"A disappointed diabetic"

I have attended the NHS Grampian diabetes insulin pump outpatient clinics at the David Anderson Building for over twenty years. I have overall felt very happy and well supported by all staff in my interactions with them. Until  my most recent visit.

I attended recently for my routine review, and went through the usual process whereby my weight, blood pressure and blood results were obtained. I then was called to my face-to-face review with the medical staff member.

This was a specialty doctor new to me, as I have always been seen by one of the departmental consultants. The appointment didn't start well, as the doctor asked me how I was getting on with my insulin pump after six months of use. I explained that I was into my twenty somethingth year of pump therapy, which somewhat threw them.

The doctor brought up a letter on the screen, which I pointed out related to someone else. They then spent some time tracking down my record and results, but clearly knew nothing about me.

I have always been comfortable with the clinicians caring for me, as they have taken a personal approach, and known my situation.

When I offered one of the matters I expected to be discussed at this appointment, the doctor dismissed my expectations. I mentioned that I had recently met with a psychologist working with the diabetes team, and their response was that if I have psychological problems then I have to work them out. They clearly had no inkling of the reasons for me meeting with this therapist, and I was pretty amazed at their response.

In this doctor's defence, they did phone me later in the day, and said that they had spoken to someone senior to them, who knew me better, which honestly wouldn't have been difficult! As a result, there was an outcome to my appointment, which I had left remarkably upset and dismayed at the deterioration in quality of care provided by the department.

I hope very much that it was a minor blip. My only concern is that another individual less experienced and pushy than me might have received more suboptimal care.