"Zero compassion, even in a potential emergency"

i rang up distressed and in pain - the way I was treat by the duty doctor was completely unacceptable. No concern or compassion for the gravity of the situation, nor did she even offer some of the resources such as phone lines or websites that are available to help people deal with the emotional impact of this kind of situation. I understand that the doctors cannot do much with limited resources. If there are no appointments or a waiting list to be referred to a consultant or for a scan, they cannot move mountains to fit you in. However in that situation, compassion costs nothing and staff should receive empathy training if this is not one of their strengths (the doctor I spoke to came across as incapable of any empathy). I fully agree with other reviews here that on multiple occasions myself and other patients of this surgery felt that you are treat as a nuisance and an inconvenience. As a doctor you have sworn an oath to act in the best interests of your patients, not treat them as ignorant timewasters. To make matters worse, after having to wait several days to receive medical attention, I found that the doctor had provided incorrect information about the location of the appointment, meaning I missed it. It is a huge credit to the hospital involved that they managed to fit me in regardless (whose staff were extremely empathetic and horrified at how this practice had handled the situation). When i discussed the matter with Farnham hospital reception, they said this miscommunication happens often. Unacceptable - this could easily be fixed. They need a better procedure for this kind of potential emergency. Now obviously if you have sufficient reason to believe your life is in danger, you go to A&E. However A&E is also extremely stretched and tight in resources and going to A&E would not have been able to address everything in this particular scenario. It would be much to write a short information leaflet that could be text or emailed to a patient, saying in this situation do X,Y,Z and if you are extremely distressed or anxious, phone this helpline for support. Similarly if an appointment is made over the phone, they should email/text confirmation and ensure the patient has all the necessary information on where and when the appointment will take place. I do hope the practice manager takes these suggestions seriously. I would not want anyone else to receive the same callous treatment I did; the only thing that kept me sane was the support from family and a few friends who had been in a similar medical situation.