"2 recent experiences of 111"

We’ve used 111 twice in the last 2 weeks. The first time an ambulance came and took my husband to Croydon University Hospital at 4am and we were home by 10. 30am. My husband has a catheter and it was blocked. By 3am, he was in considerable pain so I phoned 111 for out of hours GP services. I spoke to somebody who wanted to assess my husband and who asked too many questions. We knew what was wrong and just needed to speak to a clinician. They called back 10 minutes later to say no one was available and to call 999.

The second time my husband had severe heartburn while eating lunch. My daughter who is a nurse was there and she knew that it was heartburn. They kept asking me ‘is he this or that? ’ They seem to have an obsession with assessing things before doing anything. They don’t seem to be medical people. No wonder the whole process takes so long. My feeling is that NHS Direct is better and quicker.