A woman who had to sit down on the ground outside the Vale Hospital because she felt so unwell was refused help and forced to get a taxi to Paisley’s Royal Alexandra – where she was later diagnosed with septicaemia.
Val McLean was fading outside the North Main Street hospital after a mix-up meant she turned up there instead of the Renfrewshire A&E – but she says staff insisted she reroute and would not let her inside.
Campaigners have hit out and say this is one of a number of examples of people presenting at the Vale Hospital in pain only to be knocked back because they haven’t been given the go-ahead by NHS 24 first.
They fear the policy “could lead to a tragedy”.
The health board insists that people must call the ‘111’ triage service before attending at the GP out-of-hours care at the Vale.
Recovering Val did this but admits there was a mix-up with the instructions.
Recounting the “horrible” ordeal, on a Saturday afternoon, she said: “I called 111 (NHS 24) and I spoke to them. They were really good on the phone but they told me to go to what I thought was Alexandria, I thought ‘that’s not so bad then’.
“We got a taxi up and by that time I was fading. We saw a girl pushing the buzzer to talk to staff, so my husband pressed it. I was sitting on the ground, fainting.
“My husband was saying ‘Let her in’ but they wouldn’t see us.”
It transpired that ailing Val, of Middleton Street, had misunderstood the instruction from NHS 24, after calling ahead on June 12, and had turned up at the wrong hospital.
She added: “They came back and just said we hadn’t been sent there, I would need to go to Paisley.
“I thought I would need an ambulance to go to Paisley, I was ill, I was on the ground outside. I couldn’t stand up.
“It was a nightmare.”
Husband Dougie said: “It was terrible. It was right out of order. I know we got it mixed up and should have gone to the Royal Alexandra but she was obviously in distress and they came out at the Vale and said ‘we can’t let you in’. I thought ‘You’re having a laugh!’.”
The couple say they were left to make their own way to the Royal Alexandra. Dougie said: “I managed to stop a taxi that was passing and we had to go to Paisley.”
His wife was seen there by a doctor who diagnosed septicaemia relating to a boil which had developed on Val’s back.
Distraught Dougie said: “When you’re in that situation, they should be able to help in some way. She was bad, I was in a panic.
“A doctor saw her in Paisley and said ‘we need that out right away’.”
Val spent three days in hospital in Paisley being treated with antibiotics to fight the condition before she was discharged with further medication.
She is now making a good recovery and said: “My thought when I was at the Vale was just ‘somebody will help me’.”
But one pressure group say the “ridiculous” wait times reported on the lines have led “panicking” patients to turn up at the North Main Street site for unscheduled care, only to be turned away.
Jim Moohan, chair of the Vale Hospitalwatch group, said: “People have turned up at the hospital because they have phoned NHS24 and it’s taking 58 minutes, 90 minutes and some people just give up and say: ‘I’m going up’. They are then challenged when they get to the Vale and asked if they have contacted 111.”
Jim told the Lennox: “When you go up to the Vale to go to MIU or MAU or the GPs you have to press a button to get in, the voice comes on and they ask right away if you have phoned NHS 111 and been sent in.
“There’s too many people who are being rejected and turned away because they haven’t phoned NHS24.
“We were given assurances at one point that people would not be refused medical attention, if they turned up without calling 111 then they may have to wait longer and queue but they wouldn’t be turned away.
“It’s an absolute scandal.”
He added: “Sometimes things happen, sometimes people panic.
“The stumbling block of NHS24 is stopping people from getting seen at the Vale.
“Things are going pear-shaped and it could lead to a tragedy. The NHS24 link is broken.”
MSP Jackie Baillie called for “better access to the out-of-hours service” saying: “I have examples of constituents trying to get an out-of-hours appointment but being unable to get a response from NHS24, and then being turned away from the Vale in pain because they don’t have an appointment.
“Clearly capacity needs to increase in NHS24 but we need to also return to a better system of face- to-face appointments at
out-of-hours.”
A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “We are aware that a patient was asked to attend the Royal Alexandra Hospital on June 12.
“Our lead nurse has investigated this and has since spoken to the patient to apologise that her care on that day fell below our normal high standard.
“We would like to apologise once again and assure her action has been taken to make sure this does not happen again.
“We continue to work positively with the Hospitalwatch group on a regular basis to address any concerns they may have and ensure good communication about services.
“It is important that for a life-threatening emergency you should always call 999 or go directly to A&E.
“If you are unsure of the treatment you require you can phone NHS 24 on 111 for advice.
“This will help you to get the right care in the right place and often closer to home. You also may be offered a phone or video consultation.
“Alternatively you can also contact your GP practice during opening hours.”
“If you think you need to visit our minor injuries unit (MIU) you can either come to MIU in person, or contact NHS 24 who will help schedule either a virtual or face-to-face consultation.”
An NHS24 spokesperson added: “NHS 24’s 111 service helps people get the right care in the right place. Depending on their needs this can be advice about self-care at home, or onward referral to local services.
"We work closely with health board colleagues to ensure a safe and effective patient experience. During periods of high demand there are sometimes delays to calls being answered as we try to care for as many people as possible.”
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