Bliddy hell. That's flippin disgraceful 

Do you have a drop-in centre near you Machel? Or failing that get yourself to your local A&E. 

What the f*ck is happening to this country?

I hope you get the treatment you obviously need 

Call your DR back and ask if you should go straight to the A&E since they refuse to see you ,they might have an 'appointment ' for you today.

Great advice Erin 

this is life in  rural lincs, "local A&E"  is two bus journeys, 

I'd do as erin suggested 

Machel call the helpline back and explain to them that the DR will not see you today let alone within the next 6 hours ,they need to resolve this for  you .

ring back and ask for todays duty  doctor to ring you back - receptionists think they are God sometimes ...

Don't they just

Nice to see you MrsH

 sorry, didnt know you was rural

it makes me so   when you need a docor you cant get in but every night for the last 2 weeks we have been phoned and offered appointments for various things - leave the gaps for more urgent things I say - if you need these extras I am sure the Doc will advise accordingly ....

help line said to ring back at 6.30 and there  would be a duty doctor (local surgery closes then),  

Keeps us updated Machel ,stay well

last august they sent my husband a letter offering a health check, when he tried  to make the appointment there wasn't any until December, it was too "successful" !!

 How Pathetic.

Feckin NHS is falling apart 

innit though 

My lot never seem to have any appointments when you ring up on the day which is the only way of getting to see a doctor.  They've stopped the pre-bookable 4 week appointments and they wonder why so many people are presenting at A & Es 

Hope you get seen and everything is sorted Machel 

NHS DIRECT is crap.

Everytime i've called them all they will say is that i should err on the side of caution cos they're sh*t scared of deciding anything.

Hopeless service

Oh sorry that sounded a bit rude - sorry

Those surgeries make me livid!! I know people who have to phone their surgeries for weeks on end to be given an appointment which is still 3 or 4 weeks away.  If you are sick and in need of a doctor that day or week there is NO chance of them seeing you. How can they get away with that?  There are a few emergency appointments but you must ring before 9am as they close their books at 9am (???)  God forbid you have a sick baby that has been crying all night and you sleep through the deadline!!

My surgery is amazing.  I can ring at 3pm and tell them someone is sick and they will either make the appointment for the very next day, get the doctor to ring me back and he/she will advise OR tell me to bring the child down within the next 2 hours (before they close) and they'll squeeze them in to see a doctor.  The doctors and receptionist are really great.  I don't see how one surgery can do that and others can be ridiculously unhelpful.

Jeez thats all you can get Machel  Absolute disgrace. The NHS is appalling a.t.m. 

Hope you'll be ok, please let us know 

grr, grr and more grr,

rang nhs at 6.30, had to go through all the symptoms again, a nurse would ring back within the hour, over an hour later and nurse rings, explain again and told doctor would  ring within an hour, 1/2 later duty doc rings and tells me to come to clinic (at local hospital).  No buses this time at night so daughter has 15 min drive to pick me up to 1/2  drive to hospital, I'm there ten mins before I leave with medication.  Why couldn't my doc have  done that??

Exactly!! 

Glad you have been seen Machel and more importantly have been given meds for your ilness,take care.

Its a feckin disgrace 

All that worry and your daughter having to come out too 

Awful just awful Machel  Seeing it was an emergency why couldn't your GP have done that  You must feel very let down. NHS has gone to the dogs.

Hope you're better soon Machel, all that faffing around and waiting for calls etc. i would kick up a fuss (if you had waited until Wed would your health have deteriorated?)

I take it then that that means you didn't get seen within the six hours you were originally told?

Hope the meds have kicked in and you are feeling better today machel

feeling better now I have meds, but still in hiding as the swelling  and redness (I could easily replace Rudolph) won't go for a few days, I was just so angry at the runaround. 

Oh no  that sounds a serious condition Machel 

You should make a complaint about your appalling treatment. Take pics of the swelling + redness as evidence?

How fortuitousness that it's Red Nose Day soon ... you have saved yourself a few bob by not having to buy one.

Only joking Hope it goes soon

I've always found them to be pretty good!

Years ago, when my son was about 10, he had Bell's Palsy.... I rang them and told them one side of his face wasn't working, they told me to go straight to A&E and press a certain coloured button and someone would be expecting me. When we pressed the button we were whizzed straight through. 

I used them again when my son got sick last year...and their advice was good then too. 

BUT...the one time I have used them for myself convinced me they were all angels! Nearly the whole of my arm swelled up from a reaction to a bite last summer.....not being one for seeing a doctor, I went to a pharmacist to get something for it, the woman behind the counter took one look and told me to get myself to A&E. 

I called NHS Direct instead...went through my symptoms, and she told me to keep it elevated, and to see my GP the next day if it got any worse.

Saved me from a pointless trip to A&E she did....therefore NHS Direct are the good guys in my eyes

I like to be dying before I see a doctor.  

I was thinking about transferring to the docs in your village, perhaps not 

I'm not actually registered at the one in the village Machel....I'm still using one in town. I'm thinking of changing to the one in my village too.