NHS 111

I spent 2 hours sitting listening to the 111 promotion in Cambridgeshire, we were assured that all was in place there would be no major problems just minor ones that were just the expected glitches, but all would be well, on overwhelming of the A&E service, if you look at this part of the country and I am talking about North Cambridgeshire the A&E department has always been overwhelmed, the new hospital still has the same problems, not the hospitals fault I might add, but the inability of the old PCT to deflect non A&E patients attending, who have no need of the A&E services, there is a walk in centre but the previously vibrant building with much going on is now dead very little happening much of the previous occupants have departed!, I am told that the rental cost is too high so the ship has been deserted, it has only been open a short time and still as new so this s a bit of a shock to me, may be as it has been taken over by the NHS property's services has some thing to do with it, I well remember being shown round and thinking this is a great place, the patient experience will be good, good facilities, especially hot food tea and coffee, lifts that actually worked and a clean environment for everybody, but now so quiet, we have a very large Eastern European population they just can't accept that they do not need emergency treatment, I believe that many normally attend their hospital in their own country so it is not surprising that the do it here, I believe that we have to deflect them to the walk in centre or during surgery hours see a GP, but things are not that easy are they?, my family needed help one Saturday afternoon, as I was aware of 111 I rang it and the answer machine told me that call back was in 6 hours, but I stayed on the line, finally about 1 hour later they called an ambulance, we had to ring a further twice over one and a half hours finally to be told to ring 999, this after 25 Min's brought a fast response unit who was unable to really help as an ambulance was needed, this took a further half an hour, so I was not best amused by the service offered, but I hoped that it was just a glitch, but watching the news over the weekend the whole country seemed to be up the creek without a paddle, the A&E service was going to be overwhelmed but to day it seems that there were problems but not to the extent that was being expected, so its all OK, but just what will happen at the next holiday I dread to think!!.