"Urgent Prescription"

My wife is undergoing treatment for cancer and started a course of chemo 7 days ago, tablets that she was taking to help her if she felt sick caused her to have very severe pains due to heartburn and indigestion.

I spoke to the Triage nurse at Clatterbridge who sent a fax to your practice, it was marked URGENT, The Triage nurse asked for a prescription to be collected so as to give her relief from her severe symptoms.

On arriving at Upton Group Practice the receptionist was very unhelpful, it took an age until she eventually located the fax, then told me that no patient name was on the fax, she also informed me that cancer drugs are not handed out over the counter, I had to inform her that the fax would not be asking for cancer drugs, that the fax would however, be marked urgent and that my wifes name would appear on the fax. The receptonist evetually found her name and asked me to come back in 2 hours after she informed a doctor.

I said I would wait.

After 15 minutes she informed me that the doctor could do nothing until 18.15 ( a delay of two hours)

I informed the Triage nurse at Clatterbridge and she saw my wife straight away, with a prescription waiting for her.

The cancer is bad enough to deal with without obstructive, unhelpful, uncaring front desk reception staff making a very bad situation worse.

My experience at your surgery left me feeling somewhat helpless while my wife was in pain I also felt very angry at being dealt with in such a dismissive manner. This is something I have not experienced at a medical centre before.

I am considering taking my concerns further.