Scenario 2 - Chest pain

Hello. Is that Mrs Smith?

Hello, hello?

Hello. Can I speak to Mrs Smith, please?

This is Mrs Smith. Who is it?

Hello, Mr Smith. My name is Sean. I am one of the urgent care practitioners from doctors.

Thank God.

Hello there, sir. Can I just confirm? Can I speak to Mrs Smith at all?

She is really poorly. She is on the settee now. She cannot... She cannot talk. She literally cannot talk. And then, is it okay if I speak to you?

That is fine. Just tell me a little bit more. Why cannot she talk at the moment?

Because she cannot get her words out. She is in that much pain and she just cannot catch her breath.

Okay, so she is short of breath. Then you said she had chest pain initially, did she?

She has had chest pain all day. She woke up with it... Well, I say she woke up with it. She woke up and she said, "I do not feel right." And I am worried about her because...

I understand that I can understand that. Can I just ask you a couple of quick questions, then we will decide what we need to do? Can you just look at your wife now and tell me what colour, particularly the skin on her face looks like?

She is pale.

And what about her lips? Are they normal colour?

Well, they are pale as well.

And she has still got chest pain at the moment?

She has had chest pain all day, apart from when she woke up and she said like I told you, she said she did not feel right, but I am worried about her now.

Okay, and does she have any heart problems?

Got any heart problems, duck? She is nodding her head. I think she... She has been in hospital before, yes.

So she has got some cardiac history?

Yes.

Mr Smith, what I am going to do based on what you have just told me, I think your wife needs to be seen in hospital urgently. I am going to arrange an ambulance now.

An ambulance?

An ambulance, yeah. Just confirm your address, so I know it is coming to the right location. Just tell me where you are again.

It is number 12, Mornington Crescent.

And is that Snee Green?

Correct.

Right. I am going to get the ambulance to you now and if they need to speak to you, they will contact you back on this phone number I have just rung. If there is any problems before they arrive if you ring them on 999 and tell them you are already waiting for an ambulance from the out-of-hours service, and they will get the ambulance to you now. Is that okay? Do you understand what I am going to do?

All right. Is it bad?

I just need to get your wife seen in hospital. We need to get some checks done. Let us get the ambulance to you straight away. I am going to put the phone down now and speak to the ambulance. Okay?

All right and I will call 999.

I will ring 999 now, you sit and wait. Only ring 999 if anything changes. You sit down. The line is going to go dead, okay?

All right, thank you.

Thanks for your call, now. Bye-bye.