"Concerned"

When contacting this practice three times on the last few weeks and asking for the practice manager to return my call, I am still waiting to speak to her on my relatives behalf. My relative who is disabled, unable to walk, virtually housebound, asked several times for a home visit because of an extremely swollen leg and foot.

To be then told by the locum doctor, “He wasn’t bothered how she got to the surgery she could come in her day slippers and house coat” my relative extremely upset, contacted the practice the next day and spoke to the practice manager, I believe she was told, “that was the doctors sense of humour”

I contacted the surgery myself, to speak to the practice manager three weeks ago, I am still waiting for her to return my call.

I again contacted the surgery on Monday again asking to speak to the practice manager, I was told she was off work that day but an email would be sent asking her to return my call, once she returned to work. This week my relative again was asking for help and needed to see a doctor.

We were wrongly advised by the practice to phone the ‘out of hours’ where she would be able to speak to a doctor.

However, after speaking to the receptionist at 111 who could understand our concerns, two nurses from the crisis team ( who perhaps we should refer to as Angels ) came to see me relative that night. They were shocked and appalled at the enormous swelling of her foot and leg. The next day she was taken to hospital with a suspected blood clot.

Perhaps the surgery need to take things a little more seriously, especially when dealing with those who are vulnerable and disabled. I am still waiting for the practice manager to return my call and I am disgusted with the level and duty of care my relative has received from the practice. I will be making a written formal complaint to the medical board regarding this as the level of duty of care is far from satisfactory, it’s disgusting actually. A blood clot is a serious matter and the lack of care and concern could have cost my relative her life.