Broken bone wait ‘a waste of time’

Carol Graham (58) of Forest View who is deputy head of Redburn School broke her wrist while on holiday in the Lake District and was unable to secure a follow-up appointment at Monklands over the phone, while receiving treatment in Cumbria.

When Mrs Graham made a second attempt to get an appointment by phone she was told that she would have to travel to Coatbridge and wait in the Accident and Emergency department, so she could make an appointment and have a form signed off.

This was despite the fact she had already received A&E treatment in England

Irate Mrs Graham said: “The whole experience was not only a waste of time for me, but also for the doctor who had to take time out of seeing other patients to fill out my form. The waiting room was already crowded so it would’ve been much easier for staff and other patients if they had let me book an appointment by phone.’’

She has also reported the incident to MP Gregg McClymont who has written to NHS Lanarkshire about the issue.

The Labour man said: “This is particularly shocking given that the Scottish Government have already failed to meet their own targets for waiting times. “With 15% of patients now waiting over 4 hours to see a doctor at Lanarkshire’s A&E departments, surely we should be looking at getting rid of pointless rules like this?

A spokesperson for NHS Lanarkshire said: “We are aware of this issue, which has been dealt with through our formal complaints process, and we have offered to meet with Mrs Graham to discuss her concerns.’’