Seeking help from the GP
During the first months of the pandemic, people were strongly encouraged to use NHS online and phone services (including 111 and 119) unless they were...
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Some of the people we interviewed had called NHS telephone help services during the earlier stages of their Covid-19 infection, when they were worried about their symptoms or struggling to manage them. For example, a couple of weeks after testing positive Mahabuba’s whole body began to shake, she felt breathless and like her body had “totally shut down”. Her husband called NHS111 for advice and paramedics were sent to her home to assess her. During her second Covid-19 infection, Annabelle had a “horrible cough” which made her feel like she was “going to either pass out or never take a breath again”. Because her family were concerned and frightened, they called NHS111 who sent an ambulance so that the paramedics could check her over.
Not everyone who called NHS telephone help services needed to be seen by paramedics. Instead, they received other forms of help from this service, such as clear advice on when to go to Accident and Emergency (A&E), referral to a Covid hub or “hot clinic” or arranging for a GP to call back.
Some people had home devices that could measure pulse and blood oxygen levels. Laurie mentioned that her smart watch gave blood oxygen levels estimates. When these were lower than normal, she called NHS111.
When Sam felt unwell with his Long Covid symptoms while on holiday abroad, he completed a checklist on NHS111 online. However, because the questions weren’t “just on the nail [or] right on the nose”, he didn’t find this tool useful. He felt panicky when, after answering the questions, it suggested that he should call 999.
People also went to A&E at the earlier stages of their illness if they were very concerned about their health. The sorts of symptoms they went to A&E with included breathlessness and acute pain (e.g., chest pain). These were the sort of symptoms which people wanted to be investigated.
When Razia was in A&E seeking help for her baby’s symptoms, the member of staff who dealt with them was concerned about Razia’s own breathlessness.
People appreciated having tests done in A&E to rule out illnesses which could be causing their symptoms. However, they found it difficult when their symptoms were dismissed or when A&E staff didn’t seem to know what to do with them.
Only a small number of people we spoke to were admitted to hospital. John, for example, was an inpatient for fifteen weeks after he had a stroke. He was told by his doctors that the stroke “was caused by sticky blood… which was caused by the Covid”. Lyn was admitted to hospital after falling several times at home because of her fatigue. She was an inpatient for a month and had tests to investigate her symptoms. Ellen was in hospital just for a few days.
You can read more about the experiences of people who needed to stay in hospital in intensive care when they became very seriously unwell after getting Covid-19.
During the first months of the pandemic, people were strongly encouraged to use NHS online and phone services (including 111 and 119) unless they were...
This page covers: The availability of Long Covid clinics Getting referred to Long Covid clinics Experiences of attending Long Covid clinics Other specialist services for...