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Care Opinion

Lack of access to NHS24

Posted By Markz95

"Lack of access to NHS24"

About: NHS 24 / NHS 24 (111 service) Scottish Ambulance Service

(as a service user),

I called NHS 24 about my daughters worsening back pain, however after 90 minutes I was getting nowhere & she was crying in pain. I reluctantly called 999 where I was told someone would call me back.  An advanced practitioner called me back and after asking lots of questions said my call did not merit an ambulance and told me to call NHS 24 again.  The practitioner was embarrassed and very apologetic & even said they were supposed to have a professional line they could call to save me queuing again but this line just rings out constantly which often results in ambulances being sent out unnecessarily. 

I was able to see that perhaps calling 999 was too much but I was desperate for help or even just advice but it seems impossible. 

I don't understand why 999 and NHS 24 can't link in with each other. How many ambulances are being wasted because 999 can't feed into NHS 24? I find it shocking!  

In the end I took my daughter to A & E because I was at my wits end when I just needed a doctor to see her and manage her pain.

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Responses

Response from Shona Lawrence, Clinical Governance Lead, Nursing and Care, NHS 24 nearly 2 years ago
Shona Lawrence
Clinical Governance Lead, Nursing and Care,
NHS 24

Submitted on 16/09/2022 at 13:09
Published on Care Opinion at 13:09

picture of Shona Lawrence

Dear Markz95

Thanks for sharing your experience on Care Opinion. I’m sorry to learn of your daughter’s back pain and I do hope things have improved for her. Back pain can be hugely debilitating and I’m sure it was difficult for you to see your daughter in so much pain.

I’m very sorry to learn of the wait time experienced when trying to contact NHS 24. I appreciate this will have added frustration to an already worrying time, therefore I can understand why you called the Ambulance Service for assistance.

Unfortunately, due to the demand on our service currently, there are times when callers have to wait longer than we would like for their call to be answered. We absolutely appreciate this is not a good experience for callers and are working hard to improve this. Within our phone menu message, we do try, as much as possible, to give callers a realistic expectation of any potential wait times. We also signpost to NHS inform where people can obtain health information online. I appreciate however, for some callers, they need to be seen by a Healthcare Professional to manage their care. I'm sorry we were unable to answer your call to assist your daughter, and to reassure you, in your time of need. Please be assured that improving access times is one of our top priorities.

It sounds as though the Advanced Nurse Practitioner who called you back from the Ambulance Service did their best to help. I would say however, that NHS 24 and the Scottish Ambulance Service do not have a professional line. To ensure patient safety, calls are required to be routed via our 111 service.

I hope your daughter received the required medication from A&E to manage her pain and I wish you both well for the future.

Thanks again for bringing your story to our attention. I have shared this with senior staff, therefore they are aware of your experience. Should you care to discuss further, then I would be pleased to hear from you. You can call me on 07814 299944 or by email at Patient.Experience@nhs24.scot.nhs.uk

With kind regards to you both

Shona

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Response from David King, Patient Experience Coordinator, Corporate Affairs, Scottish Ambulance Service nearly 2 years ago
David King
Patient Experience Coordinator, Corporate Affairs,
Scottish Ambulance Service

Submitted on 16/09/2022 at 15:32
Published on Care Opinion at 15:32

Dear Markz95

Thank you for sharing your experience. It sounds like it was a very worrying time for you and your daughter and I am sorry that you had to go through that experience.

I do hope your daughter received the necessary treatment and is feeling better.

You clearly did the right thing in contacting us and, having seen the NHS 24 response, I can see that they have detailed the reasons for the delays in getting through to them.

If you would like to raise any concerns that you may have with us could I kindly ask that you contact our Patient Experience Team at sas.feedback@nhs.scot with your name and Care Opinion username, your daughter's name and the date and address of the incident.

Once again, I can only apologise in the wait for your daughter in trying to arrange assistance.

Kindest regards

David.

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