"I attend Newton Abbot Hospital ..."

Anything else?

I attend Newton Abbot Hospital with my 12yr old daughter who had chest pains radiating into her arm on the advice I received from NHS Direct. I negotiated with the nurse on the phone as the A&E was a good 40 minutes away and the traffic was very heavy. It stated on the NHS site that Newton Abbot Hospital would deal with chest pains. It was with dismay that when I got to Newton Abbot Hospital the nurses on the MIU reception where totally preoccupied by the fact that I had been sent there by NHSDirect, according to them I shouldn’t have been as they told me that they didn’t treat children for chest pain at Newton Abbot. I said I would carry on to Torbay if there was a problem but they told me to stay as the doctor would arrive shortly. When my daughter was seen by the doctor he checked her out and thankfully sent us home – clearly not needing any further treatment or consult. I have used NHSDirect on many occasions as have my family and friends and find it to be an invaluable service - times when I would have just gone to the hospital or doctors out of hours service and I have spoken with them and they have advised me accordingly and very rarely have I actually sought or required alternative help or treatment thanks to the nurses and staff at NHSDirect. I feel it’s a sad reflection on your staff that they feel they must "dis" other NHS services not to mention unprofessional. It has left me feeling that Newton Abbot Hospital is not a place I would wish to revisit.