Pensioner left furious at GP surgery’s refusal to treat fall injuries

ABlairgowrie pensioner has been left furious after she was denied treatment at her GP surgery when she fell 12 feet away from its front door.

Avril Bright, 66, had been visiting Ardblair Medical Centre to post a prescription when she slipped, bursting her lip and nose.

Despite “bleeding profusely” from her injuries, Avril said staff at the practice offered her no assistance and told her to go to Blairgowrie Cottage Hospital.

The pensioner was even more infuriated when she arrived at the hospital to be informed its minor injuries ward was closed and she would need to travel to Perth Royal Infirmary (PRI) for treatment.

Avril said she was disgusted by the lack of compassion following her accident on Thursday.

“I fell and put my tooth through my lip,” she said.

“I was covered in blood. It was dripping everywhere.

“I was 12 feet from their front door and they wouldn’t even sit me down.

“I was bleeding profusely from my nose and my mouth. I was in shock and all they were interested in was getting me to stand back from the yellow marks at their door.

“There’s bound to be nurses at the centre that could have seen me.”

After being turned away by both her GP surgery and local hospital , Avril returned home and treated her injuries herself.

She was worried she would not be allowed to catch a bus to PRI as she was bleeding so heavily.

“I went home and put an icepack on my face and took paracetamol,” she said.

“It feels like a cracked rib when I breathe in and out.”

Health boss es have apologised for not being able to treat Avril at the cottage hospital but Greg Fairbairn, practice manager at the Ardblair surgery, said he was unable to comment on the specifics of the case.

The medical practice has also been at the centre of a flu jab bookings storm in recent weeks.

Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership ( HSCP), which oversees Blairgowrie Cottage Hospital, apologised to Avril for any distress caused by the closure.

An HSCP spokesperson said: “The Minor Injury & Illness Unit at Blairgowrie Community Hospital remains closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated risk of members of the public arriving on site without an appointment or having been triaged.

“A walk- in ser vice is therefore not possible at the moment and patients should call NHS24 on 111 for urgent assessment and appointment.

“Patients can also be given an appointment for wound care at the care and treatment service hub in Blairgowrie Community Hospital by contacting their GP practice.

“HSCP is keen to work with the population of Blairgowrie and Rattray to look at local solutions, and this will involve engaging with the local GP practices to agree how appointments such as these could be booked in a timely way as a same-day treatment,” said the spokesperson.