Fellview Healthcare
LM
Liam M. 4 years ago • From Google
Bad
I attended the surgery today and encountered what I felt was an extremely poor level of service. While I recognise that staff work under considerable strain and pressure, I was taken aback by what I experienced this morning. I have a very young child who requires regular medication to manage a serious medical condition. This morning, the medication bottle was accidentally dropped and broken before a dose could be given. I contacted the surgery to explain the urgent situation, emphasising that without prompt medication administration there could be serious health consequences. I requested that a clinical professional review the matter urgently and consider issuing an emergency prescription. By this point, the medication was already several hours overdue. The response I received from the receptionist was that prescriptions take two days to process and this could not be expedited. I reiterated the severity and urgency of the situation, asking whether it might be possible to speak directly with a clinical professional given the potential risks involved with a young child. The receptionist responded that the practice has a large patient list and the doctors were too busy, suggesting I call back later to see if anyone had reviewed my request, but that they would not be pushing anything through. I then asked what I was supposed to do given the serious nature of the situation and the risk of a medical emergency occurring without the medication. The receptionist's suggestion was that if an emergency occurred, I should call 999. I felt this interaction was deeply unsatisfactory. Receptionists should recognise the limits of their role and defer to qualified medical professionals when patients are expressing genuine clinical urgency. A simple conversation between the receptionist and a doctor could have resolved this appropriately and quickly in exceptional circumstances.
Liam M.