"Appalling wait in severe pain for fob off..."

Having already wasted time at Rake Lane, I was sent with a letter all the trail up to Cramlington.

I was eased through the initial triage fairly quickly, and sent for surgery assessment to Ward 6.

Here, in considerable pain and distress, I waited the now statutory 3 hours and 25 minutes.

This was simply disgraceful.

The junior doctor was polite enough, but to my further distress after a swift exam he concurred with my own diagnosis (having suffered this awful condition before) he offered an antiseptic gel for a condition that desperately required a small incision procedure, which in probably any hospital in Europe or the USA would have been done in 20 minutes or less. From past research, the condition can be allieviated if carried out within the first 6-10 hours.

A senior surgeon was contacted at my expressing strongly for this procedure, but the surgeon or consultant not only did not come and see the extent of my problem for themselves, but the 'fob off' gel was again on the menu.

i may aswell have gone to a pharmasist.