A RAGING mum told how her injured son had to be treated by the local vet after docs refused to see him.
Oliver Henderson, 13, was left covered in blood when he cut his finger while messing about with his bike.
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He ran to the nearby Kirkton Veterinary Centre in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, where staff realised he needed to see an expert.
But it’s claimed that when they called the GP practice they were told the schoolboy needed to book an appointment.
His mum Leighanne, 41, said: “I’m really angry.
“My son had to be helped by a vet when he was really badly hurt. It makes me feel sick to the stomach. Shame on the doctor’s surgery.
“I know they have procedures but in a situation like this you expect them to be there for your kid.
“They should have seen him and checked him over at the very least.”
There is no way that my boy should have had to rely on a vet when he urgently needed help. If it wasn’t for them I dread to think what could happen
Leighanne Henderson
Oliver was trying to stick the chain back on his bike when he cut the top of his finger last Thursday.
It wouldn’t stop bleeding and he feared the tip was going to fall off when he pleaded with a passerby to help.
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She told him to go to the vet’s surgery and she followed behind with his bike.
Frantic staff called the Stonehaven Medical Practice and then the local hospital with no luck.
And when they dialled 101 they were told they would have at least an hour’s wait.
Leighanne said: “They eventually got the bleeding to stop but then shock started to set in.
“Oliver went pure white and they had to give him sweets to raise his blood sugar levels.
“They were worried about him and realised he needed to see a doctor right away.”
I’m really angry… It makes me feel sick to the stomach. Shame on the doctor’s surgery
Leighanne Henderson
Oliver couldn’t call his mum because his phone had run out of battery – but she was at work and didn’t have access to her phone anyway.
Staff at the vet eventually contacted Oliver’s dad who drove him to the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital.
The lad later got surgery and is now recovering, although he has no feeling in the top half of his finger.
Leighanne has since visited the vet’s practice to drop off chocolates and thank them.
She’s also spoken to the team at the medical practice to let them know how she feels about their actions.
Leighanne added: “I will be filing an official complaint.
“There is no way that my boy should have had to rely on a vet when he urgently needed help.
“If it wasn’t for them I dread to think what could happen. I can’t thank them enough.”
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A spokeswoman for Stonehaven Medical Group said: “The GP Practice is not a Minor Injury Unit.
“We direct all patients with injuries to call 111 or to attend the Emergency Department.”
‘CATASTROPHIC’ A&E WAITING TIMES
SCOTLAND’s worst ever A&E waiting times were recorded in December as the NHS was plunged into crisis due to clogged-up hospitals, it emerged earlier this year.
Monthly figures showed just 62.1 per cent of patients were seen within four hours – meaning more than one in three were forced to hang on for longer.
The previous worst was 67.5 per cent in November, and the December level comes after a slump over the past two years – despite attendances being well below record levels.
The long waits – which experts warn are killing hundreds of people – are being fuelled by high levels of delayed discharges, with the end of 2022 seeing 1,878 beds occupied per day due a lack of appropriate social care to send patients onto.
This is just below the record of 1,950 the previous month.
The December figures showed 129,745 people went to A&E that month – well below the May 2018 peak of 153,083.
A total of 19,131 people waited for eight hours or more and 8,658 for 12 hours or longer.
The Scottish Government target is for 95 per cent of patients to be either admitted, transferred or discharged within the four-hour target time.
NHS Lanarkshire recorded the worst performance in December, at just 45 per cent.
Separate weekly data has shown performance has increased in January, recovering to 70.3 per cent in the week ending January 29.
