My mother is in a care home. She’s had 2 awful falls recently and has been attended to by 2 paramedic teams and her GP regarding her severe bruising. A few days ago she started with a chest infection. The Home identified it as a chest infection and rang 111 to access advice from out of hours GP and for antibiotics. The advisor insisted on direct conversation with my mother, despite the senior carer and I explaining she couldn’t hold a conversation. Eventually, they agreed to talk to me.
Following the algorithm the assessment centred on her bruising (despite this had been dealt with clinically earlier in the week) and came to the conclusion she needed emergency ambulance to take her to hospital. I explained it was a chest infection and antibiotics needed not a wasteful and distressing emergency transfer to hospital. I was treated as someone refusing care for my mother, kept on hold whilst clinical advice was sought. The outcome of that was I was then advised to take my mother by car to an urgent care centre 15 miles away in Rotherham (my mother is in a care home in Sheffield). My mother is very frail and couldn’t even get out of her chair never mind cope with a car journey to another town. I explained this numerous times during the long phone call,
The home was told a clinician would phone back but it could take 8 hours. After 3 hours someone phoned back to say we were on the list for a call. In fact a clinician phoned back about an hour later and arranged for a GP visit, which thankfully happened on after. Immediately diagnosed as having a chest infection and needing antibiotics.
Hugely concerned that the 111 algorithm escalates the NHS response to the highest level of response rather than listening to the advice of highly skilled senior care home worker,. There was no common sense, and absolutely no consideration. No whole system thinking. If there had been any suggestion of heat failure / attack the home would have phoned 999 not 111. This depressed me as well as being worried sick about my mother.
Team work