Very poor
I’m 76yrs of age and attended this centre after visiting a pharmacist for advice about insect bites that had caused several large blisters on my leg resulting in inflammation and swelling. The pharmacist prescribed me some antibiotics, but, said If possible, I needed to let a doctor look at it asap as it looked to him to be quite serious and infected. As my surgery closes early on a Wednesday and no one answered the phone I decided to travel to Solihull Hospital Urgent Care Dept so that a doctor might be able to check the bites for me. There were possibly 4 people waiting when I arrived. I completed a form at reception which the receptionist took through to a doctor to see if anyone could look at my bites. A doctor called me through, but, before I could say anything she started telling me off for not having an appointment. I apologised as I had absolutely no idea that I needed to have a prior appointment arranged? She looked down at my leg and said “it’s not infected, the redness and the blisters are just caused by an allergic reaction to the bites. I was quite surprised that she said it wasn’t Infected especially as I’d seen puss in the blisters before they got so large. I do have a bad reaction to bites, so this is not the first time. I was treated for similar bites only 3 weeks previously and in the past have had to have bites lanced by a GP. The doctor told me to get some antihistamine, the name of which she wrote on a scrap of paper and handed to me. I thanked her for seeing me and left. I went to Boots in Solihull to get the medication and when the Pharmacists saw my leg they were shocked. They couldn’t believe that my leg wasn’t infected and that I’d been sent away without any treatment. They told me to call 111 and go to A&E. I was tired and don’t drive at present having had cataracts removed and not yet collected my new glasses, so I went straight home. I have worked all my life till I was 68 (8 years with the NHS Continence Service). I’ve cared for my very sick husband for 3 years. He was very poorly with Scleroderma, Kidney disease and Type II diabetes. and needed to be seen constantly at Heartlands. I try my level best to not go to the doctors unless it’s absolutely necessary. I will now probably need to make an appointment at my surgery for a proper checkup. I was quite prepared to wait 3/4 hours this afternoon and certainly would not have gone to the Hospital had I realised it was appointment only but that doctor had no regard for me whatsoever, hopefully she was right, and it is not infected but having suffered for 4 days with it I just didn’t want it to get any worse. The receptionist who was very helpful took my form through to show a doctor who called me through.