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Patients at a GP practice dubbed 'one of the worst in Essex' have come forward to tell their horror stories.
Church Lane Surgery in Braintree was rated 'inadequate' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in August 2018, a rating many residents considered more than fair based on their experiences.
A review last month suggested improvements are now being made, however some patients feel a lot more needs to be done.
'I was told I had a migraine - but it was meningitis'
When Bryony Collett, 22, went to her GP with a headache she did not expect to almost lose her life days later.
In September 2017, the Braintree resident claims she was told that she had a migraine and just needed to take some tablets when she visited Church Lane surgery.
She explained: "I called the surgery at 8am and it took me 115 times to get through.
"When I did get through, I got an early appointment and saw the doctor who told me I had a migraine.
"They gave me some tablets and said if it was no better after the tablets I had to call them back.
"The tablets didn’t work so I called back the same day and they said call back tomorrow if I wasn't any better, but instead I called 999 and they got to me in minutes."
After being told less than 24 hours before that it was just a headache, Bryony found herself being rushed to hospital.
She was taken to the major emergency department where after some tests, things got very serious.
I had all sorts of drips put into me," Bryony said.
"I got taken to a CT scan where I went into cardiac arrest.
"I was rushed to intensive care where they found out I had meningitis.
"The doctors told my mum they didn’t know if I would be okay, but luckily I was so I was only in intensive care for 24 hours."
'My physical disabilities make it difficult to stand for extended periods'
Sharon Corrigan Wells, a mother-of-four from Braintree, has been a patient at Church Lane Surgery for 13 years.
She suffers from fibromyalgia, a condition that causes widespread pain throughout her entire body.
"I have had many experiences with this surgery over the years and they used to be the best surgery in Braintree," she explained.
"But over the past five or six years it has declined in its ability to care for and 'doctor' their patients in a sufficient, caring and dignified manner.
"In my opinion the rating of 'inadequate' is spot on. Myself and my children have gone without much needed medical attention due to the ongoing issues.
"I called the surgery at 8am as instructed by them to make an appointment only to be on hold for 30 plus minutes just to be told there are no appointments available.
"I have explained that after continuous days of going through this regime that it is impossible to get a much needed appointment
Sharon claims that the receptionists then told her the only way to make an appointment other than ringing is to go and wait in the queue at 7.30am.
She continued: "Whilst I can appreciate this may be suitable for some it is nearly impossible for me. I am a physically disabled mother who also has three children still living at home.
"You can imagine the great difficulty I would have getting my children ready to go to the surgery and wait in the freezing cold with disabilities which prevent me from standing for extended periods.
"There is a serious crisis at this surgery that needs to be thoroughly investigated as people are being put into dangerous situations with their health with no recourse to health care other than adding additional strain to the A&E departments at local hospitals."
'My young son's yearly jabs have been cancelled - three times'
Jessica Loren, from Braintree, has also had problems with the surgery regarding her young child's health.
The 33-year-old claims she has numerous complaints about the service, including her son having his yearly jabs cancelled on three occasions.
She said: "My son has had his yearly jabs cancelled three times; he's now 19-months-old and he still hasn't had them. He was poorly with croup and a doctor said he was fine
He had a high temperature but the doctor instead commented on how my son had a bruise on his head from falling over. He was only 14 months and it made me feel as if I had hurt him.
"I've suffered with anxiety since having him and I was worried in case they thought I was being dramatic, then to mention his bruises made me feel worse
"He was still coughing after four weeks and I was told to seek a doctor's advice, so I was annoyed by that. It could have been worse because it was a cough that was lasting longer than it should."
And Jessica's concerns with the surgery don't end there.
"My appointment was cancelled on another occasion because I was late although I'd been in the queue waiting as the check-in machine was out of action," she claimed.
"Sometimes doctors don't turn up, the receptionist just says a doctor hasn't arrived so they need to find out where they are and with no apology.
"I am also concerned by the fact that you are constantly on hold when trying to make an appointment, then when you get through there are no appointments, even for a regular blood test which I have to have.
I was misdiagnosed and given tablets that I was allergic to'
For Jasmine Sheridan, 28, treatment at Church Lane Surgery was too much to bear and she was forced to move to another practice.
In 2018 she was diagnosed with a chest infection, only for another doctor to tell her it was something completely different the following day.
The Braintree resident explained: "I was told I had a chest infection, even though the doctor only took my blood pressure. I was then prescribed antibiotics I’m allergic to.
"I had explained my symptoms of a really bad sore throat, ear ache and the change in the sound of voice I could hear.
"I had said I wasn’t coughing, just that I had a slight temperature, so they took my blood pressure and printed off the prescription.
"The doctor didn't say more than two words to me."
After taking the medication when she got home, Jessica started vomiting and has since claimed she was allergic to the antibiotics.
"I got home and thought that’s not okay," she continued.
"I asked for another appointment which was difficult to get and I requested I see someone else.
"I attended the next day to find I was booked in with the same doctor so I spoke to reception who were very quick to speak to another doctor to see if I could be seen and that was fine.
"She simply examined me properly and asked a series of questions and said your chest is clear.
"I actually had an inflamed trachea and all I could do was rest and drink plenty of fluids.
"It did clear up after around ten days which is what the second doctor said. She also told me that the antibiotics I was prescribed by the first doctor wouldn’t have worked anyway.
"We trust these people with our lives, quite literally. I'm so glad I moved surgeries.
Earlier this month, the surgery was told it had made improvements following its latest inspection.
It had previously been issued with a warning notice to ensure that improvements were made to the level of service provided by Virgin Health Care, who are in charge of the practice.
In response, bosses were happy to see that improvements had been recognised and say they are now setting their sights on achieving a 'good' CQC rating.
Chris Pearson, Virgin Care's Head of Primary Care, said: "We are pleased that the inspectors have acknowledged the improvements that have already been made by our hard working colleagues.
"We recognise there is still work to do to reach the standard we want for the practice and for our patients and we are committed to implementing our long-term improvement plan.
"We are determined to gain at least a 'good' rating for Church Lane Surgery or even, in time, 'outstanding'
While we cannot comment on individual cases, we would encourage people to contact us directly so that we can work with them to get the help they need from the service.
“The first CQC inspection was in August last year and the CQC has acknowledged that just four months later it had found a range of improvements.”