Pauline Shillito, an 84-year-old grandmother of seven, cut her finger while slicing a melon at her home in Lydd, Romney Marsh, where she lives alone. Although the wound was minor, she began bleeding heavily because she takes blood-thinning medication. She walked to Well Pharmacy, three minutes away on the corner of High Street and New Lane, seeking a plaster.
Pharmacy Refuses to Help
At the pharmacy, she was told by pharmacist Tunde Odelade that staff could not assist. “We don’t deal with blood,” Mrs Shillito recalled. Mr Odelade explained: “There was a lot of blood. It was literally dripping down her arm onto the floor – in a pharmacy full of people, that’s very unhygienic. I told her I couldn’t help her because I can’t deal with blood. I did offer to take her details and call an ambulance, but she refused.”
GP Surgery Turns Her Away
Mrs Shillito then went to Orchard House GP Surgery on Bleak Road, but the receptionist said, “We have no nurse on duty today,” and told her to call 999. A spokesperson for Invicta Health, which operates the surgery, said: “We are aware of the matter you have raised; however, we are unable to comment on issues relating to individual patients’ care due to patient confidentiality. Our practice is committed to ensuring patients receive appropriate advice and access to the right healthcare service based on their clinical needs.”
Neighbour Steps In
Mrs Shillito refused to call 999 because “it wasn’t an emergency” and she “didn’t want to waste the ambulance service’s time”. The NHS states 999 is for life-threatening emergencies like serious road accidents, strokes, and heart attacks. While walking home, she met a neighbour. “She saw me crying with a piece of blood-soaked kitchen towel around my finger and helped me,” said Mrs Shillito, a former John Lewis shop assistant. “She cleaned my finger and put a plaster on it. I’m just lucky I have good neighbours.”
Call for Better Access
Mrs Shillito, who moved from London to Lydd seven years ago, criticised the situation: “It’s absolutely disgusting. Can you imagine an ambulance coming because of a cut finger when there are people having heart attacks – all I needed was a plaster.” The NHS recommends dialling 111 when medical help is needed but the situation is not life-threatening, as the service can direct users to appropriate care if their GP is unavailable.
