Anger as Haverhill woman turned away from doctors surgery
Mandy South, 59, said she decided to take her friend Maggie, who was suffering bad chest pains and has a history of heart attacks, to Clements Surgery at around 9am on June 13 after she claimed they were told an ambulance could take four hours to arrive.
But Ms South said receptionists at the surgery turned her away when she asked for a doctor to check on Maggie, and told her they would have to wait in the car in 29 degree heat for an ambulance to come.
Ms South said: “I was disgusted – a 79-year-old woman with chest pains and she isn’t allowed to be seen?
“If she had to wait four hours for an ambulance I thought at least I should see a doctor and a doctor could hurry them along or check her out themselves.
“I just wanted to go somewhere where we would feel supported, but that was not the case,” she added.
The pair returned to Maggie’s Gloucester Road home, a two minute drive from the surgery, and waited for an ambulance, which they said arrived at around 11am.
Ms South said she thinks the surgery told her they could not come in because they did not want to take on the responsibility and duty of care for Maggie.
She said she did not feel comfortable driving Maggie to A&E herself as, if her condition deteriorated during the 30 minute drive, it would have been harder to help her.
Maggie said: “I just don’t understand how they could sit there knowing there was someone outside who, for all intents and purposes, was having a heart attack. That’s what hurt me and made me more angry.”
Maggie was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital where she was checked over and it was established she was not having a heart attack.
She praised the ambulance staff and nurses at the hosptial, but said her treatment at the surgery left her feeling ‘panicked’.
“We just hope it doesn’t happen to someone else,” said Ms South.
A spokesperson for the surgery said: “On the day in question we had two patients who attended the surgery with urgent medical concerns.
“The staff gave as much support as possible but as the surgery is not equipped for these types of emergencies advice was given to attend A&E or to wait for an ambulance.
“We would advise any patient with suspected life threatening concerns to always contact 999 for initial advice rather than attending your GP surgery.”
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We received a call from a property in Haverhill at 8.49am on Tuesday 13th June. The call handler assigned the call to a clinician review and call back within 40 minutes. During this time, we received a call to cancel the ambulance.
“At 9.49am we received a further call to the same address and an ambulance was dispatched and arrived an hour later. The patient was transported to Addenbrooke’s Hospital.”
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