That made me think of what I do when I am unsure if its 999 or other I need (well if its my brittle asthma we dont hesitate to call) !! Up here is Staffordshire where I am we have limited access to out of hrs GPs as they are miles away in the city, so alot of people use the NHS direct website/phone line but that is far far from perfect at time !! Yes we can phone the out of hours drs co-op for advice but guess what their advice usually is - end off - one blunt piece of advice they give to nearly everyone is: "Call 999 they will deal with it! " What I am trying to say badly (yes again) is that someone in government or somewhere in power needs to get setup a proper service or phone line that WORKS to help people out when they are unsure what to do !! NHS direct can be useless - eg, when I had a massive abscess after bowel surgery, I was advised to take paracetamol and goto bed, the fact I was on stronger painkillers already. and my whole stomach area was hot, red and leaking puss didnt seem to bother the dosey advisor !! We can have all the ads in the world but people need somewhere to go for advise when 999 isnt appropraite that is staffed/manned by people who actually know what they are doing !! But well done LAS - a good report for a well deserving area !!