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.

I think you did completely the right thing OP and I can see why 111 decided to call an ambulance.

I recently did a Paediatric first aid course and we were advised to call an ambulance for symptoms like you describe, the tutor was a paramedic (still working part time).

No I don’t
But this GP surgery you attend must be the only one in the country that doesn’t offer any same day appointments in ANY circumstances.

I work in social care.

Would suggest you register elsewhere

Blue4YOU. I’m so sorry about your precious baby daughter. 💐

ShirleyPhallus i I swear that if someone posted at 10 pm to say their partner had severed their jugular vein there’d be people telling them to phone OOH or wait till their doctors opened in the morning.

OP I have your little one is a lot better now. You did the right thing.

@Sometimesfraught82

No I don’t But this GP surgery you attend must be the only one in the country that doesn’t offer any same day appointments in ANY circumstances.

I work in social care.

Would suggest you register elsewhere

I can't "register elsewhere", it's the only one for where I live.
It's a village, everyone locally uses the same one, others don't cover our area and would be too far away anyway.

I've never needed a same day appointment, and I don't have kids, so it's not an issue for me really.

Not sure what working in social care has to do with it. Do you speak to every surgery in the country except mine then? Is that what you're trying to imply?

No, you're just implying that I'm lying. Which I'm not. The surgery website is very clear. If you need an appointment same day, call 111 or go to the walk in.

The surgery website is very clear. If you need an appointment same day, call 111 or go to the walk in. for a surgery not to make an exception for an emergency in an under 5 is very strange. Have you actually asked them when you needed an emergency app?

[quote Sometimesfraught82]@VanGoghsDog

What gp surgery is this that doesn’t offer any appointments that day in any circumstances whatsoever?[/quote]
Hi, just to give you an idea of GP’s that don’t offer same day appointments. Mine has always done same day appointments as long as you call by 9 because they’re fully booked by then. They surgery opens at 8. It is often engaged so you try the next day. The answer phone message that is left says to call 111 if it’s urgent. This was before covid. If you are lucky enough to get through then the receptionist asks you what the problem is and she will deem whether it is necessary to be seen by a doctor. My oldest child had a cough, stopped eating and was very tired. The receptionist said they were fully booked and to give calpol etc but I pushed for her to see a doctor. Turns out she had pneumonia. This was before covid.

Now with covid, you can’t get an appointment at all. It’s all over the phone. My daughter who is 9 has bad constipation and they wouldn’t see her, just prescribed something over the phone. My husband had a huge abscess on his back leaking fluid. Was prescribed something over the phone and told by the doctor to look for signs of infection and to go to A&E if it gets worse.

Ah you don’t have children and you have needed a same day appointment

How do you know they don’t offer same day in any circumstances?
With children, much more responsive to same day requests

Never needed

@Sometimesfraught82

I am a senior social worker with many years experience. I’ve worked with too many GP surgeries to count. Unless you phone at their specific times, urgent appointments go very, very quickly. They just do not have the capacity to offer appointments if you phone at other times. They are so over stretched. The advice is always to wait until tomorrow (if we’ll enough) or phone 111 or 999 if it’s an emergency.
If you’re worried about someone at 7 am and phone lines open at 8, then you will hopefully get a same day appointment. If you’re worried about someone and it’s 2 pm, your options for a GP appointment are virtually nil.

@MyDcAreMarvel

The surgery website is very clear. If you need an appointment same day, call 111 or go to the walk in. for a surgery not to make an exception for an emergency in an under 5 is very strange. Have you actually asked them when you needed an emergency app?

They will do

The poster has “never needed a same day” and doesn’t have any children

I’d also like to add that on my surgeries website where they want you to book in now, it says if you have a temperature you are to call 111 not make an appointment at the surgery because of covid. That’s for children and adults.

[quote Schuyler]@Sometimesfraught82

I am a senior social worker with many years experience. I’ve worked with too many GP surgeries to count. Unless you phone at their specific times, urgent appointments go very, very quickly. They just do not have the capacity to offer appointments if you phone at other times. They are so over stretched. The advice is always to wait until tomorrow (if we’ll enough) or phone 111 or 999 if it’s an emergency.
If you’re worried about someone at 7 am and phone lines open at 8, then you will hopefully get a same day appointment. If you’re worried about someone and it’s 2 pm, your options for a GP appointment are virtually nil.[/quote]
I agree that same day are tough to get

That poster saying hers refuse to in ANY circumstance for ANY patient

Why is everyone going on about GP appointments... It was a bank holiday and it was the 9:30pm. It's entirely irrelevant to OPs situation.

I can't believe anyone is arguing with OP that she was wrong to call 111 because her baby woke in the night with what can be serious symptoms. They then deemed it appropriate to ring an ambulance (not OP). Everyone is always encouraged on here to call 111 for advice. That's exactly what OP did. Are some of you suggesting that she then shouldn't have actually followed their advice once she'd received it?

It's all very well and good saying a minor childhood illness doesn't need an ambulance but how exactly are you supposed to differentiate between that and something more serious without being seen?

And I can't speak for everyone but my surgery also won't see anyone (children included) with any Covid symptoms. My son had a bad chest for a while and needed to see the GP, I had to get him tested before they'd see him. They certainly didn't make an exception because he was a child (a baby actually) and see him the same day and even then I was first offered a telephone appointment!

@whiskersonkittenss

Thank you everyone for the well wishes. I hope no one in the same position reads this thread and decides not to get help for their children because of PP!

I'm very sorry I phoned 111 for an appointment at a walk in clinic as my gp surgery is closed on a bank holiday, for them to send an ambulance and insist on taking us to A&E.

Just ignore the shite some people are spouting on here

@UnusuallyCommon

Why is everyone going on about GP appointments... It was a bank holiday and it was the 9:30pm. It's entirely irrelevant to OPs situation.

I can't believe anyone is arguing with OP that she was wrong to call 111 because her baby woke in the night with what can be serious symptoms. They then deemed it appropriate to ring an ambulance (not OP). Everyone is always encouraged on here to call 111 for advice. That's exactly what OP did. Are some of you suggesting that she then shouldn't have actually followed their advice once she'd received it?

It's all very well and good saying a minor childhood illness doesn't need an ambulance but how exactly are you supposed to differentiate between that and something more serious without being seen?

I think the issue for some people is that two ambulances were called. One on Friday and one on Monday. That's why I said that I was surprised that the first paramedics didn't recommend that the child was seen by the OOH GP on the Saturday, the day after the first ambulance was called. Obviously there's no guarantee that that would have stopped the child from deteriorating again on the Monday morning.

@UnusuallyCommon

Why is everyone going on about GP appointments... It was a bank holiday and it was the 9:30pm. It's entirely irrelevant to OPs situation.

I can't believe anyone is arguing with OP that she was wrong to call 111 because her baby woke in the night with what can be serious symptoms. They then deemed it appropriate to ring an ambulance (not OP). Everyone is always encouraged on here to call 111 for advice. That's exactly what OP did. Are some of you suggesting that she then shouldn't have actually followed their advice once she'd received it?

It's all very well and good saying a minor childhood illness doesn't need an ambulance but how exactly are you supposed to differentiate between that and something more serious without being seen?

You can’t and of course you are entirely correct But of course there is always someone who knows better on here when it comes to scenarios like this

[quote Schuyler]@Sometimesfraught82

I am a senior social worker with many years experience. I’ve worked with too many GP surgeries to count. Unless you phone at their specific times, urgent appointments go very, very quickly. They just do not have the capacity to offer appointments if you phone at other times. They are so over stretched. The advice is always to wait until tomorrow (if we’ll enough) or phone 111 or 999 if it’s an emergency.
If you’re worried about someone at 7 am and phone lines open at 8, then you will hopefully get a same day appointment. If you’re worried about someone and it’s 2 pm, your options for a GP appointment are virtually nil.[/quote]
Absolutely correct. My GP opens at 8 but I’ve never been able to get through until after 8:30 and the endless questions to assess whether a GP is needed!

@MyDcAreMarvel

The surgery website is very clear. If you need an appointment same day, call 111 or go to the walk in. for a surgery not to make an exception for an emergency in an under 5 is very strange. Have you actually asked them when you needed an emergency app?

I've never needed one and don't have children. But not sure how I would "ask them" as appointments are all done online.

@Sometimesfraught82

Ah you don’t have children and you have needed a same day appointment

How do you know they don’t offer same day in any circumstances?
With children, much more responsive to same day requests

Because their website says that and because there are complaints all the time on the village Facebook page.

That poster saying hers refuse to in ANY circumstance for ANY patient

I actually never said that. I said my GP doesn't offer same day appointments. It doesn't. I didn't say they "refuse" to. It's just how they operate.

People are telling me that I am wrong (despite other posters saying their are the same) and they will if it is deemed important enough. I don't know how this deeming might happen since appointments are made online. If you call for an appointment they send you to the website.

The person telling me I am wrong (but also then telling me to change GP - they clearly don't live rurally) has actually agreed with someone else saying you have no chance of a same day appointment unless you call immediately they open anyway. So for those surgeries that do offer it, it seems pretty academic if you can't get one anyway.

Head. Wall. Bang.

@Sometimesfraught82

Head. Wall. Bang.

Quite!

I hope your lo is ok op. Never take risks with babies and trust your gut. They can't tell you what's wrong with them. Babies health can deteriorate very quickly. You have to act quickly and you have done the right thing hence why 111 was very concerned enough that they sent an ambulance but some people one here know better than medically trained nurses (call handlers) on 111 who ask advice from doctors/hospitals and clinics on the best way for medical help to get to you . I'm so glad these people who have questioned yours and 111's concerns about your babies health don't work for the NHS otherwise a lot of people would be dead by now for not receiving immediate medical attention.

@Ritasueandbobtoo9

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

And it's the OP's fault that the ambulance service is underfunded?