NHS Direct

DrFluffy

I think that's one of the issues with how the ambulance service prioritise calls. Not sure if the 'lay person' would know the specific 'get your !!! here ASAP' trigger words (i.e. unconcious and not breathing) that prioritise your call - couple that to being scared/upset/etc...

kenshaz

So it all depends upon how articulate you are and your ability to say the trigger words that they have on their idiot sheet.

DrFluffy

kenshaz wrote:

So it all depends upon how articulate you are and your ability to say the trigger words that they have on their idiot sheet.

Yes and no - Not breathing beats unconsious and breathing, and so it should! However, if you're calling an ambulance as you've come across someone collapsed and not breathing, and fail to mention it... If you sound nervy and unsure, you will probably be asked "are they breathing" - don't say yes if you're not sure!

RightRevBod

kenshaz wrote:

My dilemma was ,if I call 999,10mins for paramedics to arrive or speak to NHS DIRECT for immediate advice ,which turned out to be a waste of time just answering daft questions .

In an emergency always call 999 (or 112). There should be no delay getting advice. If needed, the person answering your call at ambulance control will stay on the line and give you any instructions needed while the amulance is on the way to you.

I have called NHS Direct 3 times in the past - each was a waste of time. On two occasions they advised that things should be OK if left alone, but to pop to A&E "just to make sure". This is what I would have done if NHS (re)diect did not exist.

On the other occasion, I was calling from work. It took so long for the call back from the Nurse that We decded to call an ambulance. THe ambulance had attented, treated the patient on site and left again bore we got the call back.

Now I would just use the service for general heath advice and not for any situation where I needed immediate advice.

Lydia.42

from Lydias OH

only 10% of our calls (govenrment data) are ACTUALLY LIFE THREATENING....so for every ten vehicles that attend a 999 call only one will be going to someone who needs an immediate blue light response (like your dad)... if you start going down the route of using "trigger words" (ie short of breath, chest pain etc) on our IDIOT SHEET (not a good term for a multimillion pound triage system btw) when they are not true then you could be preventing somone getting the appropriate response...

heres an example I work in a city of 250,000 people.....after midnight tonight there will be TWO ambulances on duty to provide emergency cover...if a 16 year old DD is drunk in town and her freinds say shes not breathing properly ('cos shes spewing bacardi everywhere) an ambulance will be sent to her rather than the elderly person up the road who is having a massive stroke and will die as a result of laying on the bathroom floor for three hours....the IDIOT SHEET is there to make sure those TWO ambulances get used properly

NHS Direct (or NHS re-Direct as we call them) have caused an appreciale jump in the number of 999 calls we recieve as they will check their IDIOT sheet and call us for the most trivial things....again using up valuable resources...i.e Broken fingers, tummy aches, headcolds etc....just to protect themselves in the litigious society that we live in.

NHS direct have been closing call centres as they are losing money (they get paid more than I do for actually doing the 999 calls) so the system is just backing up with longer delays for people to speak to a Nurse so people are ringing 999 - the service is now filtering calls and prioritising or even arranging an alternative response than a 999 ambulance .

Ever since oct 05 GPs didn't have to provide out of hours cover for their patients so people are ringing 999 - so in the future we will be covering the GPs as well with Paramedic Practitioners assesing Pts and presribing medications out of hours...

so feel free to badmouth the service you get from NHS direct, your GP etc but please dont have a go at us.....you might really need us need us one day....

remember:
Chest Pain = 999
Unconsious = 999
Short of Breath or Choking =999

like somone said use common sense and your gut instinct.....do you really need an ambulance to take you to hospital for a broken finger? you wont get seen faster (you may well get seen slower as we have triaged you when we hand over to the staff at hospital) and it might just free up a vehicle for Mrs Miggins whos having a massive Heart Attack.

Sorry for the long rant but I felt somone had to represent our side as we don't get much publicity. :-)

have a good christmas (I will, Im not working this year!!!)

Pound

I woke up in the early hours of the morning with a sharp pain in my chest. I was a bit worried in case it was my heart but didn't want to have an ambulance sent out if it was nothing. I called NHS Direct to ask if they thought it was something to be concerned about and was quickly put through to a nurse who asked me some questions and said it didn't sound like it was anything serious but said she would have a doctor call me back. Five minutes later a Doctor called me back, he said as well that he thought it wasn't a serious problem and to just to book an appointment with my surgery.

I know NHS Gets a bad rap but I got a very friendly and efficient service at 4am!

Soubrette

DrFluffy wrote: »

I think that's one of the issues with how the ambulance service prioritise calls. Not sure if the 'lay person' would know the specific 'get your !!! here ASAP' trigger words (i.e. unconcious and not breathing) that prioritise your call - couple that to being scared/upset/etc...

Has NHSDirect changed radically since last time I used it?

At least a few years ago it was the call handler asking the question which demanded a yes/no response. This is because some people give long and rambing explanations and other people focus on symptoms that are not important and forget to pass on some which may be highly significant. The questions are supposed to get to the nub of the matter in the quickest way possible for the maximum number of people possible.

It's supposed to be the gateway to the NHS ie tell you the most appropriate service to go but I'm not entirely convinced it is able to work in that capacity

Sou

bazzaboo

Used NHS direct 6wks ago, had bad pain in my right lower abdomen which were as bad as labour pain. She told me to take paracetamol and if it doesn't go away to call back.:mad: Called my gp who advised me to get to A&E straight away as it sonded like acute appendicities. I took his advise and I had an emergency op and it turned out to be a burst abcess on my ovary.