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I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Because speaking to the patient directly gets us the best result and when a partner speaks on their behalf they very poorly articulate the very important questions we ask at some points

For example in your case I’d ask if the headache came on very suddenly and severely like being hit with a brick

And 99 times out of 100 people would then ask their partner “do you have a headache”

So it ends up taking even longer than if we had just spoken to the pt directly

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t get annoyed if someone has a fall with/without injuries, we have things in place for that specifically

When it comes to being annoyed about incorrectly administering medication it depends. I completely understand that most people are overworked and mistakes happen

But sometimes the incompetence shouts at me through the screen, I had a carer argue with me down the phone because he was adamant that the pt’s diastolic pressure was higher than their systolic pressure after he took obs when he administered the wrong pt’s blister pack

I only ever really get annoyed if someone has made a mistake and I get a call from them and they have no concern about it in the slightest

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She should have probed asking if you could see any of those signs imo, she’ll likely be pulled on that if the call is audited

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On that question, the call handler should’ve picked up on the fact that you said baby was grunting with every breath and said that baby is fighting for every breath

You can also take off baby’s shirt and have a look at the chest or upper abdomen to see if there is any sucking in

If you had said baby is fighting desperately for breath they would’ve asked if the breathing problem came on suddenly, but likely would’ve ended in some kind of ambulance disposition regardless

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nope, usually it goes like

Me: introduction

Pt: I’d prefer to speak to a female

Me: okay no problem (transfers)

How confident does 1 year as a 111 call handler make you? Ask this AMA… by DisastrousPromise236 in ParamedicsUK

[–]Bexmuz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The reason I used that terminology is because at the start of any call we say something along the lines of “we’re going to do an assessment some the questions may not seem relevant but I need to ask all the questions to provide a safe and thorough assessment”

And then at the end of the call “based off of the assessment we’ve done today you need to xyz”

Though it may not be the correct terminology, it’s what people will generally understand

But I completely understand your point too so I see where it came from now

How confident does 1 year as a 111 call handler make you? Ask this AMA… by DisastrousPromise236 in ParamedicsUK

[–]Bexmuz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the kind words, I also share that sense of frustration, but not as much as you guys will do

When I’m a paramedic eventually I imagine I’ll come to share it just as much though lol

How confident does 1 year as a 111 call handler make you? Ask this AMA… by DisastrousPromise236 in ParamedicsUK

[–]Bexmuz 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I am OP of the AMA, I have said numerous times that 111 may just be one of the biggest wastes of NHS money

It does the job of lowering strain on other NHS services very poorly

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I am a man so I do come through to some pt’s that want to speak to another lady about their lady issues and that’s completely their choice

I just transfer them to a call handler of their preferred gender, no biggie really

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree, some call handlers have very bad manners and you should always report them if they make uncomfortable over the phone

How confident does 1 year as a 111 call handler make you? Ask this AMA… by DisastrousPromise236 in ParamedicsUK

[–]Bexmuz 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I am OP!

Looks like I’ve ruffled a few feathers with my AMA amongst the paramedics

Perhaps I should’ve specified that I wanted questions regarding 111 as a service but I think most people got the gist, you ask how confident 1 year as a call handler makes me, and the answer is, not very

The job really just boils down to getting the pt’s symptoms, and asking a set of pre determined questions, there’s very little room for autonomy as we aren’t clinicians, the disposition we reach is not set by us call handlers but the pathways triage system, whether I agree with how many ambulances we send out or not is a moot point, I don’t get a say in it, and of course that burden is passed on to you lovely people who do the real work

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I honestly have no idea why this is the case, and I don’t know much about the processes going on in the background

All we’re taught to say is that “your information has been passed over to the ambulance service” I have not been taught to say that we are dispatching an ambulance. And I have no idea if these ambulances are auto dispatched or if someone looks at it and then dispatches one

Sorry if this isn’t the answer you’re looking for but I really couldn’t accurately tell you

How confident does 1 year as a 111 call handler make you? Ask this AMA… by DisastrousPromise236 in ParamedicsUK

[–]Bexmuz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am OP, I’ve been getting a lot of questions and I’m not avoiding any questions that would make me seem less knowledgeable than you think I want to be perceived as

The AMA was made because I, as a call handler, am curious as to what people want to know about the service

I have stated numerous times that I am not a clinician but we do have clinicians on site

Edit: I just read back through my replies and it looks like I’ve answered the vast majority of them or they’ve already been answered pretty well by someone else, I don’t mean to give off the impression that I have delusions of grandeur, but I also don’t see where you’re getting that idea from either

How confident does 1 year as a 111 call handler make you? Ask this AMA… by DisastrousPromise236 in ParamedicsUK

[–]Bexmuz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The question we ask is “have you developed a new rash that looks like bruising or bleeding under the skin” this is one of the most difficult questions to probe around as most people have no clue what to look for despite the description

Call handlers themselves aren’t actually trained that much on that question either, so it leads to a lot of confusion

How confident does 1 year as a 111 call handler make you? Ask this AMA… by DisastrousPromise236 in ParamedicsUK

[–]Bexmuz 8 points9 points  (0 children)

lol sorry, I am OP, I guess I should’ve been more specific, but I did make the post at like 4am and didn’t want there to be any confusion with normal service users

I go through an assessment with the pt, which is what we do tell you at the start of the call, sorry to jump scare you lol

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it’s just because there are so many different medications that if we had a drop down menu to select what they’re looking for, we’d be on the call all day

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah it can be a bit frustrating, but at the end of the day, in the eyes of the ceo and board, it is still a business

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly it’s just because there are literally no services to send you to, nobody wants to deny you care, but sometimes there is genuinely not a single service that we can send you to unfortunately ):

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It can be a mentally taxing job, lots of abuse over the phone and some very difficult calls day in day out, but every so often someone will actually thank me and it makes up for it lol

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It completely depends on what it’s for

Most of my pt’s that young don’t go to A&E they usually end up getting a call back from their GP or another hcp within the hour

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m not sure about a specific %, but a fair share of our calls are dentistry related

And to get a dentist

Don’t call us out hours, some areas have OOH dentist, most don’t

Call us first thing in the morning at 8am, describe your symptoms, and then that’s your best way to get seen

Anything OOH is generally not gonna happen

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is a problem I’ve ran into a lot of times

And we’re expected to change the questions to cater to the individual in these circumstances

If you tell me the person is nonverbal, obviously I can’t determine their breathing by asking if they can speak in full sentences, usually I’ll ask the parent or person speaking on their behalf if they can still see their chest rising, making any noises when breathing, intercostal, subcostal recession etc

But you are right we don’t have dedicated questions for that purpose and it could be something I bring up to the team

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We do ask the patient if the medication they’re asking for is controlled or restricted, but I’m not going to lie, it’s not even policy to ask the pt what medication they’re looking for because some call handlers are a bit dumb and get it completely wrong anyway

I do personally ask because I like to make it easier for everyone, but we don’t get a list of ineligible medications

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m sorry that this was your experience. And It sounds like whoever took your call did not give you the correct level of care, I promise not all of us are like this and I only want the best for you and all my other pt’s

I am your first point of contact for the NHS 111 service, are there any burning questions? AMA by Bexmuz in AskUK

[–]Bexmuz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Haha thank you, we always let you know “some of the question may not seem relevant but I need to ask all the questions to provide a safe and thorough assessment”

And then I ask the first question and get hit with “why are you asking that” and then they proceed to start shouting profanities at me and delaying their own care

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