Last week, while staying with my parents in Nottingham, Baby A woke up in the night gasping for air.
She was pulling her stomach in excessively trying to breath and and was making a high pitched rasping sound as if her throat was closing up.
I am used to dealing with asthma and allergic reactions but this was different. It was so sudden and severe, with no obvious trigger and I wasn’t sure how to help her.
I gave her 5 puffs of J’s Ventolin and some antihistamine and called an ambulance.
The call handler asked a series of generic assessment questions: Was she clammy? No. Was she blue around her lips? No. But nor was James when he was admitted to hopsital on oxygen. Then she said we we didn’t need an ambulance. A clinician would call back in 60 minutes.
60 minutes.
When my baby was struggling to breath.
I was in shock. Too shocked to even argue.
I am ‘experienced’ in breathing difficulties. J has had six asthma attacks that have ended up with him in hospital and many more that we have dealt with at home. He has also been admitted for Broncholitis and an anaphylactic reaction.
In all those times I have only ever called an ambulance once.
We usually drive straight to A&E if he is deteriorating but Addenbrookes respiriatory clinic have strongly advised us never to do this. Their care plan says to call an ambulance. Never be worried about wasting their time. If your child is in respiratory distress they would rather be cautious.
This time, unsure what was causing the symptoms or how to treat it, I took their advice.
But 999 said no.
We gathered our things and headed to the nearest hospital where they saw us quickly and suspected baby A had Croup, which can apparently come on suddenly and severely at night.
After some monitoring and a large dose of steroids she was absoulterly fine.
But she could not have been.
Breathing difficulties can deteriorate rapidly. That’s why the official advice on the NHS website states:
In severe cases of croup, treatment in hospital may be required. Breathing problems, such as shortness of breath, are a major symptom of severe croup. You should dial 999 immediately for an ambulance if your child is struggling to breathe.
I now know, after further research, that the call handler assessed baby A as the lowest priority out of 6 possible categories. This document on the East Midlands Ambulance website labels ‘breathing difficulties’ as category 3 and in need of a face-to-face response.
Since then, I have questioned myself. Did I give the right information? Did I explain her symptoms properly? But I was scared, stressed and trying to look after my daughter while responding to the call handler. I know she could not adequately assess the situation as low priority by the questions she asked without seeing or properly hearing my daughter.
A clinician came on the line within a few minutes – I am not sure if this was luck or a response to our exasperation and disbelief at the call handler. She asked a few more questions and told us to take her straight to A&E as it would be quicker and she didn’t want us to wait. This was, at least, sensible advice and we were already on our way.
I believe the call handler did not follow the guidelines properly and her actions could have put my baby at risk.
We have made an official complaint but unfortunately, this experience has left me feeling anxious and worried. What if my baby had deteriorated? What if we are in this situation again? I have always seen calling an ambulance as our ‘back up’ option and have felt reassured that we could could call for help if I felt we needed to.
I don’t feel like that any more.
Oh Lordy, what a frightening experience! I’m so sorry to hear you’ve had to go through this!
We’ve gone through quick onset croup with both Chloe and Callum, with similar symptoms! Luckily our local response centre helped and got us to A&E quickly.
I really hope additional training is provided at East Midlands. To leave a child in respiratory distress for up to 60 minutes before a call back is irresponsible to say the least. I know our 999 services are very stretched, but still!
I’m so glad A is ok now, and I hope you’re ok too! Big hugs xx
Thanks lovely. I hope they get some training too. Luckily, no harm was done but I dread to think what could happen to someone else. Sorry you’ve been through quick onset croup too. You prepare for the allergies and asthma and then that comes along!
Oh honey, what an awful fright! Really pleased baby is ok. Sending hugs xxx
Thanks, hugs gratefully receieved! xx
Oh hun how awful, glad she is ok now though. Definitley follow up with the complaint. Its can be so hit and miss as you are relying on call handlers actually doing their jobs. Having said that I have been refused an ambulance before whilst having an allergy triggered asthma attack with sats of 85% and starting to go blue because I have a home nebuliser (that was making no difference). Its horrible and frightening but I just dont know how I would be if ot was the girls. big hugs xxx
OMG, that’s terrible! I can’t believe they wouldn’t send you an ambulance. Perhaps I’m just naive but I had never heard of this happening before and now yours is the second story I’ve heard today. So shocking.
Oh no Emma, that’s so awful. So glad to hear that baby A is doing ok now. Croup is so scary, as is any difficulty with breathing. I’m in disbelief in how the ambulance service treated you and handled the situation. I seriously hope that changes are made because of this. Xx
I’m in disbelief too, to be honest!
Dear God…how appalling and so frightening. Thank goodness you just got on your way…some people would have followed the advice.
I hope they listen to your complaint properly.
I know, that’s what worries me too, that some people would just stay put. And most wouldn’t even have the access to inhalers, epipens etc that we do.
Oh my gosh! That’s shocking! I’m appalled for you. I hope that your complaint gets dealt with properly. I’m glad she was ok. Poor little mite! Xx
I hope so too, I’m still waiting for them to process it.
Our son woke up exactly the same and luckily the ambulance came straight out assessed him and waited for the big ambulance to transport him to hospital after having steroids and oxygen. It’s so frightening. I’m surprised they didn’t agree with you. Any kind of breathing issues that aren’t typical of symptoms you’ve seen before should have had an ambulance sent straight out.
I’m sorry you’ve had to go through it too. Yes, I always assumed they would send one too.
Oh my goodness, this is frightening… What an awful experience for you all to have gone through.
When I drove Wriggly to hospital when she was in the middle of a nasty allergic reaction, I was told off for not calling an ambulance, despite my explaining that we live 2 minutes’ drive away. The message was very much the same as Addenbrookes’.
In an emergency situation, what you need is an emergency response, quick, efficient… Luckily, A was ok in the end, but what if she had not been?
Sending you lots of love xxx
Oh dear God! That’s brought back some awful memories’. Beth nearly died the night she was DD with Type 1 Diabetes. Admittedly we called NHS Direct for advice but they told us to wait until next week when we had some blood tests booked at the local Children’s Ward. Beth was in fact slipping into a unconsciousness with Ketoacidosis. I was in the car with Beth before my hubby had ended the call. Thank goodness I got her to A&E when I did.
How scary for you. I think, as a mum, you just have to trust your instinct. I can’t think about what might happen if we didn’t!