An 84-year-old grandmother of seven was left bleeding after cutting her finger on a melon, only to be refused help by her local pharmacy and GP surgery and told to dial 999. Pauline Shillito, who lives alone in Lydd on Romney Marsh, sustained a minor wound but began bleeding heavily due to blood-thinning medication. She first sought assistance at Well Pharmacy, a three-minute walk from her home.
Pharmacy refused to help due to blood
"The pharmacist said, 'We don't deal with blood,'" said Mrs Shillito. Pharmacist Tunde Odelade explained that staff are not trained or insured to handle such injuries. "There was a lot of blood. It was literally dripping down her arm onto the floor – in a pharmacy full of people, that's very unhygienic," he said. He offered to call an ambulance, but she refused.
GP surgery turned her away
Mrs Shillito then went to Orchard House GP Surgery in Bleak Road, but the receptionist said, "We have no nurse on duty today," and told her to call 999. "It's absolutely disgusting. Can you imagine an ambulance coming because of a cut finger when there are people having heart attacks - all I needed was a plaster," she said.
A spokesperson for Invicta Health, which operates Orchard House Surgery, said: "We are aware of the matter you have raised; however, we are unable to comment on issues relating to individual patients' care due to patient confidentiality. Our practice is committed to ensuring patients receive appropriate advice and access to the right healthcare service based on their clinical needs."
Neighbour came to the rescue
Fortunately, while walking home, Mrs Shillito bumped into a neighbour. "She saw me crying with a piece of blood-soaked kitchen towel around my finger and helped me," said the former John Lewis shop assistant. "She cleaned my finger and put a plaster on it. I'm just lucky I have good neighbours."
Mrs Shillito, who moved to Lydd from London seven years ago, refused to call 999 because "it wasn't an emergency" and she "didn't want to waste the ambulance service's time." The NHS states that 999 is for life-threatening emergencies, while 111 is recommended for urgent but non-life-threatening situations.
