Care Opinion

I felt angry and degraded

Posted By Sally681

"I felt angry and degraded"

About: North Devon District Hospital

(as a service user),

I felt that the consultant was abrupt to the point of rudeness in their lack of empathy toward me.

I felt shocked  and upset that the consultant just ordered me about without fully listening and explaining what they were going to do to me and why. They were extremely rough when examining my tummy, causing much pain.

I have had a sore tummy for a whole week since. I am a professional lady in my 80s. My husband  died recently and was never treated like this by any other consultant. Thankfully the nurse was kind but what could they do!

I felt angry and degraded and just wandered about in disbelief before I had the energy to call my driver. I have always felt so grateful for other treatment at this wonderful hospital. It seemed the consultant thought they were very important and didn’t need to be polite.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to tell you this.

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Responses

Response from Teresa Sturm, Matron, Patient Experience Team, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust last week
Teresa Sturm
Matron, Patient Experience Team,
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

My role as matron in the patient experience team covers both northern and eastern service at Royal Devon.

Submitted on 13/09/2024 at 14:02
Published on Care Opinion at 14:02

picture of Teresa Sturm

Dear Sally681,

Thank you for taking the time to leave us feedback on your recent visit. I am really sorry to read that you felt the consultant was abrupt and lacked empathy and how this made you feel. Thank you for bringing this to my attention and I would welcome the opportunity to look into this for you. Care opinion is anonymous therefore please could you email my team including some additional information, namely the clinic you attended and the date.

Please email rduh.patientexperience@nhs.net

I look forward to hearing from you,

Kind Regards

Teresa

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Update posted by Sally681 (a service user)

Thank you for your response Teresa.

The reason I was upset when I left the consulting room was because I felt I was talking to a machine not a human being. There was no feeling of the consultant understanding the sensitivity of my situation. This was illustrated by the tone of voice. I was demanded to go to the couch. On walking towards it they suddenly asked me for for details of my medication. I paused to give it but they commanded me to ‘keep walking’. They were very rough in examining me causing pain. I would have liked to know why they were so rough. Consultant briefly talked about the two options open to me then dismissed me, it was if they had no time or respect for me because I am an 85 year old lady. It just so happens that I do know a little about the human body as I used to teach A level Biology. It could be that as my husband had died recently in this same hospital I was at a low ebb. I had been struggling as an unpaid carer for over ten years and am exhausted. My own health had been put on hold for even longer. It seems that there are few people that one can talk to now in the NHS as everyone is too busy. Yet previously I must say that most members of staff I have met have been extremely kind. That is why I was so shocked this time.

Response from Teresa Sturm, Matron, Patient Experience Team, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust last week
Teresa Sturm
Matron, Patient Experience Team,
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

My role as matron in the patient experience team covers both northern and eastern service at Royal Devon.

Submitted on 16/09/2024 at 10:45
Published on Care Opinion at 10:45

picture of Teresa Sturm

Dear Sally681,

Thank you for providing this additional feedback, it sounds as though you have had a really difficult time and please accept my sincere condolences on the loss of your husband.

From reading your comments I would welcome the opportunity to look into this encounter a little more for you and provide some feedback to the clinic staff but we cannot identify which specialty clinic it was from the information on Care Opinion.

If you would like me to look into this for you please email my team at rduh.patientexperience@nhs.net providing your name, clinic attended and date and we can take it from there. I would advise that if you have any ongoing health concerns your GP is the first person I would suggest contacting. There is also useful information on the Age UK website and a free helpline 0800 678 1602 for general advice and support.

Take care of yourself,

Kind regards

Teresa

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