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Care Opinion

Visit to out of hours Clinic based at Wansbeck...

Story from nhs.uk

"Visit to out of hours Clinic based at Wansbeck..."

About: Wansbeck Hospital

I have come away from an appointment at the out of hours emergency clinic today. I have been very unwell with what I think is a viral infection for three weeks & also as an asthma sufferer am aware when my symptoms are heading towards needing treatment. I lost my voice a few days ago & also have chest tightness. This was cleared by the paramedics earlier on as nothing urgent. They were extremely kind & polite & I thank them for this. I was referred to a GP at the out of hours clinic & eventually got an appointment after speaking to two very nice & polite doctors who wanted me to be seen before Monday at my GPs. On arrival at the Unit I was told to take a seat. There was only one other patient who was called into see a doctor. Eventually a junior doctor who was chatting in reception called me into a room. I was made to feel like I was making my symptoms up. I was told if it was a virus then it could last for weeks. I was advised to take paracetamol & wait it out. I was given a script for steroids in case I might need them! As an asthma sufferer I am aware of the course my condition will take & therefore anticipate when I will need treatment in order to avoid admission to hospital. What are my complaints? I felt I was dismissed & no credit was given to my own knowledge of my own condition ie asthma I felt a thorough examination did not take place. I felt I was given no respect or dignity. I have worked as a nurse & midwife in the NHS all of my life & am aware of the need for respect & a caring attitude towards patients/ service users. I did not get that respect or feel welcome when I attended today. This is not my overall view of Wansbeck Hospital which I consider a centre with excellent standatrds of care. This one experience with one junior doctor & reception staff has certainly affected my view of the out of hours service & will recommend friends & family go elsewhere if possible.

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Responses

Response from Annie Laverty, Chief Experience Officer, Patient Experience, Northumbria Healthcare NHS FT 9 years ago
Annie Laverty
Chief Experience Officer, Patient Experience,
Northumbria Healthcare NHS FT

Submitted on 23/06/2014 at 13:01
Published on Care Opinion at 14:12

picture of Annie Laverty

Dear Madam,

Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. I am extremely sorry that you left your appointment so frustrated and without feeling listened to. We expect all our patients to feel resepcted by all staff that they come into contact with - I am again sorry that we failed to provide this respect and courtesy for you.

It saddens me that this incident has clouded your otherwise excellent opinion of Wansbeck and I would like to learn more about what happened during your visit. As your post is anonymous it makes it difficult for us to act as quickly as we'd like to make any changes we may need to in order to avoid anyone esle feeling in a similar way in future.

I wondered if you'd be kind enough to contact me directly on annie.laverty@nhct.nhs.uk. I will in the meantime bring this to the attention of the A&E team.

Many thanks again for taking the time to share these details of your care experience.

With best wishes,

Annie

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Response from Wansbeck Hospital 9 years ago
Wansbeck Hospital

Submitted on 25/06/2014 at 22:14
Published on nhs.uk on 27/06/2014 at 04:01

Dear Madam, Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. I am extremely sorry that you left your appointment so frustrated and without feeling listened to. We expect all our patients to feel resepcted by all staff that they come into contact with - I am again sorry that we failed to provide this respect and courtesy for you. It saddens me that this incident has clouded your otherwise excellent opinion of Wansbeck and I would like to learn more about exactly what happened during your visit. As your post is anonymous it makes it difficult for us to act as quickly as we'd like to make any changes we may need to in order to avoid anyone esle feeling in a similar way in future. I wondered if you'd be kind enough to contact me directly on annie.laverty@nhct.nhs.uk. I will in the meantime bring this to the attention of the A&E team. Many thanks again for taking the time to share these details of your care experience. With best wishes, Annie

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