Didcot Health Centre 2019-06-06 Person 3 5 0

I have always had excellent service from all the receptionists and hitherto from all duty doctors, as well as particular GPs. I have a complicated medical history, which has included Hodgkin's Disease (done with) and phobia ( re doctors and medical tests), and my husband has Parkinson's Disease. I have recently come off medication for anxiety, taken in one form or another for 36 years, and prefer this even though I am a bit low and bad-tempered. But I have had an experience with a duty doctor today which has shaken me considerably. I have been trying to treat myself for a probable vaginal infection for the last 3 weeks (having used a self-test kit for diagnosis), and am aware that I can produce psychosomatic symptoms when under stress. In great discomfort today and conscious of rapidly rising anxiety levels, I (easily) obtained a phone appointment with the duty doctor. She sounded very nice, and, having worked out what to explain in advance to aid brevity, I explained a) the symptoms b) my own treatment c) why I thought stress might be exacerbating the symptoms. (It seemed to me that I needed a physical exam.. just to see what was going on.) She explained I would have to make an appointment a swab by a nurse ( fine) and then her prescription ( also fine). But when I asked if that were possible this afternoon, she replied with some impatience that a) we had been talking about this for 5 minutes (said twice) and b) that she was not a receptionist. Before I got too upset, I put the phone down. I have every sympathy with an overstretched duty doctor dealing with an unknown patient with a minor (though painful) complaint, who probably overwhelmed her with information. But I have never been spoken to like that by a doctor before and was really upset.....in fact, still shaking. An extremely kind receptionist explained that the first available appointment for seeing a nurse to get a swab was June 19th. In my experience, female doctors usually listen very carefully to, and grasp quickly, what the patient is trying to say or obtain. This one simply produced the "usual" procedure without investigating further whether more might have been appropriate. (I am not naming the doctor.) By great good fortune, I have an appointment with my own GP next Tuesday. But this means 4-5 more days of discomfort while trying to be cheerful for my husband. I know this practice is doing its best when overstretched, and am always grateful for good care. This incident, however, has been most distressing.