I have been a patient of The women’s Wellbeing GP for eleven years or so. My expert, knowledgeable and understanding GP, Dr Melissa Fowler, has seen me through some tough years, and helped me defy the odds, of a plethora of chronic congenital health issues, and a serious excruciating injury to my already compromised spine; causing my inability to continue working (a wrench after a nearly 40 yr unbroken work history). I have stayed as her patient even though I can little afford the fees. Today I visited the nurse, as part of a govt care plan initiative, for people with chronic health issues to access affordable allied health services. This was further to Dr. Melissa Fowler addressing the debilitating health issues I experience, secondary to the pain, and reduced function from my spinal injury and club feet;, painful mal alignment causing joint issues and arthritis, reduced function and mobility, weight gain, anxiety, blood pressure issues, reduced selfcare...

The nurse had contacted me, by phone, the day before this appointment; stating I was to have arranged an appointment with a Dietitian, and a exercise specialist (never had heard of the latter), , prior to the scheduled visit with her, the nurse, the next day, as part of compiling my care plan.

I arrived for my appointment at the stated time with the nurse (and was kept waiting). The nurse was so officious, with protracted periods of tap, tapetty tap on the computer, punctuated frequently by barked questions at me. There was no therapeutic rapport, no acknowledgement of me as an individual, no conversation, no discussion no explanation. I felt like a vegetable on a conveyor belt, being summarily dealt with. Being stuck in a claustrophobic room with the oblivious nurse, tapping away, was the most frustrating annoying experience. When I did draw conclusions (albeit incorrectly) from her machine gun interrogation, I had to be really assertive to get any elucidation into how I was being processed. The nurse’s lack of warmth, or positive regard, her supercilious manner, and prolonged periods of rapid typing (tapety tap tap taparoo), in silence, was really off putting. I found her unhelpful, and there was no evidence of any real expertise in nursing exhibited eg. faced the electronic BP machine away from me, took a reading, told me she was going to take it again, then left the room. I looked at it and I had a diastolic of 89. She returned and cheerfully (as if reassuring ?me), stated “That’s more like it. That’s good”. When I commented that I was in increased pain today, and felt anxious and distressed with it (toward identifying a reason my diastolic blood pressure and pulse being elevated), she ignored me, and stated that my BP was really good. I asked her how this could be so when I had a diastolic of 89 even though I was on 40 mg of Olmetec daily. It was like I hadn’t spoken; which was the tone of the whole proceedings with nurse. The nurse increasingly added to my confusion about the whole process by giving me advice contrary to that previously advised by the surgery reception, and what was reflected in text advice to my phone.

Her lack of explanation about the Care Plan prerequisites, and the confusion she caused me regarding further referrals was embarrassing and really annoying. I was tearful by the time it was over. It frightened me to think that, if that’s the way you get treated at a surgery you have been a private patient of for more than a decade, and pay a premium price for the care, then how can I expect to be treated in the future, by say a public health system; when I am even older and even more vulnerable. Even when you pay top dollar, at a private GP practice, you can still get treated gruffly, and in a dismissive manner, by some nurse. I would have felt in better hands with the kindly and friendly receptionists, Kathleen and Roz.