San Ridge Medical Centre

BAD CONSULTATION , BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY

I VISITED SANDRIDGE MEDICAL CENTRE TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME AS A WALK-IN PATIENT BECAUSE I NEEDED HELP WITH AN ECZEMA FLARE-UP. BEFORE MY CONSULTATION, I ASKED THE RECEPTIONIST WHETHER THE DOCTOR WOULD BE ABLE TO ASSIST WITH MY CONDITION. I WAS ASSURED THAT HE WOULD. UNFORTUNATELY, MY EXPERIENCE WAS EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING. THE DOCTOR COULD BARELY SPEAK ENGLISH AND FROM THE START OF THE CONSULTATION, I FELT RUSHED. EVERY TIME I TRIED TO EXPLAIN MY MEDICAL HISTORY, I WAS INTERRUPTED BEFORE I COULD FINISH MY SENTENCES. AS A PATIENT, I EXPECT TO BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLAIN MY HISTORY, BE HEARD, ASK QUESTIONS, AND RECEIVE THOROUGH MEDICAL GUIDANCE. I DID NOT FEEL THAT THIS HAPPENED. DURING MY EXAMINATION, THE DOCTOR COMMENTED ON THE MARKS LEFT ON MY SKIN FROM YEARS OF ECZEMA, SCRATCHING, AND CORTISONE USE BY ASKING, “DID YOU FIGHT WITH A TIGER?” I FOUND THIS COMMENT HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE AND INSENSITIVE, ESPECIALLY GIVEN HOW VULNERABLE IT IS TO HAVE A SKIN CONDITION AND TO BE EXAMINED. AS THE CONSULTATION CONTINUED, I BECAME INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE DOCTOR’S FAMI****ITY WITH MY CONDITION. AFTER ASKING ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE WITH ECZEMA, HE ADVISED THAT HE HAD NOT TREATED MANY ECZEMA PATIENTS. WHEN I ASKED ABOUT HIS BACKGROUND, HE EXPLAINED THAT HE HAD SPENT MANY YEARS WORKING IN AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT AND WAS CURRENTLY HELPING OUT AT THE PRACTICE. WHEN I SHOWED HIM A PREVIOUS PRESCRIPTION FROM ANOTHER DOCTOR, THE MEDICATIONS WERE ESSENTIALLY REWRITTEN. WHAT CONCERNED ME MOST WAS THAT HE APPEARED TO BE UNFAMI**** WITH SOME OF THE MEDICATIONS ON MY EXISTING PRESCRIPTION AND LOOKED THEM UP BEFORE REWRITING THEM. THIS DID NOT GIVE ME CONFIDENCE THAT MY TREATMENT WAS BEING INDIVIDUALISED. I ALSO ASKED ABOUT CONTRACEPTIVE PATCHES. NO MEDICAL HISTORY RELEVANT TO CONTRACEPTION WAS TAKEN, AND I WAS SIMPLY ASKED HOW MANY PATCHES I WANTED. I WAS SURPRISED THAT EVEN BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRESCRIPTION WAS NOT DISCUSSED. I ALSO MENTIONED OTHER RELEVANT HEALTH ISSUES, INCLUDING MY IRON TREATMENT AND A PREVIOUS SUGGESTION THAT I MAY HAVE IBS. NONE OF THESE WERE EXPLORED FURTHER OR DISCUSSED. ULTIMATELY, THE MAIN OUTCOME OF MY CONSULTATION WAS A REFERRAL TO A DERMATOLOGIST. WHEN I ASKED WHETHER THE DERMATOLOGIST WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP ME, THE RESPONSE WAS ALONG THE LINES OF, “I DON’T KNOW; THEY DEAL WITH THIS EVERY DAY, SO MAYBE THEY CAN HELP.” THIS LEFT ME FEELING THAT I HAD RECEIVED VERY LITTLE VALUE FROM THE CONSULTATION ITSELF. AFTER THE APPOINTMENT, I EXPRESSED MY CONCERNS TO THE RECEPTION STAFF. THEY CONTACTED THE PRACTICE OWNER, WHO MET WITH ME. HOWEVER, I FELT THAT MY CONCERNS WERE DISMISSED BEFORE I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO FULLY EXPLAIN THEM. I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD RECEIVED A PRESCRIPTION AND A REFERRAL LETTER, SO THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHY I WAS UNHAPPY. I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE PRACTICE HAS A POLICY OF DEALING WITH ONLY ONE PROBLEM PER CONSULTATION. THAT WAS NOT MY MAIN CONCERN. MY CONCERN WAS THAT I DID NOT FEEL HEARD, I DID NOT FEEL THAT MY MEDICAL HISTORY WAS PROPERLY CONSIDERED, I RECEIVED VERY LITTLE ADVICE OR GUIDANCE, AND I LEFT FEELING THAT MY CONSULTATION HAD BEEN RUSHED. AFTER LEAVING, I RETURNED TO REQUEST THAT ADDITIONAL MEDICATIONS BE ADDED TO MY PRESCRIPTION BASED ON PREVIOUS TREATMENT I HAD RECEIVED ELSEWHERE. I ALSO ASKED TO SEE THE DOCTOR’S CONSULTATION NOTES AND REQUESTED THE FULL NAMES OF THE DOCTORS INVOLVED. I FOUND IT FRUSTRATING THAT I WAS INITIALLY GIVEN ONLY FIRST NAMES AND HAD TO PERSIST BEFORE RECEIVING FURTHER INFORMATION. WHEN I ASKED THE DOCTOR WHAT SPECIFIC ADVICE OR GUIDANCE I WAS LEAVING THE CONSULTATION WITH, HE WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE AN ANSWER OTHER THAN REFERRING TO THE REFERRAL LETTER. I DID NOT VISIT A GP SIMPLY TO RECEIVE A REFERRAL. I WENT SEEKING MEDICAL ADVICE, PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE, A THOROUGH ASSESSMENT, AND CONFIDENCE THAT MY CONCERNS HAD BEEN PROPERLY ADDRESSED. INSTEAD, I LEFT FEELING DISMISSED, FRUSTRATED, AND THAT MY TIME AND MONEY HAD BEEN WASTED. THE WAY MY CONCERNS WERE HANDLED AFTERWARDS ONLY ADDED TO MY DISAPPOINTMENT. BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE, I DO NOT FEEL THAT I RECEIVED THE STANDARD OF CARE OR CUSTOMER SERVICE I EXPECT FROM A PRIVATE MEDICAL PRACTICE. I BELIEVE I PAID FOR A CONSULTATION THAT DID NOT PROVIDE MEANINGFUL MEDICAL ADVICE OR VALUE, NO REMEDY OR REFUND WAS PROVIDED IN CONCLUSION, I LEFT THE CONSULTATION FEELING THAT I HAD GAINED ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. OTHER THAN RECEIVING A REFERRAL LETTER AND A PRESCRIPTION THAT WAS LARGELY BASED ON MY PREVIOUS DOCTOR’S SCRIPT, I DID NOT RECEIVE THE PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE, ADVICE, OR THOROUGH ASSESSMENT THAT I HAD PAID FOR. THE CONSULTATION LEFT ME FEELING AS THOUGH I WAS DEALING WITH A DOCTOR WHO WAS NOT SUFFICIENTLY FAMI**** WITH MY CONDITION. IT WAS HONESTLY SURPRISING TO FEEL AS THOUGH I KNEW MORE ABOUT MY OWN TREATMENT HISTORY AND MEDICATION THAN THE DOCTOR CONDUCTING THE CONSULTATION. IN MY 27 YEARS OF LIFE, THIS WAS, WITHOUT QUESTION, THE WORST MEDICAL CONSULTATION I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. WHAT WAS EVEN MORE DISAPPOINTING WAS THE WAY MY COMPLAINT WAS HANDLED AFTERWARDS. INSTEAD OF MY CONCERNS BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY, I FELT THAT THEY WERE DISMISSED. I EXPERIENCED WHAT I BELIEVED TO BE POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AN UNHELPFUL, DISMISSIVE ATTITUDE FROM THE PRACTICE OWNER. THERE WAS NO GENUINE ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND MY CONCERNS, OFFER A REMEDY, OR REBUILD MY CONFIDENCE IN THE PRACTICE. NO REFUND OR ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. I PAID FOR A PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL CONSULTATION EXPECTING EXPERT ADVICE, GUIDANCE, AND CARE. SADLY, I LEFT FEELING THAT MY TIME, MONEY, AND TRUST HAD BEEN WASTED.