A man comes today in a dreadful mess. His hands are a livid red-purple and covered with painful-looking fissures. His feet are in a similar condition, while his legs are covered in large, angry looking welts. He brings prescriptions from his previous doctors, whose premises are just down the road from ours. They have clearly tried an impressive variety of creams and other preparations, all, according to the patient, being of no avail whatsoever.
"But why have you come here?" I ask him.
"Well they said they couldn't do any more for me and would I not ask them about my skin again"
Now I am perfectly well aware that patients do not always tell the unvarnished truth, but I know the doctors he speaks of well.
"So it didn't occur to them to refer you to the dermatologists for further help then?"
"No, they never mentioned going up to the hospital"
I explain to him that in my opinion he has been failed by his previous doctors, and in view of the fact that doctors are REQUIRED to refer a patient for further assessment if their own treatment is failing to help. Having manifestly failed to do that, they are technically in breach of their contract and he should make out a complaint against them. I very rarely make a suggestion like this, but here I think he has been treated in such a shabby way my advice is warranted.
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