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"Doctor's bedside manner"

About: Aberdeen Royal Infirmary / Emergency Medicine

(as a service user),

I presented to A&E after calling 111 due to having severe chest pain radiating into my neck, shoulder, face. I waited in the waiting room for 8 hours before I was seen, which I appreciate through the night the department was busy. 

However when I was seen I was met with a doctor who came to ask what happened and why I was there, they were blunt and straight to the point at the first point of contact. I was sent for a chest X-ray and I had bloods taken which was fine, and the results all came back fine. This doctor then came to tell me my results were fine and I was to go home with pain killers. 

I was already experiencing issues with my heart before the chest pain and I explained I was really worried about my heart, I am only in my 30s however this doctor made me feel worthless. They told me I wasn’t having a heart attack and there was nothing else they could do, told me to go see my GP. I asked what I was meant to do if this happened again and they told me to take painkillers, so I was advised by a doctor in the Aberdeen ED department to take painkillers if I were to experience chest pain! 

I got really upset, I had been awake for 24 hours, I felt disoriented, sleep deprived, dehydrated, I felt awful so I didn’t have it in me to confront the doctor.

I then spoke to a lovely nurse who came in to support me, I can’t remember her name, sorry. But she got the ED consultant to come speak to me, they then reassured me of everything, discussed everything at length and explained what they think was going on, they didn’t feel I needed to be kept in hospital as there was no immediate risk to my life which I completely understood. After the ED consultant left, the doctor then approached me again and asked me in a rude voice why I was still there, as they'd sent me home ages ago. 

I am appalled at the way I was treated by this doctor and no one should ever be spoken to like this, I had a genuine reason for attending ED and was made to feel like I was wasting his time. I know the NHS is struggling at the moment with the pressures, but I was nothing but understanding when I had to wait 8 hours with no pain relief until an hour before I was seen. 

I was genuinely scared for my health, I was on my own at the time I had no family with me at the time. I’m not one for complaining but this situation has really hurt me. 

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Responses

Response from Catherine Kim, Service Manager, Unscheduled Care, NHS Grampian 6 days ago
Catherine Kim
Service Manager, Unscheduled Care,
NHS Grampian
Submitted on 30/05/2025 at 11:40
Published on Care Opinion at 11:40


Dear Experience,

Thank-you for taking the time to post your story on Care Opinion. I am very sorry to read of your experience, the communication you describe is not what we expect for any of our patients. I understand that chest pain is a very scary event and patients experiencing this should be treated with compassion and understanding.

We are keen that staff reflect on patient stories so that they can learn from them and improve the care they offer in future. To feedback to this doctor directly, I would require some further information from you. If you would like me to take this forward, please email me at catherine.kim@nhs.scot.

I hope that you are now fully recovered

Best wishes,

Catherine

Service Manager

Emergency Dept.

ARI

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