A Birchington couple have slammed a GP surgery after their young daughter had to be taken to hospital when they were unable to get a doctor’s appointment for her.
Bobby Wilson and Chardonnay Nicholson contacted Birchington Medical Centre on April 12th when 11 month old Aaliyah became ill with a high temperature.
But the couple say they were refused an appointment and in desperation they called 111 and were told to call back the GP and explain there was a duty of care due to the little one being under a year old and being born almost 12 weeks premature.
Bobby said: “We called the doctors back again and (reception) was very rude and told us we will not be seen and they do not have a duty of care.
“My daughter then began to struggle to breath and had a temperature of 39 leading to an ambulance blue lighting her to hospital.
“They told us if she hadn’t got to hospital in time she would probably have started fitting.”
Bobby, 19, and Chardonnay, 21, say both Aaliyah and her twin Bella have been poorly with chest infections and bronchiolitis.
Aaliyah was prescribed antibiotics and is now recovering but her parents say they should not have been left without care.
Bobby said: “They were quite rude and laughed at me when I asked whether I could even just have a phone call for advice. It was a real lack of care even though 111 told us the GP had to see our baby.”
Birchington Medical Centre has been run by Invicta Health CIC since April 2020. The CIC was formed in 2008 and operates a number of General Practices within the Romney Marsh, Dover, Birchington, Broadstairs and Ramsgate areas.
The company also manages other services including the Primary Care Mental Health Specialist service across east Kent and Swale.
A spokesperson for Invicta Health said: “We will contact the patient directly to discuss the concerns they have raised.”
NHS UK says: “Most GP surgeries are very supportive towards parents of small children. Some will fit babies into surgeries without an appointment or see them at the beginning of surgery hours. Many GPs will also give advice over the phone.”
