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"Turned away for an xray my gp refered me for on..."

About: Weymouth Community Hospital

I was refered for an xray on my lumbar spine by my gp when i attended my local surgery after suffering servere back pain following an epileptic seizure but when i attended the xray department at weymouth hospital i checked in and handed my form from my gp over to the receptionist and was told to take a seat and wait to be called after around 20 minutes i was called over to be told that i wouldnt be having an xray as they didnt want to expose a young person to that much radiation.. im 25 years old and was refered by my gp for an xray on my spine. surely if im refered for an xray then i should have had one i am suffering servere pain in my back when i sit in a chair when i lay down in bed and try to sleep im kept awake for longs peroids due to how much pain im in i also suffer from the pain when i am walking i get pain in my neck and my shoulders when im sat down so i dont understand why i was turned away by the xray department surely i must need one if my doctor sends me for one.

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Responses

Response from Weymouth Community Hospital 5 years ago
Weymouth Community Hospital
Submitted on 24/07/2018 at 08:48
Published on nhs.uk at 10:05


Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback, following your visit to Weymouth Community Hospital. We are sorry to learn about your experience with the Radiography Department.

As this service is not run by Dorset HealthCare, we have contacted Dorset County Hospital, who manage the Radiography Department at this site on our behalf, for a response.

"As a service, we are sorry to read your comments about a recent visit to our Radiography Department at Weymouth Community Hospital.

Over the past year, new pan-Dorset guidelines have been written to ensure that lumber spine x-rays are only carried out if they are likely to be of benefit to patients. It has been proven that lumbar spine x-rays are not helpful for patients with low back pain and involve a significant dose of radiation during the process. These guidelines have been distributed to all GPs within the county and this approach has been agreed with all three acute hospitals in Dorset: Bournemouth, Dorset County and Poole.

We apologise for the time you waited on the day you attended and that an explanation wasn’t provided to you at the time you checked in. If you wish to discuss your individual referral further, please do get in touch with the Radiography Department at Dorset County Hospital on 01305 254131. Alternatively, we suggest you contact your GP to discuss other options."

With best wishes

Morgan Smith

Patient Experience Facilitator

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