"Staff at Knowsley Drop In Centre, Huyton - helpful and kind"

I have a condition called Spinal Stenosis which flares up and means I have a lot of pain when walking. I use a walking stick, but in the last week have been really struggling getting around. I needed to go to an appointment on Friday morning. When I had walked to my appointment I realised I couldn't carry on just relying on a walking stick, and wondered whether I could get any further help. As I was passing the walk in centre on my way home, I thought I would go in and see if they had any information about how to obtain some crutches, and whether I would be eligible.

I asked Debbie at the desk and she said it is "usually your doctor" who provides appliances and offered to ring them for me. This she did, and they were not helpful and told her to send me to the local hospital.

Having realised that I was in a lot of pain, she then offered to ask her colleagues. She came back and said they would sort something out for me and took me to see two nurses. As I was walking to meet them I lent on my walking stick, and the whole handle fell off! Think I had been putting it under a lot of pressure! Oh dear.

The two nurses made sure that the crutches were suitable and said I could borrow them for 4 weeks, in which time I was to go to see my doctor who had the "responsibilty" to sort out a applicances note for me.

In the time I was there, they obviously cared enough about my situation to help, I was almost in tears with the pain, and they made sure I was ok to get back into my car and go home.

As I would have had no walking stick it was a great relief to have been listened to and cared for in this way. Am a new resident in Huyton, having been here for only 4 weeks, and I don't think much of my new doctors surgery BUT will give them another chance. My parents have been with them many years and have told me to make sure I don't see a Locum. Sorry Locum Doctors but you dont have a very good reputation in my family.