"I felt dismissed and not listened to"

I was advised by NHS 111 to attend Moreton-in-Marsh Minor Injuries recently with my two-year-old son, who had been running a high temperature (above 39°C) for a few days.

When I arrived, I explained my concerns to the person at reception, who gave me a condescending look and remarked that this was “normal.” I explained that this was not normal for my son — in the past, any temperature has resolved within 24 hours.

We were then seen by a nurse practitioner who explained that my son appeared to have an infection but could not identify where. They advised me to continue monitoring him and to keep giving Calpol and Nurofen — which I had already been doing for four days with no improvement. As soon as the medication wore off, his temperature would spike again.

We returned the following day as his condition had not improved, but the advice given was the same. That night, my son’s temperature rose to 40°C, and he began shivering with freezing hands and feet. I immediately took him to A&E, where he was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and started on antibiotics.

As both a mother and a healthcare professional, I felt dismissed and not listened to. My son could have become seriously ill if I hadn’t trusted my instincts and sought further help. I understand that infections in children can be challenging to assess, but I would have appreciated being taken seriously and offered a more thorough evaluation.