waiting on ambulance for 17 month old. Handhold please.

[whiskersonkittenss]

baby woke screaming and red hot, wouldn't settle or take a drink. Doesn't like the light being on. Called 111 and they went through the symptoms and have requested an ambulance attend but it could take another hour from now
Currently keeping him cool with the electric fan. I'm shitting myself so scared.

@hazandduck thank you! I hope any other parent reading this knows that you know you’re baby better than anyone & if you feel they aren’t right then it’s because the probably aren’t! I hope no one is ever put off phoning for help because of some of the responses on this thread. I’m a nurse & I would never think a parent was abusing the nhs if they had their sick baby brought into hospital in an ambulance!

@l2b2 nhs 24 is staffed by qualified nurses who triage you on the phone, the same nurse that would triage you at A&E, unlike the receptionist that triages you at the GP surgery. The nurses at nhs 24 have access to doctors for any advice if they aren’t sure as well, they’re definitely not untrained staff.

[quote l2b2]@VanGoghsDog
Bank holiday Monday aside, I'd forgotten about the BH, first port of call Mon-Fri within 9-5 is and should always be, to your registered GP.
I'm sorry you don't seem to understand that.
You do realise that your GP is a doctor, you know an actual HCP, whereas 111 is staffed by non-medically trained personnel?
If an urgent situation arises, note the emphasis on urgent v emergency, ring the GP on a normal working day.
I don't know where you live @VanGoghsDog, but my GP always sees urgent cases on the day of the phonecall.[/quote]
Well, my GP does not see cases on the same day. I've no idea why not, but there it is. You're normally offered an appointment about a month hence.

You can't say "bank holiday aside", it's a key factor in your nastiness towards the OP.

Christ me. My first call was to my gp who's answer machine told me they were closed as it was a bank holiday. Why are people like this

@whiskersonkittenss

Christ me. My first call was to my gp who's answer machine told me they were closed as it was a bank holiday. Why are people like this

Who knows??

Even if the GP is open there is nothing wrong about calling 111 for advice.

Oh I don't think so @VanGoghsDog, I think it was entirely reasonable for two new parents and a child a few months old to be asleep in the early hours of the morning, given that the baby had settled down by then and we weren't told to expect a follow-up call.

The paramedics weren't impressed at having been sent, not unimpressed with us. They thought the best thing would have been to leave the poor little bugger to sleep in peace, not to have him disturbed by people hammering on the door in the middle of the night.

@VanGoghsDog

Your gp will do same day appointments if deemed sufficiently urgent.

I swear that you could be lying on the ground having lost a limb and with half your brain falling out your head and MN posters would still come on to say smart arse things like “Can’t you call a taxi? Can’t you leave ambulances for people who really need them?”

OP people who describe a minor childhood illness are being ignorant.
It’s easy to say that once your child has been diagnosed.

I’ve buried a child. I had a severe placental abruption just before she was born and the hospital failed to recognise the symptoms. She died and I almost did. That’s the problem with distance diagnosis- you need to be there.

It’s terrifying when a child gets ill suddenly. I had to call an ambulance for my DD this weekend because she went from “mildly” ill to virtually unresponsive (she’s non-verbal and seriously disabled). The paramedics were adamant that I’d done the right thing. She ended up in hospital etc.

If any of you watch the programmes like 999 what’s your emergency and so on I’ve seen people with bad sciatic pain, mental health crises brought on from booze, elderly people who’ve badly injured themselves, a child with sepsis etc
There’s no way to know in advance of a diagnosis what it is.

As for driving to A and E - that works but if you have a seriously ill child you can get into trouble en route (I’ve been there too). Not saying you always have to call an ambulance but what is wrong with calling 111???

What always baffles me is people so petrified about their baby that they call an ambulance

But then whilst they’re waiting start a mumsnet thread!!

@Sometimesfraught82

What always baffles me is people so petrified about their baby that they call an ambulance

But then whilst they’re waiting start a mumsnet thread!!

It’s a distraction. What more can you do whilst waiting? Baby is asleep, you are keeping a close watch, it helps to talk to others.

Just because it’s not something you would do, doesn’t mean it’s so baffling

Hi OP, I just wanted to add a voice of support. Kids go downhill very quickly. You called 111, a line that advises you what to do if you have a medical concern outside of normal hours.
You followed the advice and did the right thing. Hope your little one is feeling better

Op just to be clear I meant to pp’s there’s nothing wrong with ringing 111. Trust your gut with young children’s illnesses

I'm surprised that the paramedics from the first ambulance (that checked him over Friday night) didn't advise you to phone the out of hours GP on Saturday to get him seen then.

[quote Sometimesfraught82]@VanGoghsDog

Your gp will do same day appointments if deemed sufficiently urgent.[/quote]
You obviously know better than them then. Who deems it "sufficiently urgent" anyway? A receptionist?

You'll just have to take it from me, they don't do them. It's a topic often discussed on the local FB page.

@Sometimesfraught82

What always baffles me is people so petrified about their baby that they call an ambulance

But then whilst they’re waiting start a mumsnet thread!!

It's not baffling at all. People want the distraction and the reassurance from talking to other people. Especially in the middle of the night. It's pretty standard human behaviour actually.

@MrsRussell

Oh I don't think so *@VanGoghsDog*, I think it was entirely reasonable for two new parents and a child a few months old to be asleep in the early hours of the morning, given that the baby had settled down by then and we weren't told to expect a follow-up call.

The paramedics weren't impressed at having been sent, not unimpressed with us. They thought the best thing would have been to leave the poor little bugger to sleep in peace, not to have him disturbed by people hammering on the door in the middle of the night.

They didn't know he was asleep, did they!

It was quite right of them to follow up.

I don’t think the GP argument is relevant as it was a bank holiday.
However the GP will always speak to a parent concerned about a kid on the same day. Everyone knows kids go up and down very quickly and a 17 month old is unable to describe their symptoms.

You did the right thing op. My son had similar symptoms at 10 days old and it turned out to be viral meningitis. I was advised to take him myself as it was quicker but an ambulance would have been appropriate if that hadn’t been the case. We are exceptionally lucky to have an amazing children’s hospital where I live and their advice has always been to err on the side of caution with babies and children.

@VanGoghsDog

What gp surgery is this that doesn’t offer any appointments that day in any circumstances whatsoever?

@whiskersonkittenss

Christ me. My first call was to my gp who's answer machine told me they were closed as it was a bank holiday. Why are people like this

I think it's because the internet is full of people with such miserable lives. Some posters the only way to make themselves feel better is to put others down in any way possible.

Other posters simply cannot grasp situations outside of their own limited experiences. (Meaning, they read your situation and their only experience of an ill child one with something like a mild cough - they cannot comprehend it being more concerning than that, so conclude you are overreacting.)

[quote Sometimesfraught82]@VanGoghsDog

What gp surgery is this that doesn’t offer any appointments that day in any circumstances whatsoever?[/quote]
You want me to literally tell you where I live? No.

[quote Sometimesfraught82]@VanGoghsDog

What gp surgery is this that doesn’t offer any appointments that day in any circumstances whatsoever?[/quote]
This is so bizarre, lots of GP surgeries aren’t offering same day appointments still. Haven’t you seen the news?

Other posters simply cannot grasp situations outside of their own limited experiences. (Meaning, they read your situation and their only experience of an ill child one with something like a mild cough - they cannot comprehend it being more concerning than that, so conclude you are overreacting.)

So true @ContinuousMonotoneBeep

The GP website says for same day appointments call 111 or use the walk in centre (which is miles away, though not quite as far as the hospital).

The only way to book appointments is online and they are not same day.
You can also ask the GP a question online and they answer in a couple of days, which is a service I really like but isn't relevant here.