Liz Gardner
04-17-2010, 01:01 PM
Last July I went to my local A&E The Homerton Hospital with a bad attack of Rheumatoid Arthritis. It had gone into the back of my neck. I eventually got to see a locum who, instead of listening to what I had to say, decided instead that the pain in my neck was actually being caused by fracture. The idiot was so incompetent that he actually thought that I had been walking around with a "broken neck" for three days.
When I came back from Xray he walked into the cubicle and shouted at me whilst pointing a jabbing finger at me "you are a liar, there is nothing wrong with you, I knew it all along you are a liar, also there is no record of you having ever been at this hospital" (been using it for 12 years - it transpired medical history was somewhat incorrect as well the Homerton had not bothered to keep it up to date propertly).
I then suggested to him that perhaps he should phone my GP who lives locally. He then shouted at me "I do not need to phone your GP because I know all that I need to know you are a liar". There was a bit more ranting and raving before a female Registrar and male Charge Nurse entered the cubicle and removed him. To cut a long story short I was sent home with a couple of Tramadol and a prescription for more Tramadol. I was refused the steriod shot which I should have had in order to bring down the inflammation which was causing the pain.
The following day I reported the matter. Assuming that because a woman doctor had witnessed the incident my story would be believed. Instead this female doctor, unbelievably, denied that this male had been bullying and shouting at me.
I wrote to the Chief Executive of the Homerton and a month later got a cavalier response from the Medical Director of the Homerton basically denying everything and covering up for this idiot.
In the interim I also made a complaint to the GMC about this supposed doctor (I do not believe him to be genuine) that was also a waste of time.
After many phone calls and emails I finally managed to get a LRM on the 24th March 2010 (8 months after my initial complaint). Unbelievably they still tried to protect this locum (who they did not know from Adam) although during the course of the meeting the A&E consultant present actually dropped out of his mouth that "voices were raised" ie., the doctor was doing his fair share of shouting which he denied. I admitted to shouting but I was only shouting in defence of myself.
My incident is very trivial compared to most but it illustrates the utter contempt in which many medical professionals hold us patients. The doctor they are trying so desperately to protect was after all a "locum" - a foreign locum at that. I do not believe that this man is medically qualified but unfortunately my fears have fallen on deaf ears and to date he is still on the register and free to practice.
When I came back from Xray he walked into the cubicle and shouted at me whilst pointing a jabbing finger at me "you are a liar, there is nothing wrong with you, I knew it all along you are a liar, also there is no record of you having ever been at this hospital" (been using it for 12 years - it transpired medical history was somewhat incorrect as well the Homerton had not bothered to keep it up to date propertly).
I then suggested to him that perhaps he should phone my GP who lives locally. He then shouted at me "I do not need to phone your GP because I know all that I need to know you are a liar". There was a bit more ranting and raving before a female Registrar and male Charge Nurse entered the cubicle and removed him. To cut a long story short I was sent home with a couple of Tramadol and a prescription for more Tramadol. I was refused the steriod shot which I should have had in order to bring down the inflammation which was causing the pain.
The following day I reported the matter. Assuming that because a woman doctor had witnessed the incident my story would be believed. Instead this female doctor, unbelievably, denied that this male had been bullying and shouting at me.
I wrote to the Chief Executive of the Homerton and a month later got a cavalier response from the Medical Director of the Homerton basically denying everything and covering up for this idiot.
In the interim I also made a complaint to the GMC about this supposed doctor (I do not believe him to be genuine) that was also a waste of time.
After many phone calls and emails I finally managed to get a LRM on the 24th March 2010 (8 months after my initial complaint). Unbelievably they still tried to protect this locum (who they did not know from Adam) although during the course of the meeting the A&E consultant present actually dropped out of his mouth that "voices were raised" ie., the doctor was doing his fair share of shouting which he denied. I admitted to shouting but I was only shouting in defence of myself.
My incident is very trivial compared to most but it illustrates the utter contempt in which many medical professionals hold us patients. The doctor they are trying so desperately to protect was after all a "locum" - a foreign locum at that. I do not believe that this man is medically qualified but unfortunately my fears have fallen on deaf ears and to date he is still on the register and free to practice.