Got rotten tooth ache after wisdom tooth broke the other day.
today the pain is very bad so I phoned NHS direct and they gave me a number for emergency out of hours surgery.
I was told I would get a call back within the hour.
This never happened.
Gave them a ring back three hours later and eventually got someone to ring me.
Turns out that my nearest emergency dentist to me is over 40 miles away !
I cant drive that distance.
Wife ill with flu so I cannot get her to drive me.
Top tip, be careful with those teeth especially over Christmas.
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i can confirm nhs direct doesnt work with toothache
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Toothache for you as well Bellboy ?
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I have a friend (a highly qualified nurse) who works for NHS Direct, It's the usual story, which will get worse as the country has to live within it means, instead of loony left spend regardless policy.
Overwhelmed with "customers" who don't have the common sense of a gatepost, trying to spot the real "dangerous" problems, and under staffing. It's a triage service as much as anything.
I hope your toothache has settled down or been fixed, my dentist has the number of the emergency dentist on his out of hours answerphone.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 2 Jan 11 at 11:28
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Isn't NHS Direct for the chop?
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Doesn't your dentist run an out of hours service diddy... ours does 365 days.
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nope not over this way.
Out of 15 odd dentists in this town, all are closed today.
Not too sure how many are open tomorrow.
if it gets too bad I will just go down A & E since my main issue is not so much the tooth but the infection.
But since i have had a sleep I feel better, touch wood.
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Called them back in the summer on a Sunday morning. Called me back in 20 mins with an apointment at the drop in center for that afetrnoon. I was surprised at the sevice, although have called them before and the usuall response is see your GP or go to A&E, so I would have to question how much it costs to run versus the benefit
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>> Called them back in the summer on a Sunday morning. Called me back in 20
>> mins with an appointment at the drop in centre for that afternoon.
Was this an adequate response, or did you need a GP to come to you, or a blue light paramedic and ambulance transfer to hospital?
NHS direct is an advice service, not a 999 emergency response service. The "Me now" generation are in for some shocks in the next few years.
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I thought I had seen that NHS direct was for the chop.
From the Daily mirror;
"The Department of Health confirmed the existing service will go within three years after a 111 pilot was launched in County Durham and Darlington.
A spokesman said: "When NHS 111 is rolled out nationally, it will replace the NHS Direct 0845 4647 telephone number." The 111 service is cheaper to run because it is staffed by far fewer medics.
More than 40% of NHS Direct workers are trained nurses but 111 callers will speak to non-specialist advisers who have completed a 60-hour course, not a degree.
In the pilot scheme, there is only one nurse on duty at each of the two call centres taking 111 calls"
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Well that shout help cull those under 100 and help the pension crisis.
A week and a half training and off you go to 111.
Do not get ill !!!!!!!!
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You won't get rid of me that easily, if I haven't got the strength to walk to A&E (5 minutes) there is always 999.
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>> >> Called them back in the summer on a Sunday morning. Called me back in
>> 20
>> >> mins with an appointment at the drop in centre for that afternoon.
>>
>> Was this an adequate response, or did you need a GP to come to you,
>> or a blue light paramedic and ambulance transfer to hospital?
>>
>> NHS direct is an advice service, not a 999 emergency response service. The "Me now"
>> generation are in for some shocks in the next few years.
>>
It was a dental issue, but the pain had become such that I didnt want to wait another day. My other half is a nurse and also would not let me wait as she was concerned about the infection.
The problem is that many people are not good at explaining what is wrong which makes giving advice difficult, and in this sue anyone culture its an easy cop out to refer you to your GP / A&E. I dont guess that my life will be badly impacted by the loss of NHS Direct
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If the pain is truly unbearable then do what anyone would do and rock up at A+E at a quiet time. They'll be able to take a quick look and either pack you off to an appropriate on-call dentist or supply something strong in a narcotic sense.
No point sitting at home whining and complaining about NHS direct.
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diddy1234, Does your dentist not have a number of someone in the area on call? As said above I'd expect it to be on the answer phone.
I suppose where an emergency dentist for the NHS might be will depend on where you live. Out in the sticks and you'll have to travel further.
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Just checked and my dentist does have an emergency number to call.
The phone number's info leads me to believe they would give advice instead of a treatment surgery.
I.E. the same as what I have had from NHS Direct.
Will try that tomorrow if tonight goes well.
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I used to share a flat with a dentist and knew at least two others (they all knew each other at Uni). They would take it in turns being on call in their area.
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>> I used to share a flat with a dentist and knew at least two others
>> (they all knew each other at Uni). They would take it in turns being on
>> call in their area.
>>
Our local dentists do the same emergency on call service based at the hospital. The number on all of their practace answerphones puts you on to the on call dentist.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 2 Jan 11 at 22:28
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ON - which is how I'd hope it would be, i.e. someone on call.
Our GPs do the same with a cooperative doing the coverage.
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I had a tooth removed just before Christmas. For various reasons it was quite a big job and took 75 mins to do it. Made routine follow-up appointment for January.
Was amazed on Christmas eve to get a call from the dentist to check up that all was okay, advise me that someone in the practice was on-call over the holiday, and he gave me his home phone number.
Not NHS, of course.
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Having just retired from the NHS I can confirm that many of the public don't have the faintest idea how to self-medicate nor do they know what an emergency is. I worked in a hospital which provided a 12 hour weekend service for emergencies, manned by a GP.
People came in with a rash behind one ear - headaches for the last 2 weeks, now getting worse - pain from an ingrowing toenail and so on.
The fact is that some of these people had spoken to our call centre and been referred on, this is becuase in today's blame culture and with the difficulties of triaging over the telephone it was easier to send people to see the GP than take the 1 in 2 million chance that somebody might die from complications of a rash behind the ear!
I used to say to the doctor that we should charge all patients £10 on entry and give it back to them if their visit had been necessary. At the end of a 12 hour shift we would have been able to have a VERY fine meal with drinks and the cost of 2 tanks full of petrol, for our efforts.
The system over-reacts to minor problems and most people don't seem to be able to take painkillers, apply ointments or put a plaster on a minor graze or cut.
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8 years ago I contacted NHS phone in the evening, acute abdominal pains and was told to take indigestion tablets, fizzy drinks.....................it was acute pain and I was driven to A&E. Turns out to be gall bladder and small stones trying to exit via smaller tubes. Later operated on.
8 yrs later my son has abdominal pains, writhing in agony, NHS promptly sent an ambulance - thoroughly checked out for heart attack etc (same as me 8 yrs previous) - turns out to be gall bladder & stones.
2 x similar incidents - both handled by NHS on the phone - one done well and 1 x less well.
A bit like going to the garage with the car - if the nurse/technician is good then your experience of the hospital / garage will be good............if the call handler is bad..............
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NHS Direct - doesn't work - Bellboy
