A week after an accident, my partner was still struggling with a little pain. Not knowing what advice to give him, I suggested that he contacted 111 to seek what his next steps should be.
He explained the situation and the problems he had been having, nothing urgent, but something he felt he would need some support for, and their advice was to go to A&E within the hour. It seems very unusual as on the same day, the A&E were stating how busy they were and to only come if you were extremely unwell.
He decided against the advice given by 111 and booked a GP appointment instead - where a referral for Physio and X-Rays was made. Just wondering why 111 gave this advice when it was quite obvious that he didn't need an A&E (no excessive bleeding, no chest pains, nothing else that would suggest an A&E visit) and even he suggested going to the Minor Injuries Unit but they said that it must be A&E. It seems like the 111 advice is going against the NHS England advice and adding more pressure to A&Es. Is it possible for 111 to refer for Physiotherapy/X-Rays, or does it have to be via a GP?
I have used 111 before and it has always been really useful and positive - it just seems a shame this time that the advice seemed so poor.
"111 - Unhelpful advice"
About: South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust / NHS 111 South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust NHS 111 Exeter EX2 7HY
Posted by Happypatient2019 (as ),
Do you have a similar story to tell?
Tell your story & make a difference ››
Responses
See more responses from Sharifa Hashem