"Nothing short of horrendous"

My fiancee is currently suffering from severe depression, with anxiety mixed in. We wanted to try and get her a prescription for some antidepressants to help her improve to the point where she would be able to function, and make progress in getting better.

We opted for an eConsulation, so that we could give some history and context on what is a complex issue. The morning after, at 8am, my fiancee (Who was half asleep) is called by a Doctor, who doesn't actually discuss her symptoms, how she is feeling right now, or treatment options. Rather than offer a face-to-face appointment, the Dr gives her the details of a self-help group, which are immediately forgotten, and the call ends. The call lasted about 2 minutes

My fiancee then called the surgery at 9.30am, when they apparently release their appointments for the day. Although, it seems like they don't offer very many, as by the time she got through at 9.40am all the appointments were gone! Calling the next day, she was on hold for 20 minutes before the line just dropped.

This is a woman who is so depressed, she has asked me to remove all the sharp objects from our flat because she doesn't trust herself. Her anxiety, mixed with the depression, means that she won't go to hospital, doesn't want to call the emergency services and doesn't want to attend the surgery in person to book an appointment.

Not once has she felt any compassionate, understanding or helpful attitude from the people at this surgery, who seem overly keen to rid themselves of her and show no serious concern for her condition, even though it is well documented in her medical history.

A disgraceful and shameful experience that has left her feeling even more despondent and helpless - What happens to someone with depression when they get treated like this, I wonder??

We will be promptly changing surgeries, and making a formal complaint to the Practice Manager.