An NHS patient made a 330-mile round trip for treatment after failing to get nearby appointment. Andrew Boniface, 56, says he had been left waiting three months to seen at his registered surgery, reports Derbyshire Live.
The 56-year-old says he has been trying to get an appointment at Friar Gate Surgery since September. He moved to Derby in August and quickly registered with the doctors upon his arrival.
Andrew then made a phone call not long after about a prescription, that he received. After that he then requested an appointment to discuss his medical needs with a GP, as he was due treatment in December.
But nearly three months on, he says he still hasn't seen anyone from the practice person. In the end, the 56-year-old travelled to Newcastle to see his vascular specialist when he ran out of ideas, with the 330-mile round trip costing £120.
Andrew said: "I was desperate so I paid off my own back. I've had pure hell with them.
"It's been unbelievable. I've been through the ringer with my health and all I want to do is look after myself.
"It's starting to affect me. I've suffered with my mental health and my head's going.
"It's ridiculous." Andy says he intends to put an official complaint into NHS England following his dealings with the surgery.
He added: "They've sat on the fence. they're terrible. they do not get back to you. They don't want to see you.
"I'm trying to stay on top of it but I can't get anywhere with them."
A spokesperson for the practice said: "Friar Gate Surgery is one of the most digitalised practices in the country, which has enabled us to offer 29% more appointments than the average GP practice in England for our patients. These additional appointments are mainly delivered by video consultation, online or phone.
"The 29% additional appointments mean we offered more than 7,300 additional appointments per year compared to the average GP practice."
The surgery also responded to Derbyshire Live's request for comment on this story, but said: "We would like to exercise our right to reply to any allegations made against us and provide a comprehensive, full and honest answer in response to this story.
"However, due to patient confidentiality, which we take very seriously, we would never be able to do so without appropriate patient consent and would not even be willing to confirm that a patient was registered with us or not without this."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .
