So, the community nurse did her daily visit and changed a dressing for my OH. she has been suffering severe pain in her ear for the last few days and asked the nurse if she could take a look. The nurse isn't qualified to investigate so phoned the surgery for someone to come out and check it.
My OH is having an MS relapse atm and although she's bedbound normally, is pretty much reliant on home visits.
The surgery don't have capacity to visit so suggested I phone NHS 111. An instant feeling of doom came over me 😳 so, phoned 111, listened to instructions, pressed option 9, then option 2, option 2 again, option 2 yet again, option 2 for a forth time and finally option 5 😏. Then was held in a queue for just over 30 minutes before I finally got to speak to someone. After giving the operator all the necessary details, I had to hand the phone to the OH to confirm she existed 😂 another 10/15 minutes of questions and consulting with someone who was qualified to make a decision, we now have to wait up to 2 hours for a call back from a Dr.
This, believe it or not is very normal for us here in Devon.
Good job my sanity is still intact 😵🤪😂
Written by
Griff-64
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Well, my suggestion may sound extreme but I would be inclined to let my MP know about this state of affairs. Sounds diabolical to me. That is red tape beyond a joke.
Yes, diabolical indeed. Sadly, the excuse used by all departments within the NHS, especially community care etc is "staff shortage due to covid" and they're "doing their best" . They forget that it was the same before covid.
I think you're right, a lot of people I know just won't use the 111 service.The worst advice I got from them was when I had phoned because my OH had markers for Sepsis, which I told the operator and that she'd had it a few times before. I was told to phone her Dr at 9am in the morning, some 6 hours later.
I asked to speak to someone medically trained, that resulted in a blue light ambulance.
That’s terrible. When I had sepsis the ambulance crew tried to talk me out of being taken to hospital incase I caught covid. Luckily my daughter was with me and is a nurse practitioner and told them I needed to go in. I was in hospital for weeks with sepsis and was seriously ill.
Hi griff. Don't know what to say really. Unbelievable your GP won't do a home visit for you wife in her situation.The medical profession should be down on their knees in gratitude for all the physical and emotional support you provide (and all other carers).
I hope you have a response about the ear pain soon, such a miserable problem. Very best wishes to you both x
Thank you.I think they do at times take us carers for granted but I've learned to live with that, but when I need help, I can be very stubborn, and I've had to be.
Anyway, the Dr just rang from the surgery, still saying no one can come today but the paramedic will tomorrow, so at least we have something happening.
So, that was at 2.30. I'm supposed to be at a funeral right now. Luckily, not mine 😏
When I rang 111, on the advice of my surgery as there were no appointments available, I had a blue light ambulance and 3 crew on my doorstep 10 mins after I made the call. All I wanted was a prescription for a chest infection, but I had to be seen by a medical professional before the doctor would issue one. Crazy!
I live in Devon too and have experienced the same thing. It was around 12 midnight when I called the 111 no. They said a Dr would call me back in the next 2-3 hours. I told them to forget it! Then they sent paramedics to check me out, they were fantastic.
Sometimes I've had a decent response but not often. I've had to call out of hours nurses on a few occasions, not too long ago I phoned at 11pm, they arrived at 5am 🙄
Hello
I am so sorry your wife is not feeling great and hope by now it has been sorted
I do not live in Devon but at Christmas I phoned 111 and they said they would make me a priority and get back to me as soon as possible , it was 18 hours later when I got a call by then I had lost my sanity
I am glad your sanity is still in tact and hope your wife feels better soon x
I used to keep an eye on a very elderly neighbour till she went into a home. I rang 111 when I found her in the bathroom, she'd been in there most of the night,. The operator started asking me questions about strokes, I pointed out she wasn't having one but vomiting and diarrhoea. The operator then told me she had to ask all the questions to eliminate things, but I just did 🤪 so we went through the long list of questions till she asked if she could speak to the patient....... Luckily, the old gal didn't have her hearing aids in so couldn't talk
I've only touched the surface of the experiences over the last 8 years.One NHS facility she found herself captive in a few years ago, led to me writing out a 10 page letter of complaint about the treatment she was receiving from certain members of staff. It turned out that other families had also complained at the same time.
It led to major changes and staff retraining within the facility, and an end of the bullying which was rife.
Sometimes we have to stand up for others, as they might not be able to.
It seems to be a Nationwide problem! Last year I waited for about 6 hours for a call back, which never came , so I rang again only to be told I would get a call back- just be patient. I got my call back about three hours later which was around two in the morning by then. Only to be told to make my own way to my nearest A & E. You try getting a taxi at that time !!
Has the world gone mad ! As a retired nurse who did a stint as a district nurse, surely that is her job to evaluate her patient and take appropriate action - not fob them off with a phone number !!!! What a travesty.
We can get anything from a nursing assistant to a level 7 nurse here, depending on staffing levels, and they aren't always signed off to assess certain things unfortunately. The NHS really has gone down hill in the last few years
I do hope by now someone has at the very least come out to see your OH. I’m in central Scotland and very very grateful to the ambulance crew who came to me within 15 minutes or …. I wouldn’t be here ! However…. Reading the posts on this thread from all over the uk and the experiences of several friends and family members I’m afraid I have to say that many parts of the NHS are broken … and it cannot be fixed by throwing more money at it. It seems to me there is a lack of communication between departments …. All departments … and until that is addressed we won’t get the service that was intended and we won’t get the benefit of all the wonderful staff who want this huge beast of a system to work …. Rant over 💖
Someone will come today luckily.If my OH was on her own, she'd have a very tough time. One thing being a carer has taught me is to speak up. Sometimes it doesn't go down well, but it's the result that counts
Sorry to hear about your recent experience with 111 etc.. makes me grateful for the service in my area. Hope your wife gets help with her ear. Best regards
I am so so sorry for what you had to go through. That is what the NHS managers called the New Normal. If the old system was working fine, why introduce the new for the sake of changing but for God's sake please retain some of the good things of new and reject some of the old but not all.
The latest change here in the Exeter area is that lots of community services, like nurses, have been detached from the doctors surgeries and all put together in a central building on an industrial estate.Now, if a nurse is over there, it can take up to 45 minutes to get here in the rush hour instead of 10. Progress! 🙄
Same here in Scotland but the wait time is often 2 hours not 30 minutes. I dread having to phone them. When I had severe pain they sent me a mountain rescue doc in his whole outfit and rucksack and he scared me!! I live in a normal street, not top of mountain! Strange set up. Hope I dont have to use them again! Its not as easy as they would have us believe...just phone 111. 🙄
Not just in Devon. The 111 service here in Lancashire is just as bad. I waited 7 hours for a call back and when one time I rang around 9pm for advice when I knew I'd accidentally taken a double dose of my opiate, I was told it would be around 5am before someone called. That's 8 hours wait for a known accidental overdose. |As the stuff only lasts for 4 hours I'd either have been dead or hours past any problems. I went to the local urgent care centre and was seen within 20 minutes. I'm pretty sure if someone is housebound, GPs MUST make a home visit. Do complain to your MP.
It is sad, yes. And when I see things on TV telling us to try 111 first and not go to A&E as they're unable to cope, it tells me how out of touch they really are.
By the time you've got through all the options on the phone and the C questions and information you've lost the the will to live. The system just doesn't work. No wonder A&E is packed out.
One little trick I've learned about A&E over the years is how to avoid it if I know the OH is going to be admitted because of the onset of infection/pneumonia /sepsis.Rather than call for an ambulance, get a Dr out for an urgent visit.
A doctor can then call an ambulance and have her admitted directly to triage and avoid hours of waiting in A&E.. 👍
That's IF you can get a doctor. I remember when my dad was dyingof prostatecancer,the consultant actually turned up at our house because dad had missed his appointment. Yes a consultant! Can't see that ever happening again.
I've never heard of that happening before.Usually I can get a doctor to visit the same day but not this time. The paramedic has just left though after giving the OH a thorough examination. Ear infection! So steroid and antibiotic ear drops.
As for the prostate 👆 you mentioned. Got my first appointment to be "probed" next Monday 😬
So glad your oH has been seen and treated at last. It shouldn't take so long. Good luck with your exam. I so wish more men would get checked. We women go through far more intimate examinations without a second thought but prostate is so easy checked and responds so well if treatment is needed. My uncle got tested in time and just needed tablets ( His WAS cancer). My dad waited until it was too late and I wouldn't wish what he went through on anyone. MInd you part of the delay was down to his previous consultant who completely misdiagnosed him for months until I complained.
Thank you. Yes, I've been allowed to sit in on one or two of the OH's examinations as they thought it would be a good idea for me, as her carer, to know exactly what is happening.As for me getting some treatment, I know I need it, things have deteriorated quite fast. So I just want to get on and get it sorted.
It’s the same where I live unfortunately. We are living in different times, and things are not like they were..? I love the NHS inc every person who has ever treat me rite from the health care assistants to the specialists and I have had my fair share of surgery etc over the years believe me and I am so very grateful because they are my hero’s in my eyes.
I would agree, there are some extremely talented and knowledgeable people who my OH has had the pleasure of being treated by. But like any profession, there are some that make you wonder what on earth they are doing working in care/NHS etc.Some changes that have been made just don't seem to be for the better, but some.... One in particular is excellent. Like doing away with paper and now using the electronic record system. I've had ocassions to ask community nurses to take a photo of the open wound my OH has in her abdomin, including the condition of the dressing they removed and putting the photos on her record. Now, everyone from the nurses to the doctor and neurological team can see the stress she's under daily and take appropriate action. Pressure is now being put on the medical team responsible for repairing it. For me, that's a huge improvement on the old system.
That’s good to hear. And we are lucky to have the health care system we have but I do think it will be long before private health care will be making a larger percentage of providing care either.??
Yes it's been on the cards for a long time, I guess the day will come.A few months ago, I was having a discussion with an out of hours nurse on the phone, I'd asked for a visit. She made it obvious she didn't want to send anyone, during the conversation, she said I should be grateful that the service is free, I had to remind her I'd paid tax and national insurance for over 50 years, so it wasn't exactly free, to which I was told "you get more out of it than you ever put in" I was left speechless 😂
That's not the only time either, on another occasion, I was asked what I'd do if she had no one to send..... I said I'd report her, 1 nurse and one assistant arrived 30 minutes later.Eventually I had a discussion with the day time, then out of hours community nursing managers, no problems any more, I phone them, they come. 👍
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Take care 
Frustrated and Scared
frustrated and concerned
Frustration with cardiologist, results of treadmill test
Coming off Bisoprolol
