Lewes Forum thread

Anyone else had problems with the Minor Injuries Unit at the Victoria? I just went up there with my partner who wanted them to look at a recent surgery scar that has become problematic. The place was empty. It was 3 in the afternoon. There were 2 nurses. It would have taken 30 seconds for them to take a look. Yet, they were SO patronising, and SO unhelpful. 'Is that really a minor injury?' they asked as if we were 7 years old. They sent us away, presumably so they could carry on gossiping. Actually, I think it is a minor injury, and also a very worrying one. If someone tells you they've just had surgery, you'd think you'd at least be sympathetic. Honestly, they were so rude and condescending. I haven't been spoken to like that for many, may years. If the place had any other patients, i'd understand. Perhaps they should publish a list of the what they will and won't look at and stick it on the front door.

My wife and I have been there a few times over last 5 years. She hurt her ankle and needed crutches. I had bursitis of the elbow(my arm swelled up) and got anibiotics. One time I staggered up there and they called me an ambulance. Pretty healthy otherwise.
They have always been helpful and professional. I think the problem may lie at times with what presents and the time of day i.e should you be going to your GP practise where there are qualified Doctors to consult and treat you.
My understanding is that they are there to patch people up and treat minor injuries. With respect problems with a surgery scar could possibly be more serious and need a Dr to look at them? Tho clearly the meet and greet left a lot to be desired..

I went there years ago on my own account and found the service perfectly acceptable. However, recently, I had cause to take my elderly mother and found when we got there that the facilities had been relocated and completely refurbished. Everything was brand spanking new, and the place was completely deserted of any other patients, all of which boded well. Bizarrely, we were kept waiting ages while everyone chatted and meandered around doing very little, and when we were finally seen the care left a lot to be desired. The clinician we saw couldn't have been less interested and, without going into detail, failed to ask many pertinent questions and was extremely conservative in terms of the treatment offered. (I am medically trained, and had a clear idea of what should have been done.) I can only presume that the cost of all the refurbishments has meant they had to lay off all the experienced, caring staff, and have ended up with the hopeless, uninterested agency types. On the evidence, it may not be unfair to say that the OP would have been better to see their GP, but that is no excuse for failing to be caring and constructive, and to fulfil a duty of care.

My family have used them many times and they've always been wonderful except for my last visit, when a nurse had all the charm of of East German border patrol guard and made me feel like a bit of an idiot for wasting their time. I hope that isn't the shape of things to come, as they have always been a model of the NHS at its best.

I've always found them fantastic. They were brilliant when I broke my arm, despite the waiting room being crammed with other people who'd fallen in the snow. The radiographer had come to work with a streaming cold because she knew they'd be busy that day and the reception staff were really helpful when I couldn't get a taxi to get me to the County to have the fracture realigned.
I haven't been since the refurb, maybe all the fab staff have left and been replaced by ogres.

always been superb up there and really great with the kids.

Until about a year ago services at Lewes Victoria were run by the Primary Care Trust.
Then they (along with our other community services) were handed over to East Sussex Hospitals Trust, better known for their extraordinary management of the Eastbourne DGH & Hastings Conquest Hospitals, which have often figured on the lists of hospitals of concern to the DoH. The management set the standards.

Renee- I was there on Wednesday afternoon with a distressed 14 year old son with a fracture- checked in with them at 2.30pm, returned at 3.30pm after getting the x-ray (the machine had broken down during the day and there was a bit of a queue), so I must have just missed your 3pm visit.
Firstly, the two nurses you refer to were unfailingly polite- they would have put some hotel receptionists I have met in this country to shame. More importantly they took such time and effort with my son that I felt quite humbled, I don't know why. They showed him the x-ray, confirmed his fears that it was broken, explained why he was going to be unable to do all the things that boys like to do in the summer holiday, cheered him up, answered loads of his questions, made an appointment for him with the fracture clinic in Brighton and wished him luck. I was pleased, when telling the tale to his mother, that I could tell her that I remembered to thank the two nurses for their kindness.
Now, reading your post, I am even more impressed with them. I suppose it is the lot of all health care professionals that they have to deal with a small proportion who don't understand, or don't want to understand, what they are there for.You seem to have had a problem that you should have taken to your GP, I don't suppose the nurses were allowed to 'take a look' at your problem if it fell outside their remit (and it insults their skill to suggest that it would only have taken 30 seconds). You also seem to have wanted to think the absolute worst of good people, and then to slag them off in public.
I am only pleased that your negativity didn't affect the care they then gave my son.

To my shame, I have been to minor injuries with things that were so minor I would have fully understood if they'd told me to naff off home and stop being a wuss (something in my eye and a small piece of glass in my foot that I couldn't get out).
On both occasions, the nurse on duty was only too please to sort me out and insisted that neither matter was too trivial to merit her attention.
I really hope the change in management doesn't lead to a change in attitude. It's an asset to the town imo, and so much easier than schlepping into Brighton and waiting for hours in the circle of hell that is A&E at the County.

"Minor" = not significant or serious
"Injury" = a disruption of the body caused by some kind of trauma or accident

ACT, it sounds as if your two injuries were exactly what the unit is there to deal with. Something in your eye can be the beginning of a nasty injury and it's very difficult to be sure whether your "foreign object" is likely to cause further harm or not. It's a good call to get it checked. The same goes for a piece of glass in your foot - it could work its way in and cause damage and even disability and it's very hard to remove.

I'm not going to offer an opinion on the subject of the OP except to say that I would either have phoned my GP or the hospital/surgical team who carried out the operation in the first place. A nurse is probably actually not allowed to offer an opinion on something which could be nothing or could be a serious ongoing complication: that's for a doctor with access to the clinical notes to decide.

I've been an observer in many A&E units over the years: I've been frequently horrified by the way many staff there are treated by abusive "patients", and also how many treat their local hospital as a substitute for their GP surgery. While no-one wants the lay public to diagnose or treat themselves, we can take sensible measures to ensure that we seek the most appropriate help.

I caught my F/S in my fly zip and went there and was told it was too large to be dealt with!!

What's a F/S? I suppose you think that it funny. You are an irresponsible aaaarrrsse

It seems people dont want to make a fuss about what they percieve to be a minor injury, they just need some reassurance & advice on the correct way to treat or clean up their injury so its logical to go to the local A&E rather than take up the time of the busy Brighton resources. Its fine to be told Lewes cannot help & to be sent on to Brighton but sadly some staff do not have the skills to explain correctly. I have been with people when they have been dismissed very flipantly by staff at Lewes & partonisingly told they should be at Brighton. When I was there with a friend & her child the staff were meandering around chatting mongst themselves & when they deemed fit to attend to my already anxious friend they made her feel wretched for daring to seek help at Lewes. I guess both staff & public are damned if they do & damned if they dont....Im sure majority of staff do a great job but I do think they need to explain why they cant help rather than just dismiss people in such an off-hand manner which going by these posts clearly happens too often at Lewes.