Coronavirus.

[BARTLETT1965]

The NHS seems to have forgot that the older generation aren't all PC literate. They say that they don't want people attending the surgery . But u can't order prescription over phone. Either online ( if u have access) or by attending surgery.

111 service is a total waste of time over coronavirus, I phone today because my normal health problems have got worse and got dry cough and muscle aches in places. All I got from them is do u have flu like symptoms, yes but have these as normal. Do u have fever, Yes but it comes and goes. So he said quarantine yourself for 7 days if no better , quarantine your for another 7 days. But if u have any concerns ring back.

ER. WHAT DO U THINK I RUNG FOR IN 1st PLACE.

Just had 10 days in hospital in a hospital that was been made a coronavirus hub while I was there.

Only deterated once I left hospital.

Think it's called been in limbo land.

[Yasyass]

Seems situation making things worse as you say some of us don’t use the pc and without face to face contact how is it possible to give the correct diagnosis some people have different symptoms to different illnesses I suppose now it’s like pot luck I wish u the best and hope u get better soon try drinking fresh lemon in black tea with honey old fashioned way

[dunestar]

Yes, I think what 111 can do for us is limited as the illness spreads wider in the community. With corona virus they are not going to act unless your condition gets serious. But how you judge that yourself is difficult.

There is also the issue that everyone is focussed on corona virus but other illnesses and conditions haven't gone away. Whether they will get crowded out in the emergency is difficult to know. Lots of uncertainty!

[Qualipop]

111is totally useless; just teenagers following a tick sheet. If you happen to use teh buzz words they send an ambulance. If not they tell you to ring back if it gets worse. I have had to insist on speaking to a nurse or doctor. Even GPs now are avoiding seeing people in person. I've had dreadful breathing problems for 7 weeks but all I've managed is a GP phoning me. How can you assess someone's chest if you don't examine them?

[Kimkat]

Yes it’s definitely frustrating. I was in Italy skiing the first week in Feb, also had another holiday booked in France 3 weeks after we returned. I’m 66 this year, have a pacemaker and no thyroid (not sure if that makes any difference) and I have tried contacting 111 on numerous occasions, as I haven’t felt good for 5-6 weeks now. I’ve had most of the symptoms apart from a raging fever. I have to say my throat felt as if I was swallowing broken glass and I had the worst cough ever. Anyway, I decided to try the online form, at the end of that a message said that I would be contacted by the nhs within 24 hrs to arrange a swab test, if there was no contact then to ring 111, which I did and was told to hang in there because it was taking longer than usual because of the amount of calls they were getting. That was 80 hours ago, still no contact, so obviously the over 60s with underlying health issues doesn’t count for much! By the way I was in the Lombardy Trentino area in Italy, which is where it all started.