’t poorly.

*office politics

I thought a corona cough was a dry cough.

It is ridiculous. I was reading a thread yesterday where people have been asked 'have you been to China or Italy?' If no then bugger off. However, I don't really know what the alternative is. I think a lot of people will be panicking unnecessarily and to test everyone would be impossible.
In my city there has been a case in an office. I don't know anyone who works there but did that person sit next to me on the bus? Or in the coffee shop?
I think the numbers are much higher.
I hope you feel better soon and if you feel awful then please ring out of hours or GP.

mnthrowaway202020

I didn't say they were negligent

Focus on your symptoms and not your worries about infection control.
You have had shortness of breath and a cough.
Do you have asthma? If not, is the sob at rest?
If yes, you need to ring 111 again and say you are breathless. Let them do their assessment and an appointment will be made accordingly.
If you are awaiting for appointment and things keep getting worse, ring back over and over. It will then flag up the level of urgency to the medical staff.
Your main priority is your airways, not your colleagues.

Then someone died of Covid-19 at a hospital DP works at. As far as we know he didn't have contact with the patient. But there are likely others who did, and other patients. The hospital aren't testing any staff nor is anyone self isolating.

This is absolutely shocking. It's the reason when you look at the figures the U.K. cases are relatively low. They are not testing people who are obviously at risk.

I thought a corona cough was a dry cough.

According to the symptoms listed by my countries Health Service it can be any cough, not just dry.

See the only testing people who have travelled or been in contact with a confirmed case (which will be someone that travelled!) concerns me with regards to accurate figures of people who do have it.

And they are clearly missing the target testing arena imo. 27,000 tests and 400 odd positive. But I think if another 27,000 were tested who didn't meet the criteria we'd discover 800 are infected iyswim?
It also means that more people are infecting others because they don't know they have it.

My county has the 4th highest number of cases.

Rest up OP, call the GP, out of hours GP if you have one and see what they say, 111 is being a bit useless. It's a computer says no script. If you are experience any difficulty breathing you really do need to be seen.

They won't test you for COVID though. I travel all over, stay in international hotels etc, but as I hadn't been to one of the "hot" locations...the fact I had had a weird flu, fever, followed by I felt better for a day - then breathing went to pot, felt as if I was drowning when I coughed.... blood oxygen levels were low, muscle pains, it was unreal...I was given a shed load of drugs by the Doctors and told to rest at home, with a "are you sure you haven't travelled or come into contact with someone infected". I did tell them I just didn't know, and no they didn't test me.

I haven't a clue who I have or have not come into contact with. I've self isolated under my own violation, as whatever the hell I have had was brutal.

Although I am well enough now to go back to work, I'm still coughing a bit - so work don't want me in the office....

It's only now I'm feeling better, that I'm bemused by why I wasn't tested? All the symptoms, fairly high risk due to work, it was as if the computer said no unless the answers were an absolute exact match

How many others are there in the UK, who have all the symptoms but haven't travelled to x,y,z, so don't meet the exact criteria for testing and are just quietly recovering at home.

Apologies I've just reread that the GP won't see you! Would they do telephone consultation? They can't leave you without any medical coverage.

Just tell them you're a MP. That seems to bypass the testing criteria...

Agree with PP. Even if they won't test, if you're struggling to breathe you need to call them and get any necessary treatment for that.

With your work. Get it all in writing. If they're saying you need to come in, tell them in writing that you're not well, list your symptoms, and ask them to confirm if they want you in. If you have a fever and are struggling to breathe it's a valid reason to call in sick whatever the cause.

Hope you feel better soon.

@ohbuggerohno
Not trying to pry, but does DH work at Milton Keynes hospital by any chance?
It's just that this was one of the hospitals where a Corona virus patient died. That patient- a man in his early 80s was put in an open ward for 6 hours, and left coughing around other patients and their families.
If you live in the area or DH does work in that hospital I'd say your concerns are definitely quite warranted, given the amount of other people who could have been affected, and still walking around as normal.

Use the online service but unless you have just returned from one of the countries ( China, Italy, etc) or have been in contact with someone that had tested positive, then they won’t test you. I think that is changing from today according to a relative who works for the NHS