NHS 111 Turns Up Trumps

NHS 111 Turns Up Trumps

Mum has often had occasions when her lower face, around her jaw line, swells up.  In earlier days, it could be brought on if she had been sitting in a draught - however slight - or had forgotten to take her woolly hat with her when she went out, so we know she is susceptible to this problem.

Being 98, she also has very few teeth left. About 5 years ago, she had a domiciliary visit by a dentist, who arrived pulling a large amount of equipment behind her. She examined Mum, and announced the way forward would be to extract all the remaining teeth, plus taking out all the roots that were still in her jaw.

The dentist did not specify how long this work would take, and Mum was horrified.  Apart from believing she still has all her own teeth (or most of them, at any rate!) she has always had a genuine fear of having to wear false teeth. That was one side of the problem; the other was the fact it would be an ordeal for Mum to have to endure all this work being done, at the age of 93. It did seem to me that Mum's age and mental state were not being taken into consideration.

Mum wasn't in pain - this was just a check-up - and she sent the dentist away.

A couple of weekends ago, on the Friday night Mum began to complain of pain in her face, and her left cheek was beginning to swell. I could see it was a bit red, and warm to the touch; inwardly I groaned, because the GP's surgery was closed, and I would not be able to get advice from her doctor.

I prepared a couple of soluble paracetamol tablets, and as soon as they had fizzed, Mum drank the water down; she rarely takes painkillers, so I knew something was definitely hurting her.

By the morning, Mum's face was definitely fatter on the left side. She hadn't been out, she hadn't been in a draught, so I wondered if it was a tooth problem; and then Mum announced she did indeed have toothache.

With the surgery closed, I thought I had better try ringing 111, and see if they could help.

I have heard some fearful reports about the service, but I was pleasantly surprised with the response we got. After a few pertinent questions (explaining Mum was 98, had dementia, was disabled, and so no, she didn't travel anywhere!) the helpful lady on the front line said she would refer everything to a doctor, and that someone would call us back within the hour.

It took less than that; a duty doctor rang me, and I explained the problems Mum was having. He thought it was possibly an abscess flaring up in a tooth, and that she would need antibiotics to combat it.

Because of her heart valve weakness, I know whenever Mum had had to have dental treatment in the past, the dentist always gave Mum a very large dose of antibiotics before starting work; the doctor now asked me, if Mum was allergic to anything, and was then able to prescribe amoxicillin as a suspension for her. He sent the prescription over to the local pharmacy, and told me the medicine would be ready within half an hour; and so it was.

I told him I was very impressed with how quickly he had sorted everything out for Mum, and I also mentioned how helpful and efficient the lady who had answered my call to 111 had been. He said he was really pleased to hear my comments, and I got the feeling that, when things don't go according to plan, people are quick to moan about the service, but when things go well, not many folk bother to say "Thank you."

We collected the medicine; Mum started on the course, and it worked wonders for stopping the infection.

It also galvanised me into action to get Mum registered for domiciliary care for any future dental problems. Over the years, the system had changed, and the clinic was no longer housed in the nearby health centre. By dint of sheer doggedness, eventually I managed to get through to the correct administrative office, where another helpful lady e-mailed over the forms I needed to complete. At least Mum will be registered, and if we need to call on their services in the future, I hope she will get a more understanding dentist than the one who come all those years ago!

In the meantime, on this occasion, in less than a couple of hours, Mum got the medication she needed; NHS 111 had turned up trumps.