"Referral that didn't go anywhere - just prolonged agony"

My daughter has been seen by a doctor at Yeovale Medical Practice for almost a year now concerning a chronic issue.

Most recently, the pain has been growing, and paracetamol isn't working.

We phoned (on Thursday) and got a phone appointment with her regular doctor (for the next Tuesday).

At this consultation, it was decided to refer my daughter to a female doctor, with an appointment set for the next day (Wednesday).

She suffered on, in anticipation that some relief was on it's way.

At the Wednesday appointment, the locum doctor was not very helpful, didn't seem to know anything about my daughter's history, and "...could not prescribe more powerful pain-killers as I am not your usual doctor..."

So, my daughter (in pain) was turned away with some reading material.

We most certainly do not want another appointment with this doctor.

The next phone appointment with my daughter's regular doctor could only be set for Friday, and presumably this would lead to another 'real' appointment at which more powerful pain-killers could be prescribed.

My concern is the way in which a patient was handled; not very compassionately, and without actually providing any relief or definite plan to address the pain.