"Giving patients clear information"

When I am examined by a physician I expect them to a. Introduce themselves b. Ask me to describe the problem c. Examine me d. Tell me what they find e. Recommend and explain treatment or management f. Give me the opportunity to ask questions. I have left the Eye Clinic at Torbay twice in the last 7 days in a state of high anxiety with no clear idea of what happened to me or what is likely to happen to me. It appears to be a case of PVD - I had to ask a nurse for an information leaflet as the doctor failed to give me one - and vitreous haemorrhage but I only know this by subsequently checking NHS websites and through the help of a very kind nurse who could see I was upset at my treatment. My experience of the NHS in general and Torbay in particular has been almost universally good but there really are some doctors who need a crash course in basic patient- doctor relationships. I'm afraid you have at least one who is stranded somewhere in the 1930's.