Nicky Hillier's sister said her sister was found unconscious and 'barely breathing' after an NHS 111 operator allegedly told her to take paracetamol as she experienced severe symptoms08:14, 30 May 2026A furious hum has claimed her sister was told to pop a paracetamol after sharing concerning symptoms with a 111 operator that turned out to be meningitis - and left her comatose.‌Nicky Hillier, 50, initially believed on one Friday night in early March 2026 that she was developing nothing more than a bad cold, and cancelled overnight plans to avoid spreading it around. The HR worker was forced to call off work when, five days later, she felt worse and struggled to leave bed, suspecting she may have Covid.‌Her symptoms became so severe that she was forced to change her pyjamas every two hours due to excessive sweating. She was allegedly told to take paracetamol to relieve her symptoms by NHS 111 on March 18, after five days of fever and failing to get a GP appointment. Just a matter of hours later, however, she was found unconscious and "barely breathing" by her neighbour and ex-husband.‌On March 19, Nicky's neighbour noticed her curtains were still closed and decided to check on her. When she got into the house, along with Nicky's ex-husband, she was stunned to find her unconscious on the floor.Nicky, from Swindon, Wiltshire, was rushed to hospital where she was put on life support as doctors confirmed she had bacterial meningitis. Nicky's friends and family have set up a GoFundMe to support her as she's been left deaf, struggling with her mobility and unable to work.‌Amanda Hall, Nicky's sister, said: "It's very odd seeing somebody that you adore in that condition. Seeing her like that was possibly the very worst thing I have ever, ever been through and I think it would take a lot to top that.""We were told to prepare ourselves, that she was gravely, gravely ill and if she made the night, it would be a miracle. Up until about a week before she was due to have plans on a Friday night but she had to cancel them because she wasn't feeling well. She was just feeling the general 'I've got a bit of a cough, I've got a cold I don't want to spread it around', which was about a week before she became very ill.‌"She had rung 111 and said 'I can't get a doctor's appointment, I'm feeling really poorly, I've had a temperature for five days and I'm sweating so much that I'm having to change my pyjamas every couple of hours'."[She also said] 'I can't get out of bed, I've got a bad headache and I've been sick and I've got a cough'. They basically told her to go get some paracetamol and she said 'I can't even get out of bed' and that is the last anybody had heard from her overnight. Her neighbour was driving past at around 7am and noticed that my sister's curtains were drawn and that isn't like her, she's up early with the dog."‌"In the meantime, my sister's boss thought 'I haven't heard from Nicky, she usually checks in even when she's not well' so went to HR and asked for her next of kin contact, which was her ex-husband."The ex got over the gate at the back of the house, got into the house and found her collapsed in a very, very poor state." Amanda claims doctors believe Nicky's meningitis bacteria was different from the cases in the Kent outbreak earlier this year. At hospital, doctors confirmed the bacteria in Nicky's system was streptococcus pneumoniae, which had gone from her spinal cord to her brain triggering meningitis.Nicky was brought out of her two-day coma on March 21 but is now deaf, has Bell's palsy and struggles with mobility and communication.‌Amanda said: "She said to her nurse within a day or two that she couldn't hear and something was wrong with her ears. She could speak a few words, not a coherent sentence, but enough to know that she was there. Her mobility isn't particularly good at the moment, she's having to use a frame. She can't walk unaided."She's very aware of getting her face on every day and doing her hair, it's important to her to feel good and that's great. She's basically living in her bedroom at the moment. She's not really living life at the moment, she's getting through it.Article continues below"It's just been awful for everybody, it's just been absolutely shocking. If you have been as ill as my sister was for that many days and you've reached out to 111 and they tell you to go get some paracetamol I would absolutely throw that advice in the bin. Like with my sister, it changed so quickly from her being able to communicate. She should've been seen."A spokesperson for Practice Plus Group said: "We are sorry to hear of this patient's illness and encourage her family to raise their concerns with us directly, so that we can review the NHS 111 call in line with our strict quality governance procedures."