"I’ve told lots of people not to bother using this service."

I called the 111 service for my husband who is in his 80s, is diabetic and, at the time, was recovering from a chest infection.

The operator went through a list of questions for about half an hour – I felt many of these were not relevant and would not have been necessary if the operator was medically qualified.

At the end of these questions the operator informed me that a doctor would call me in 2-3 hours.

I had explained my husband is diabetic, he had taken his medication and was being sick – I was very concerned about a possible diabetic coma, I really could not wait 2-3 hours for someone to call me back, then to possibly wait for more time for someone to come and see to my husband.

I ended the call and phoned for an ambulance. I really did not want to do this as their resources are already stretched but I did not feel I had an alternative. The ambulance arrived between 6-10 minutes later, the crew stayed with my husband for about an hour, making sure he was not being sick and his sugar levels were ok before they left.

I have nothing but praise for the ambulance service and the crew that came to see my husband.

However, I am very unhappy with the 111 service – I would have expected a trained doctor or nurse to advise me immediately, not to have to wait for someone to call me back. I’ve told lots of people not to bother using this service.