"My daughter's treatment"

Since my daughter was a toddler she has been attending REI for getting glasses fitted and check-ups. At the age of 8 we were told she could have an operation to correct a stigmatisation in one eye, we kept on attending appointments. She is now 12 years old.

Last summer I got a call from the theatre nurse at Derriford Hospital, she did a telephone assessment for an hour and told us she was at the top of the list for the operation. It was last summer holidays and I think it built up our hopes and our daughter was nervous but also wanted to get the operation out of the way as we had waited so long, she was starting high school after the holidays too.

Well, nothing materialised and our daughter asked me why, then another check-up appointment came a month later, we did not attend it and I phoned up to ask why considering our daughter had been told she was having the operation, the response was they knew nothing about that and she must continue to come every six months for an assessment, which meant often hours going in and out of rooms seeing different people, another day off school too.

In the meantime, I felt very disappointed and also I don't think departments were communicating between each other well, my daughter was very upset. I reached out to an optician's and we took our daughter there for a good assessment after school, they have prescribed a new pair.

I rang up REI and informed them that my daughter needs to be no longer on their lists and REI's opticians gave the optician's we had visited her last eye tests result. Out of respect I informed REI as the optician's s also said they could not prescribe their prescriptions if my daughter's name was still on REI patients. I did all this and I thought everything was OK. Then I got a letter suggesting I make an appointment with them otherwise the trust policy will be informing social care, school nurse as my daughter's medical needs were bring neglected.

I have been chasing REI on the number they gave me, by which there's not always someone there, Got through to the air reception and informed them again and said I informed REI that my daughter was now going to an optician's etc etc. I get so fed up of repeating myself, I get fed up of being told an operation is going to go forward, then nothing, then I get accused of being neglectful.