"Lack of common courtesy"

My son has severe flat feet and struggles with constant pain. From the age of nine years I have been taking him for physiotherapy at Birmingham Children's hospital regularly for five years. Every time it was a different physiotherapist and the lack of continuity meant that they could never assess whether the therapy was working! Eventually the physiotherapy department said that he needed a specialist in foot surgery Mr Prem and would need surgical correction- they offered to refer him to this doctor. shortly after there were two letters in the post. One to give me an appointment with Mr Prem in 4 months and another to see another consultant. I called to find out why there were two appointments and was told that was because an old GP referral six years ago! They cancelled Mr Prem's appointment insisting we had to see this second consultant first and if he felt it was too much then we would see Mr Prem.

The consultant examined my son, told me that the surgery had 50% success rate and that they would not operate to please the mother! ! By then my 14 year old son was determined to have anything to relieve the pain- it was entirely his choice. This consultant was not only rude and derogatory to both of us but also kept calling us in to review for another year without ever doing anything about it. They finally said they was going to have a joint consultation with Mr Prem but when we turned up for it Mr Prem was not there. Instead we were told the appointment was cancelled after a wait of 4 hours by the registrar.

I raised the issue with the PALS and was finally given an appointment with Mr Prem. He was kindness itself and told us the surgery had 90% success rate. We were desperate and went ahead with the surgery that happened after 6 months. The care in ward 5 was fantastic. Thanks to Mr Prem( God bless him! ) and his team my son walks today without any pain, his head held high.

In all 6 years of delay, pain and anguish. But the worst experience was a doctor who tells the mother that they " could not operate to please the mother". They not know the basic principle of Paediatrics is parents know best. I have carried my son in his agony when walking became impossible. I have watched his self esteem shrink when he cannot run or even walk to school like his friends. No mother forces her child to go through the pain of 8 hour surgery - to say such a thing is unacceptable!