"Paid for private treatment and was sent to NHS..."

I recently attended Nuffield Exeter for Laproscopic Choleosectomy. The surgery cost about £4500 and was to include any follow up treatment for complications etc. (The Nuffield "promise" that any complications from surgery would be taken are of by them.)

The surgery was carried out and I was discharged home the next day, albeit with a staggeringly low blood pressure. Over the next 48 hours, although I had been taking pain relief regularly, I suffered with intense abdominal pain. I called the Nuffield back, as per my instructions, hoping that they would check me over as I was becoming increasingly concerned, but instead they told me to call the out of hours GP. Naturally this seemed odd to me, since the GP would not be familiar with the procedure or its complications as I would have expected from the hospital. The GP came out hours later (I live in rural cornwall and the OOO GP covers a very large geographical area) and on taking observations recommended I was readmitted to hospital. The doctor called the Nuffield to ask for my readmission, however, they told the doctor I should go to an NHS hospital if there were problems. I was then taken to Royal Devon Hospital in Barnstaple for four days for blood tests and scans that found that there was inflammation and fluid build up on my liver. They also changed my painkillers (tramadol) which was causing vomiting and constant heaving aggravating the pain in my abdomen, rather than helping it. I was repeatedly asked why I had not gone back to Nuffield, and I was left to explain to very confused doctors that Nuffield would not take me back in. This also meant that I was treated by doctors who did not know my medical history, or how the procedure had gone. Having paid for a service I did not receive it, and complaining after the fact resulted in a letter from a matron apologising, which they consider an end to the matter. However, after four very uncomfortable and distressing nights in an NHS hospital when I had paid for private treatment, I do not consider the matter finished with. It was embarrassing to be sent to an NHS hospital after opting for private paid treatment, when Nuffield should have taken care of my health as per our contract.