Derbyshire GP surgery defends delays after patient waits weeks for cancer test
A Chesterfield GP surgery has defended its appointment booking process after a patient spent four weeks trying to see a doctor about potential symptoms for prostate cancer.
Brimington Road North resident Paul Brough, 56, lost both his father and uncle to the disease, so when he began experiencing pain while going to the toilet he wanted it checked out urgently.
He first contacted Newbold Surgery, on Windermere Road, around the start of March but it became a daily exercise in frustration.
Paul, a patient at the surgery for nine years, said: “I called at 8am every morning, waited in a queue of about 15 and by the time I’d get through they were fully booked and saying to try the next day. It was pot luck.
“I kept getting text messages saying the surgery was on black alert and only dealing with urgent matters. Another day there was a message about a fault with the phones and being closed for staff training. I’m not being funny but a doctor’s surgery shouldn’t have these problems.”
Finally securing an appointment just before Easter, Paul put his concerns about the delay to his doctor and says the response was dismissive.
Paul, who also has arthritis and a separate spinal condition, said: “I’m booked in for blood tests next week but I know I’ll have to chase the results, even for something as serious as prostate cancer.
“My wife has diabetes and has had to chase them for weeks for results sometimes. It feels like something is getting worse there.”
When the Derbyshire Times put Paul’s experience to the surgery, a spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on the details of any individual’s case due to patient confidentiality.
“The practice has robust systems in place to triage and prioritise appointments based on the patient’s clinical needs.
“We see an average of 70 routine GP appointments plus 70 urgent appointments each day. In addition, we have been experiencing unprecedented demand with GPs squeezing in a further 20-30 emergency appointments per day.”
They added: “When the surgery is forced to report black alert, we feel it has become unsafe for both our patients and staff to continue adding appointments. On the rare occasion this happens, we request routine concerns are postponed to the following day but continue to triage requests for urgent appointments.
“After triage, patients may be advised to contact 111 or attend A&E if they are experiencing chest pain or serious symptoms which may require further investigation. We would never turn a patient away who had a genuine urgent clinical need.”
They went on to say that once test results return, they are processed immediately and urgent matters reviewed by a GP for appropriate follow-up appointments. Patients are not contacted if results do not require further investigation, but records are accessible online.
The spokesperson said: “If a patient feels dissatisfied with the service our practice has given, we would encourage them to make a formal complaint, allowing us to investigate.
“This allows us to learn from their experience and improve our services. It is disappointing when we are not given the opportunity to work with patients and address their concerns as our practice recently ranked in the top ten in the county for overall patient experience.”