NHS 111 SERVICE - am I right to complain?

[jackieandwayne]

I think I have just suffered appalling treatment from the NHS 111 service. I say think because I´m not 100% well right now and perhaps I am getting confused. Please bare with me whilst I relate my sorry tale and tell me if you think I am being unreasonable in complaining.

 

I had PTSD some while ago, and am over that but it has left a few peculiarities such as panic syndrome and chronic sleep disorder.

 

I am currently having a problem with my toe and foot. I have managed to survive the CT and angiogram last Thursday. I panic at anything medical. so my doctor gave me temazepam in preparation and for during the procedure. This was issued 19.2.2016, 14 tabs,instructions 1 or 2 as required. I spoke to him on the phone on Friday evening, to let him know I had survived and to ask for some more Oramorph. I forgot/didnt think to ask for more Temezepam´. He faxed the Oramorph prescription to Asda and my partner collected it that evening, no problem. This is a very painful problem to do with circulation and I cannot currently wear a shoe or drive, and certainly cannot walk unaided. I am due to get the scan results Friday coming.

 

Now, over Friday night, my foot excelled itself painwise, to the extent that I was sick three times. It started off a panic attack. I have been given temezepan before for panic attacks, but only a pack of 14 every 3 months, as they dont happen that often anymore.´ I knew that would calm me enough to set me to sleep, but I didn´´t have any. I got through Friday night, didn´t sleep at all and uncontrollable pain. On Sat morning my partner went to the chemist to ask for some advice. The pharmacist said to ring 111 and ask for a prescription, that the service could access my notes, and although it is a controlled drug, they would see I had safely been prescribed it before.

 

I rang 111, explained the situation, explained that the pain was upsetting my mental health and she said she would get a GP to ring me back within 2 hours. This was about 12 noon. At 4pm I received a call from 111 to apologise for the delay, and at 6pm I called them to say I was worried about the time and being able to get any prescription changed before the shops shut. At about 7.30pm the GP rang me.

 

After nearly 8 hours of patiently waiting for a call, I tried to explain the problem. He gave me the brush off, told me I´d had 14 tablets on 19th Feb, so he couldn´´t help me any more. He said it was a controlled drug and he could not prescribe it . I wanted to ask if it was safe to up the Oramorph but he put the phone down on me!

 

I waited an hour, to totally absorb what had just happened. I think that GP saw "mental health" and treated me accordingly, as though I was on the scrounge like an addict. I rang 111 again and told them what had happened. I told them I also wanted to make a complaint about this and they have directed me to PALS. I reiterated that I was suffering panic attacks with this uncontrollable pain and was extremely upset to get that sort of treatment after waiting 8 hours.

Everything was recorded, and she said that she would put me back in the system. 2 hours. I waited up all night, my partner was kept awake, hell even the dog was awake. The pain was off the scale, everytime I dropped off, my foot started to hurt like it was jammed into a beehive. I had another 2 panic attacks, which made me sick and everything just got worse and worse.

 

At 8.30am I gave in and rang back. They confirmed I was on the list for a call back but they had been extremely busy that night. I know I could have called them back earlier, but I was worried about pestering them, and that being recorded as my mental health and not the pain I was in. This time they started asking if I was suicidal! Was I a risk to anyone else or myselff! Well a person can be all of those things when in terrible pain. They said because I was "upset" they would get a GP to ring me straight back.

 

9.00 am GP from 111 calls. I told him what the problem was, and that by now I was actually on the brink of a mental health crisis. He still wasn´´t going to let me have the bloody drug, only this time he tried to tell me they had no access to my records on the 111 service! How odd that his colleague could see what my own GP had prescribed. Eventually he agreed to make out a prescription. He told me that I wa s being treated like this because I was asking for a controlled drug and that drug addicts ring them all the time trying to con drugs out of them out of hours. I had to point out that I was not a drug addict but a retired professional middle aged woman. He said that I could collect the drug from Asda when they opened.

 

My partner went to Asda to collect it. The pharmacist would not allow him to have it. It is a controlled drug so therefore he had to have the green paper copy . I rang 111 to explain this and they wouldn´t believe me. They insisted it was because I was not there in person to collect it. After an hour they agreed to ring Asda themselves. To be told that I was right. So then they had to get the issuing GP to speak to me. I had to wait for him to ring me for him to tell me that my partner now had to go all the way to the local hospital to collect the bloody prescription. Then all the way back to ASDA.

 

Ok, that´s the story, is this level of treatment acceptable, is this what we have to get used to now? I have been left reeling by this treatment.

 

Does anyone think I should go ahead and make an official complaint? Because I think I have just had a taste of how mental health patients are generally treated when they have a real physical problem. Not very well at all.

 

Thank you for reading.

[unclebulgaria67]

Speak to your GP. I don't know what rules are in place for patient safety in this situation. Someone might reply later that knows the rules.

 

I am surprised that 111 has anything to do with prescriptions.

[jackieandwayne]

Yes they do, you dial 111, tell them what the problem is, they get a GP to call you back. If a prescription is required they will fax it through to the chemist of your choice. Except it seems "controlled drugs". You have to get the paper prescription for that.

[BazzaS]

I think I have just suffered appalling treatment from the NHS 111 service. I say think because I´m not 100% well right now and perhaps I am getting confused. Please bare with me whilst I relate my sorry tale and tell me if you think I am being unreasonable in complaining.

 

I had PTSD some while ago, and am over that but it has left a few peculiarities such as panic syndrome and chronic sleep disorder.

 

I am currently having a problem with my toe and foot. I have managed to survive the CT and angiogram last Thursday. I panic at anything medical. so my doctor gave me temazepam in preparation and for during the procedure. This was issued 19.2.2016, 14 tabs,instructions 1 or 2 as required. I spoke to him on the phone on Friday evening, to let him know I had survived and to ask for some more Oramorph. I forgot/didnt think to ask for more Temezepam´. He faxed the Oramorph prescription to Asda and my partner collected it that evening, no problem. This is a very painful problem to do with circulation and I cannot currently wear a shoe or drive, and certainly cannot walk unaided. I am due to get the scan results Friday coming.

 

Now, over Friday night, my foot excelled itself painwise, to the extent that I was sick three times. It started off a panic attack. I have been given temezepan before for panic attacks, but only a pack of 14 every 3 months, as they dont happen that often anymore.´ I knew that would calm me enough to set me to sleep, but I didn´´t have any. I got through Friday night, didn´t sleep at all and uncontrollable pain. On Sat morning my partner went to the chemist to ask for some advice. The pharmacist said to ring 111 and ask for a prescription, that the service could access my notes, and although it is a controlled drug, they would see I had safely been prescribed it before.

 

I rang 111, explained the situation, explained that the pain was upsetting my mental health and she said she would get a GP to ring me back within 2 hours. This was about 12 noon. At 4pm I received a call from 111 to apologise for the delay, and at 6pm I called them to say I was worried about the time and being able to get any prescription changed before the shops shut. At about 7.30pm the GP rang me.

 

After nearly 8 hours of patiently waiting for a call, I tried to explain the problem. He gave me the brush off, told me I´d had 14 tablets on 19th Feb, so he couldn´´t help me any more. He said it was a controlled drug and he could not prescribe it . I wanted to ask if it was safe to up the Oramorph but he put the phone down on me!

 

I waited an hour, to totally absorb what had just happened. I think that GP saw "mental health" and treated me accordingly, as though I was on the scrounge like an addict. I rang 111 again and told them what had happened. I told them I also wanted to make a complaint about this and they have directed me to PALS. I reiterated that I was suffering panic attacks with this uncontrollable pain and was extremely upset to get that sort of treatment after waiting 8 hours.

Everything was recorded, and she said that she would put me back in the system. 2 hours. I waited up all night, my partner was kept awake, hell even the dog was awake. The pain was off the scale, everytime I dropped off, my foot started to hurt like it was jammed into a beehive. I had another 2 panic attacks, which made me sick and everything just got worse and worse.

 

At 8.30am I gave in and rang back. They confirmed I was on the list for a call back but they had been extremely busy that night. I know I could have called them back earlier, but I was worried about pestering them, and that being recorded as my mental health and not the pain I was in. This time they started asking if I was suicidal! Was I a risk to anyone else or myselff! Well a person can be all of those things when in terrible pain. They said because I was "upset" they would get a GP to ring me straight back.

 

9.00 am GP from 111 calls. I told him what the problem was, and that by now I was actually on the brink of a mental health crisis. He still wasn´´t going to let me have the bloody drug, only this time he tried to tell me they had no access to my records on the 111 service! How odd that his colleague could see what my own GP had prescribed. Eventually he agreed to make out a prescription. He told me that I wa s being treated like this because I was asking for a controlled drug and that drug addicts ring them all the time trying to con drugs out of them out of hours. I had to point out that I was not a drug addict but a retired professional middle aged woman. He said that I could collect the drug from Asda when they opened.

 

My partner went to Asda to collect it. The pharmacist would not allow him to have it. It is a controlled drug so therefore he had to have the green paper copy . I rang 111 to explain this and they wouldn´t believe me. They insisted it was because I was not there in person to collect it. After an hour they agreed to ring Asda themselves. To be told that I was right. So then they had to get the issuing GP to speak to me. I had to wait for him to ring me for him to tell me that my partner now had to go all the way to the local hospital to collect the bloody prescription. Then all the way back to ASDA.

 

Ok, that´s the story, is this level of treatment acceptable, is this what we have to get used to now? I have been left reeling by this treatment.

 

Does anyone think I should go ahead and make an official complaint? Because I think I have just had a taste of how mental health patients are generally treated when they have a real physical problem. Not very well at all.

 

Thank you for reading.

 

I'm sympathetic BUT can also view it "from the outside".

A) the rules are far stricter for prescriptions for controlled drugs : they are controlled because of the risk of abuse.

B) "I had to point out that I was not a drug addict but a retired professional middle aged woman" ; not all drug addicts are "crackheads" or have arms riddled with track marks. There is nothing to say a professional middle aged woman can't be suffering from addiction.

C) if you need to re-stock for controlled drugs : you are far better doing this through your GP's ; requests to 111 or walk-in centres will be viewed with suspicion : as they'll have heard all sorts from people who are out to "score some extra"

That isn't to say that is what you were doing : but their extra caution is understandable!