"The Menopause"

I had been a patient at Porterbrook Medical centre since 2008. Over a period of a couple of years I had the pleasure of having the same Dr. We worked together to come up with a solution to my PMDD and then the beginning of my enforced menopause prescribing HRT in various forms.

Then it went wrong.

I had an appointment with a different Dr and they told me they were setting up a menopause clinic at the surgery. I was to ring the surgery and instead of booking an appointment I was to book onto this clinic.

When I rang the surgery I was told the clinic didn’t exist and they didn’t even know why the Dr had told me this. They said they would take my name and ring me back. This was summer 2019…. 

I never had a phone call back, so I rang up the surgery again and after a couple of months got an appointment. However the surgery send you a text message straight away and not the day before your appointment when I feel it would be more useful. 

I turned up at the surgery in the afternoon of my appointment to be very rudely shouted at by the receptionist are you aware you had an appointment this morning.

I was distraught, I left and tried ringing to make another clinic appointment. This was for 3 months later… I finally saw a nurse who was involved in the clinic… and every time since I have never managed to book a slot in the clinic… I don’t even know if it is still being run. 

When I last rang I was told only 1 person books appointments for the clinic and you can’t speak to them. You have to be referred by a Dr. I said I had been referred 3 years ago and I haven’t heard anything since.