Flockton disabled pensioner Keneth Elliff refused GP home visit

A DISABLED grandad was left distraught after his GP refused to see him unless he visited the surgery.

Housebound Kenneth Elliff, 83, has not ventured out alone for years, without the help of friends or family.

But the Flockton pensioner was worried when he started suffering heavy nosebleeds and had painful nasal congestion.

The widower contacted his local GP surgery – Dr Gair and Partners on Barnsley Road – to request a home visit.

But when his GP called back, he was told he could only see a doctor if he visited the practice.

The trip from the wheelchair user’s home at Pinfold Close involves crossing the busy Barnsley Road.

Mr Elliff had no choice but to accept a prescription for a nasal spray and pain relief because he had nobody to take him that day.

He said: “When you get to 83 and they say things like that to you, it is the last thing you want.

“He was very off-hand with me.

“They know I am disabled and have problems with nasal catarrh. I cannot walk. I use a wheelchair or a zimmer frame because I cannot lift my feet off the floor.

“I just couldn’t get out, but I really did want to see a doctor.

“They couldn’t even send a nurse to see me. It’s just not nice when you get to my age.”

His son Paul Elliff was appalled when he heard his father had been refused a home visit.

He said: “There was no way he could get there because of the state of his health and we were all at work.

“Whether it is cutbacks, I don’t know. But you would have thought they could have sent him a doctor, or even a district nurse.

“He was having a lot of pain in his head and his nose was bleeding. He needed checking. There could have been anything wrong with him.

“The attitude was that if you could not get to the surgery you will have to call 999, which is wrong.”

Dr Mark Napper, medical director for NHS Wakefield District – which manages the practice – said: “We are sorry to hear that Mr Elliff is unhappy with his GP practice.

“He has not contacted us directly and so we would ask him to ring our Patient Advice and Liaison Service on 0845 602 4832.”