"A very poor experience"

My daughter was seen at Hexham General Hospital Urgent Care Clinic this morning. She was in a lot of pain and they asked us to come up to Cramlington A&E which they said would be quicker as they would take her notes from them. They wanted her to go by ambulance but said that it could be a two hour wait so we took her up by car. We waited in the waiting room and were called into a room to be seen by a nurse.

The nurse told my daughter she would have to have her blood taken. My daughter is extremely needle phobic due to some very bad experiences in the past. My daughter refused and the nurse said there was no point in staying as the doctors wouldn't treat her without having her bloods taken. The nurse also said that it didn't matter that we'd been referred by Hexham and that we would have to start at the beginning anyway!! We were left with no choice but to return to Hexham. I was concerned that she had no treatment despite her urine test coming back with ketones, protein and blood so I rang the Urgent Care in Hexham and told them what had happened. I asked them to give her antibiotics but the doctor said that they could but it would be a stab in the dark and she really needs to be treated at A&E. The doctor was surprised that we had been turned away and said that we need to take her back!! I am horrified by the lack of care and empathy and that she was turned away with out any treatment.