I attended the St George's Fracture and Orthopaedic Clinic today. I had previously attended A&E and despite an extensive waiting period I really felt like I was looked after and the doctor was genuinely concerned for my well fair and treatment. This was not the case today in Orthopaedics. Despite arriving 1 hour early for my appointment I was left in the waiting room over half an hour. When I was taken through to see the doctor I was placed in a room and left to sit on my own for almost 1 hour and a half. I was given no explanation about what was going on or why I was left on my own for such an extended period of time - I did not mind waiting but felt it would have been courteous for someone to have said something to me or even acknowledge the fact that I was left waiting. When I was seen by a doctor it was very rushed. In total my consultation with the doctor present was around 10-15 minutes. I was attending the clinic as I have a sternoclavicular dislocation. I was not provided any details regarding my injury, I was left to turn to Google after being let down by the NHS. The doctor was very blunt when discussing my treatment options. I was told that I could either just do nothing and live with it or have surgery and get a metal plate and screws put in my chest. This was all the information that provided to me regarding the surgery - factors such as the risks involved, recovery time, pain reduction and success rate would have been useful information in my decision making. I was also not told of any risk factors or complications that might arise from leaving my injury unattended, which was the doctor's recommended option. I was left with the feeling that the doctor really just wanted me to get out so that they could see the next patient and was quite dismissive when I became upset. I was left feeling very emotional and helpless.
"A&E - fabulous, Fracture Clinic - incredibly..."
About: St George's Hospital (Tooting) (London) St George's Hospital (Tooting) (London) London SW17 0QT
Posted via nhs.uk
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