PATIENTS at a GP surgery in Dodworth which was slammed by health inspectors have shared their experiences among them a man who almost lost his driving job because staff did not send his test results to the DVLA, and a woman who was forced to pay privately for travel vaccinations.
Dodworth Medical Practice was visited by inspectors from the Care Quality Commission after the watchdog received ‘feedback.’
It was rated as inadequate overall, placed in special measures and is being kept under review.
The practice has been the subject of complaints from patients who have said in the past that they have sometimes queued for 45 minutes but couldn’t get an appointment for weeks.
Lee Dunning, 47, of Intake Crescent, Dodworth, said he almost lost his job as a HGV driver. He suffers from type two diabetes and has to have a medical report filled in by his doctor every two years to say he is fit to drive.
After having all the tests and relevant eye checks, he was still being chased three months later by the DVLA which threatened to revoke his licence.
He said: “After numerous visits and phone calls to the surgery and to the DVLA to plead that I had passed the tests and it was the surgery delaying the process, it finally ended two weeks ago almost six months later for a process that should take four weeks. It’s disgusting.”
Another patient, Emma Mitchell, paid £180 for a private appointment for travel vaccinations before a family adventure trip to Costa Rica despite filling in the relevant forms at Dodworth.
Emma, 42, of Bowden Grove, Dodworth, said: “We submitted travel vaccine forms three months prior to our trip. As it got nearer I tried ringing to chase it up. After several attempts I managed to speak to a receptionist.
“When the nurse rang back she confirmed what we needed and said she would ring the following week with an appointment.
“Basically we never heard anything so we tried ringing again and again. In the end I had to leave work early to go in.
“They said there was no one to administer the vaccines and told us about the Kendray Holiday Vaccine Clinic. We therefore had no alternative than to book an emergency private appointment at a cost of £180 which would have been free if our clinic had done it.”
Emma has submitted a formal complaint and is transferring to another practice.
Other people got in touch with the Chronicle to say their records had been lost or not kept up to date, they had to wait up to three weeks for an appointment but could only talk about one problem, had long waits to sign army medical forms and vital medication was missed off prescriptions. Some even said they felt doctors were rude and dismissive.
One patient, who wished only to be identified as Natalie, said she visited the practice a few years ago after struggling to conceive. But to her horror, her records had been mixed up with those of other patients.
She said: “The doctor, very confused and in a somewhat irritated manner, asked me why I believed I had a problem given that I’d apparently had no trouble falling pregnant before. My husband was mortified. I responded by telling him and the doctor that I had never been pregnant in my life.
“I was disgusted when he pointed to the screen showing records that stated that I’d suffered a miscarriage two years previously.
“They never once apologised for this and never followed up with an investigation into how his could have happened.”
But Ann Wilcock and her husband, who are both patients at the surgery, said she had seen considerable improvements over recent months, particularly in getting appointments. Her biggest bugbear was being left on hold for up to 30 minutes.
