One Life Centre

[tankerville]

Here we go again.

My neighbour's took her daughter to the O.L.C. she had a temperature of 103 on arrival one of the three on reception informed her there would be a considerable wait to see the doctor. six hours!

Her daughter asked for a cold drink her mother was told the drink's machine is out of order, but I'll give you a glass so you can get some water from the toilet block, but It's not cold it's warm, she declined the offer.

When they finally saw the doctor this is what the doctor told her ' the mother '

I think she may have glandular fever there's nothing I can do, take her home and put her to bed, after all this is 2012.? she looked at the doctor in disbelief.

She returned home with one very ill young girl who is in bed trying to recover for her exams.

Some other information she informed me of was.

There must have been at least 60 wanting treatment who decided to go straight to North Tees instead.

One poor chap had a suspected stroke and was waiting for an ambulance to take him to hospital it arrived three hours later.

It's not getting any better down One Life, or is it just getting worse ?

[for fawkes sake]

Sadly, I've heard many stories like this but one thing I would say is that despite such diabolical service it's astonishing just how few people actually complain. They tell their friends and relatives and it becomes anecdotal. We seem to accept that there's nothing that can be done about it.
It's a public scandal but I'm afraid we constantly let people off the hook by not pursuing an official complaint when such poor treatment occurs and the powers that be are the first to boast of how few complaints they receive and therefore how excellent the service is.

[tankerville]

I quite agree but making an official complaint is not easy to the average person who do not like filling in forms or a statement.

What my neighbour also said was. A young man arrived at O.L.C. when the receptionist informed him there was a long waiting time he said out loud. JESUS CHRIST SIX HOURS She went balistic. How Dare You Say That To Me? and tore into him

The poor lad meant no harm by what he had said, so he just turned round and walked out.

[fred c]

How very true ff......... we can`t be shot for complaining about things, the main reason we get poor service & facilities is "Because" we don`t complain.

Anyone who has a serious medical problem would be better served by going straight to North Tees Hospital......as "Spock" said to Captain Kirk....... "Live long & prosper"..... don`t go to the OLC

[steveL]

They are never going to make it easy to complain, it's not in their interests to do so. You often find, these days, that there's an assumption that everyone has internet access and the route to complain is via a website.

And who do you complain to? Is it the Hospital Trust, the PCT, the internal GP Service or the newly forming Well-Being set-up? PALS? LINKS? There's a veritable plethora of organisations and sub-organisations to choose from who between them lay down a smoke screen thick enough to put off even the most tenacious of complainants. This is probably why many people resort to the Hartlepool Mail in such circumstances.

Not surprisingly, we find ourselves dealing with a 'Client Relations Team' when following official channels. A read through this latest report will show you just how few 'official complaints' are received and it also provides a picture of just how convoluted and confusing the complaints procedure is:
http://www.hartlepool.nhs.uk/includes/documents/NHS%20Tees%202011-12%20Complaints%20Annual%20Report%20v2.pdf%20-%20Adobe%20Acrobat%20Pro.pdf

How to make a complaint about the NHS

Patients, relatives and carers can make a complaint without worrying it might prejudice their treatment or care.
If you are unhappy with the treatment or service you have received from your local NHS, GP, Dentist, Optician or Pharmacy (Independent contractors) you are entitled to make a complaint and receive a response from the organisation concerned.
The Client Relations Team welcome all complaints as they allow your local NHS to performance manage and improve services available locally.
NHS Hartlepool does not discriminate against complainants and is committed to ensuring the patients, relative and carer's can make a complaint without fear of it prejudicing their treatment or care.

You can contact the Client Relations Team with your complaints on 0800 013 0500 selecting option 5
or by e-mailing them at:

clientrelationsteeswide@nhs.net

. . . and the best of British!

[Hazysky]

I must be one of the only people to get a written apology from the one life (assura)

Im very proud of it - I may frame it.... my complaint was sent via PALs and my practice manager

[marky]

Congratulations . . . !
The name Assura is a bit of a red herring though . . . it's now part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group  . . . I would have hung out for some air miles myself. 

[Hazysky]

I was from a year ago I dont like flying so that would have been a punishment not a reward

[marky]

I was thinking Air Ambulance Miles 

[Inspector Knacker]

The OLC is now becoming one of those places where everyone hae a tale to tell and none of them are complimentary.
If you've got an emergency situation and you have the transport , you're going to go to a proper  A&E and not waste your time on an unecessary diversion. the whole system has an image of second best about it.
My concern is for the people who haven't got access to transport o even the money to get places like North Tees,especiallly outside normal hours.
I have no faith in the service whatsoever.

[steveL]

This is a survey carried out on the One Life Centre last August:

http://www.hartlepoolpost.co.uk/files/OLC Survey Report 2012.pdf

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

Seems that the majority of those surveyed had simply used their own GP service which had relocated to within the Centre. That is nothing to do with the out of hours service/emergency care/walk in side of things which has attracted the negative publicity.

[fred c]

One of the problems with the set-up at the OLC is there are various other functions that are carried out in the same building & unfortunately they all tend to get tarred with the same brush.

I have had cause to use the Musculo- Skeletal clinic over a 6 month period, i can`t speak to highly of the service i received from the staff there.

The A&E side of things is the problem, let the trust hold a servey on the performance & satisfaction of users of that operation & see how what the results show.

[Inspector Knacker]

That's the pure genius of putting the minor injuries unit  onto the One Life site, it looks a lot bigger and more impressive when lumped into the one site, than it really is. .... and as most of the users of the site are probably not users of the minor injuries unit, any survey is flawed.