Strep A: Weekend sees 18,000 calls to NHS Wales 111 service

NHS Wales' 111 phone service took more than 18,000 calls on the weekend - more than double that of the same period last year.

The rise follows concern about strep A after the deaths of 15 children since September, including Hanna Roap, aged seven, from Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan.

Public Health Wales (PHW) has made a symptom checker for parents.

It hopes its traffic light system will help them decide when to get medical help.

The NHS 111 Wales service is provided by the Welsh Ambulance Service.

Executive director of quality and nursing, Liam Williams, said: "NHS 111 Wales service has just seen its busiest weekend ever with a huge number of calls from parents and carers worried about strep A.

"Unfortunately, it has meant that many people had to wait a long time for their call to be answered, or for a clinical call back, and we would like to apologise to everyone who had to experience this and who were concerned.

"It is understandable parents are cautious when their child is unwell. Children typically experience a wide range of minor infections in wintertime and most of these can be safely dealt with at home by parents and carers.

"If parents or carers are worried about strep A, the best thing that they can do is to provide the care they would usually provide for a child with cold and flu like symptoms, and to familiarise themselves with the symptoms of scarlet fever and iGAS as a precaution."

Public Health Wales said cases of invasive group A streptococcal infection (iGAS) remained rare in Wales.

Children, it said, had a low risk of contracting the disease.

PHW's communicable disease control consultant, Dr Graham Brown, said the majority of children affected by strep A would recover with treatment.

PHW said it would issue weekly iGAS updates on its website every Tuesday.

Demand for antibiotics to treat suspected strep A cases has led to a shortage in some pharmacies in Wales.

The Welsh government's health minister, Eluned Morgan, said: "There are alternatives in terms of antibiotics.

"If people can't find a particular antibiotic, they are then welcome to go back to their GP and find an alternative.

"We are working very closely with the UK government to make sure that we have supplies that are plentiful at what is obviously a time that is of great concern to parents.

"We do have enough at the moment. Obviously we need to make sure that that flow continues".

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board there had been a "significant" increase in patients attending the children's emergency assessment unit (CEAU) or being referred by GPs due to parental concerns over the strep A.

"Though our children's ward is extremely busy, this is not due to strep A admissions, with only one confirmed case at the Grange University Hospital," a spokesman said.

"The increased attendances at CEAU are unfortunately causing long delays in assessing these children, which could impede on being able to provide timely care to very sick children.

"Please remember that the complications of strep A are extremely rare and that most child illnesses and winter viruses can be cared for at home with paracetamol and ibuprofen products."

It said added seating in the emergency department at the Grange hospital was limited.

"This is leading to it becoming very congested with patients sitting on the floors," a spokesman said.

"It also poses a safety risk, as our staff are unable to see if patients are deteriorating with so many people present."

The board urged relatives to wait elsewhere if they did not need to be there.

Swansea Bay health board said primary care services and Morriston Hospital's emergency department had experienced increased attendances due to strep A.

It urged people to follow PHW advice.