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Birchington Medical Centre
2019-08-06
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Written by a patient
Written by a patient 6th August 2019
I was dismissed very quickly by the receptionist when I called in to ask for advice about a minor injury. I was given a leaflet and advised to travel to Whitstable to the Estuary View unit. I mentioned that I did not have use of a car and received no response. After an hour of travelling by train and a substantial walk, a nurse at Estuary View spent no more than five minutes attending to my needs. She commented that BMC are notorious for very quickly referring patients to Estuary View. As I live so close to the surgery on Minnis Road, and fortunately have very little need of this resource, I was disappointed in the response. I understand needs must be prioritised but wonder if a little more flexibility could be offered, rather than simply passing the buck and making things harder for individuals like me who do not have access to easy transport.
21st August 2019
Response from Birchington Medical Centre
Dear Patient I am sorry to read of your dissatisfaction at being signposted to the Minor Injury Unit at Whitstable. We offer many services here at BMC to our local community such as ultrasound, physiotherapy, aortic screening, bladder and bowel clinics, chronic disease management, warfarin clinics, etc. We do not, at present, offer a minor injuries service. The clinical staff here at BMC are trained to provide primary care medical services to our patients. They work to strict clinical and professional guidelines to provide general practice nursing services and cannot provide treatment or services outside of their professional scope of practice, which is why you were directed to the most appropriate NHS service. My reception staff are trained to direct patients to the local minor injury units when a patient presents with a minor injury. Appropriately trained staff, diagnostics and equipment can then be utilised for minor injury needs and ensure the patient receives the best care and outcome for their needs. I am sorry you felt the need to leave a negative review our service, my staff were simply doing their job. Hannah Price Practice Manager