"Refusal of medical care"

My story is related to my refusal of health care from my local surgery. My story is word for word the truth and the gods honest truth. This is how our great NHS treat patients.

Last year 2014 I suffered three heart attacks, which basically turned my whole life upside down to the point of contemplating suicide. I was a patient at my surgery and having receiving ESA I was requested by the DWP to attend a medical and to bring any additional information which may help me at my medical such as doctors letters.

So I asked my Doctor if she would be good enough to write me a informed letter to submit to DWP, which she gratefully done for me.

A couple of days later I entered the green surgery to collect my requested letter. Unknown to me, there was a £20 fee for the letter? Being on ESA benefits as you can imagine I didn't have £20 there and then to pay for the letter.

I was told by the receptionist I couldn't have the letter unless I paid the £20 fee?

I offered to pay £5 p/w which was refused. So I asked to see the manager. Now please bare in mind apart from my heart disease I suffer from depression and anxiety, plus I had already been informed that I was pre diabetic and possible kidney or liver problems.

The manager came out to see me, to which his body language and general attitude was appalling towards me. After explaining my predicament he also refused to give me the letter unless payment was made. Now at this point two members of the public joined the queue behind me, so I asked the manager if he would verify to me he is indeed refusing me a letter to aid me in my medical due to not having the funds? He said yes, I asked one of the people behind me if she heard what had been said she said yes. The next thing the manager said... if I pay the £20 on the following Friday when my benefits go in my bank, he will give me the letter.

So He gave me the letter.

Now please understand I only joined that surgery due to medical negligence at another surgery regarding my three heart attacks.

Now what I'm about to tell you what happened next, to me, is just simply both unbelievable and unacceptable.

After my medical I went to my bank and I noticed that I didn't have the funds to pay the surgery due to more essentials things like, food. light and heat needing paying for.

So the next week I went to surgery to get an appointment to see doctor to obtain my esa sick note to enable me to continue receiving my benefits on time, a thing that keeps my depression and anxiety from increasing.

Nope... refused, refused until I pay the £20 pound? I tried to explain why I hadn't managed to pay, now don't forget this is open in the reception area, and joe publics having a listen, I was told I would not get a doctors apt until I paid this £20.

As I was also going to get a repeat prescription from doctor I then explained I needed my meds, anti depressants, heart disease meds, well basically I was told no until this £20 was paid.

Oh oh.....whats going on? ? I went to the dwp to see if they would help me as my current sick note ran out in a weeks time and if I don't get my sick note in my money will stop, my housing benefits will stop and I will be left destitute.

There was nothing they could do. Now I can get the person I dealt with in the dwp to verify that I was in that office every day pleading for help as yet again after visiting doctors to try and get this solution resolved I got refused. Until......yep you've guessed it....£20 or no service.

The next week I had an apt to get bloods taken after the surgery called me to come in for tests regarding my liver.....I walked into the nurses section....guess what? refused service due to..........yep £20 not been paid. In the same week I was refused an apt previously made with the mental health councellor why? non payment of £20.

Now ive still to try and get a sick note to stop all my benefits stopping inbetween all this treatment im receiving from the surgery manager.

So I went in to surgery a couple of days later and pleaded for help as I needed to see a doctor to get meds and sick note as it was now two days overdue? In front of the whole surgery that manager made me PROMISE to pay the money on the oncoming Friday, humiliation is an understatement and the whole dis belief of how im being treated.

Now Friday came, I went upto the Newcastle Building Society in wallsend to collect my money as usual. No.........not in, due to......the late delivery of the requested sick note? After contacting DWP and fixing the problem my benefit went into my account at......PRECISELY 5pm on the Friday. I again, can get this verified as I know the manager of said building society as it was her who was dealing me.

I was so stressed in that building society regarding my funds going in late and the payment I had to make by, 5 oclock on Friday as agreed with surgery manager. I was so drained after all the hassle of the past four weeks I went home.

On the Monday morning I received a letter from the manager at the surgery, a letter to which was both defamatory to my character, a lie, and a total insult to me as a human being.

In this letter to which I can supply a copy, I was informed that since I "broke my word" about paying on Friday that I will no longer be a service user at the surgery and advised me to seek another surgery?

Well because HE had refused me a sick note for three weeks, all my benefits stopped, I had no food, no electricity, no gas, no housing benefit which put my tenancy in jeopardy, to which resulted me in getting admitted to rake lane for obs for suspect heart attack,

Not long after getting the rejection letter from the surgery, I received a letter from NHS England telling me that the local surgery have told them I'm off their records....BUT.......and its a biggy.....BUT UNTIL I FIND ANOTHER SURGERY my SURGERY WILL REMAIN RESPONSIBLE FOR MY MEDICAL NEEDS AND SERVICES?

Well Im no Einstein but from where Im standing my surgery have done NOTHING to help me in my medical needs or use of services, no doc appts allowed. No requested blood tests allowed, no access to mental health services allowed, treated so so unapproprately in front off the general public,

Jeopardised my tenancy, my security my home, left me to the point of contemplating taking my life as I had no resources what so ever and the call I made will still be on 111 records.......all for the sake of £20? If you call that a service that the NHS can be proud of, then you may as well throw in the towel now, I am seeking legal advice on this matter too.....this cant be right?

I can supply any information needed, and to think I went there to register after being told by a doctor at another surgery that I was fine and had 3 heart attacks later that day? Oh well done NHS.