"Total incompetence and utterly unhelpful - a..."

I phoned NHS 111 around 6.30pm having been advised by my local minor injuries to try them. I currently have excruciating dental pain and need a prescription for strong pain killers immediately After speaking to two operators I was told that dental triage would call me back. At 9.59pm (presumably 1min before end of shift) I received a voice mail from dental triage claiming they had phoned me three times to no avail and were therefore closing my case. My phone showed only the one call at 9.59pm.

I called back where an operator eventually managed to take my details. I told him the story and he said "let me just check with my supervisor" and I was left on hold. I waited what seemed a long time and gave up. I phoned back and spoke to another operator. I told him what happened and he said "I'll just see if dental triage are still there, I won't keep you a moment." Seven minutes of listening to the distorted classical music and I gave up again.

I phoned back a third time and asked to speak to a manager.

An operator said she would go and get the manager. She then left me on hold again. When I eventually hung up I saw (oh how funny!) a missed call from Alan. I listed to the voicemail in which he said, in a particularly patronising manner that I was wrong, that I HAD been phoned back three times and that was that.

Is that the Friday night game amongst these medically unqualified call centre temps? See how many times you can leave a patient on hold? What a waste of my time and NHS money