"Not listening, without empathy, understanding and knowledge"

Recently, my partner started to feel very dizzy and sick. It didn't pass, so I wanted to take him to A&E, but any movement made him throw up. I called an ambulance, but based on my answers, his condition wasn't serious enough for the ambulance, so they made a GP appointment. He was prescribed some medication and was a bit better by the evening.

The next morning, it started again. He spent all morning with his head in the bucket, lying on the floor as he wasn't able to keep balance, and everything was spinning around him. I called the ambulance again and tried to explain that the medication wasn't helping and that his condition was worse. They said someone would call me. After 1.5 hours, no one called, so I called the ambulance again as my partner started to shiver and developed a bad headache, too. I refused another GP appointment and kept asking for an ambulance as he didn't stop vomiting for 2 hours. I called them about 3 - 4 times. 

The staff on the phone was forcing me to choose just one symptom, even though there were at least three. They wanted me to ask him all these questions while he was throwing up, and if I answered without asking him, one person said that they didn't hear me ask him so I had to ask him while his head was in the bucket. I feel they didn't listen to me at all, had no empathy, and just kept saying he didn't need an ambulance. 

Then I tried 111, and finally, they said they would contact paramedics at 999 to send the ambulance. They gave him some injections, and prescribed medicine in the hospital, and sent him home.

After an hour of being at home, about 6 pm he started to feel the same, so I got him the prescribed medication. It didn't help, and he was throwing up again, feeling sick with everything spinning around him. So I called 999 again. I answered the same questions again, explained the situation, and their answer was again that there was no need for the ambulance as he was already in the hospital. I refused the GP appointment and got a phone call back from a paramedic, who explained to me that it would be better to talk to an out-of-hours GP because if they say he needs to go back to the hospital, then they will have to send the ambulance.

After talking to the GP, he said he needed to come back to the hospital as his symptoms hadn't improve and it was less than 24 hours since they discharged him and told me to call ambulance. So I called 999 again, answering all the questions again so I could explain what the GP said. They said they can't arrange the ambulance and it should be the GP to arrange it.

So another appointment with GP who was confused why he should do it. The GP called me back after 15 mins that the ambulance was on the way. I waited about an hour and it was almost 10pm when I called 999 to see if the GP really sorted the ambulance as nobody had come yet. Then I was contacted by paramedic who confirmed the ambulance was booked as a non-urgent for 11:30pm and they will be late and if no one come by 3am, then I should give them a call.

Now every time, I called 999 I was asked all the same questions which I had to answer before I actually could ask or explain the main reason why I called. I thought that if they have it in thier system, they could actually see what was going on but no, I had to explain everything from the beginning 100 times. The ambulance arrived at 5am. That was already Sunday, having first called on Friday.

Fortunately, he stopped being sick while sleeping but he didn't eat or drink properly since Friday afternoon so his urine started to be brownish and very smelly so I was told by paramedics that he will get drip in hospital. They also told me, that if he would be 80 years old that they would send the ambulance straight way. I gave him bottle of water just in case and they took him to the hospital.

I went there at 10am and found him in A&E cubicle curled up in the bed with the water still in the bag as he was not able to get it out. They didn't give him any drip, didn't offer him anything to drink or eat. When I asked the Dr about it, they seemed very surprised why he should get a drip. So I told them that he was not eating or drinking properly from Friday and was throwing up for most of Saturday and then the Dr was like, oh, ok, so we will give him drip if he will not drink or eat. All the staff was just sitting there and chatting, not seeming to be looking after the patients at all!