"Out of hours service"

I want to share my absolutely appalling experience with Out of Hours Altnagelvin, which has left me furious about the service vulnerable patients are receiving.

It all started when my 10-month-old son developed a high temperature of 38.5°C. I tried calling Out of Hours and made five attempts before anyone answered - the previous calls just rang and hung up immediately. When I finally got through, I was promised a call back that never came. With no response from them, I had no choice but to take my baby to A&E.

We spent eight hours in a sweltering A&E department that was completely unsuitable for an infant. The promised call back from Out of Hours finally came at 00:30 when we were already being triaged. We weren't seen by a doctor until then and finally got home at 5:00 AM with antibiotics. I feel this entire ordeal could have been avoided if Out of Hours had simply done their job.

The next day brought new problems when my son had a reaction to the antibiotics, vomiting every time I tried to give them to him. After three failed attempts, I called Out of Hours at 4:00 PM and actually managed to get an appointment for 10:30 PM. The doctor was lovely and prescribed different antibiotics, so credit where it's due.

The next day went well, but the day after my son broke out in a rash all over his body. I called Out of Hours at 13:15 and was told I'd get a call back within 1.5 hours. When nothing came, I called again and was told there were only two people ahead of me in the queue and to keep the line free. The call back finally came at 17:40 - over four hours late.

Here's where it gets really infuriating. The nurse said my son needed to see a doctor but claimed none were available, telling me to take a 10-month-old to A&E. When I explained that A&E was no place for a baby, their supervisor got on and repeated the same thing, claiming they were slammed with one doctor calling in sick and absolutely no availability until 10 PM. They said they'd call if there was a cancellation and told me to head to A&E.

I was determined not to put my baby through another A&E experience. Twenty minutes later, they called with a cancellation appointment for two hours later. 

When I arrived at Out of Hours, the place was anything but busy. There were no patients waiting when I arrived or when I left. I was kept waiting 20 minutes past my appointment time. While they were professional and helpful, I was absolutely livid that they had claimed to be slammed when the place seemed to be dead.

I find the thought that I was nearly forced to take my small baby back to A&E disgraceful. How many elderly patients and other vulnerable people are being sent away and told to go to A&E? In my experience, the service is  failing patients who need it most.

Out of Hours is supposed to be there for situations exactly like this - a sick baby who needs medical attention outside normal hours. Instead, their system failures and broken promises nearly forced us into an inappropriate and distressing A&E visit.

I believe this isn't just poor service; it's a betrayal of the trust that vulnerable patients place in this essential healthcare service.