I had to take my son, he had chicken pox as I said and he was very ill. So I called the doctor, oh that’s right I, my son was about 11 months old when he got the chicken pox and they were really, he was absolutely covered in chicken pox. They were all in his mouth, they were everywhere so he was really unwell. He couldn’t eat or drink anything as he was in a lot of pain.

So I called the doctor in the afternoon because I was getting really worried about him one day and they said Look we can’t see you’ you know. I was hoping to see them that day, you know, cos there actually has been times where I’ve been able to take him down that day, which I can tell you about after. And they said, Sorry you’re going to have to go to the walk-in centre.

So I think I went to the walk in centre which perhaps closed at about 5:00 or something and they said We can’t see you because we’re closing. So then I had to take him to A&E.

Did you walk there?

I drove.

You drove, yeah.

And they couldn’t see him, like I wasn’t even allowed in the gate, you know. So then I had to go to A&E and he was in hospital, he wasn’t hospitalised but I was given antibiotics and things like that by the hospital.

That’s quite a long…

Yeah, yeah definitely.

What would have been better in this situation, what would have been more helpful for you?

Just to see my GP if, yeah but I also understand that GPs have appointments, they finish at a certain time and they 99% of the time go over that time and stay late and work through their lunch, you know. I can, I can sympathise with that as well.

There is a family planning clinic which was further away but I knew that it was available. And I had been there as well after going to the GP I think. They offer more tests and things at the family planning clinic and they have, I think also like under 21 sessions I think, which makes you feel a bit more comfortable as well if you’re like 16 or 17, yeah.

Had that been nearer would you have gone there or would you always prefer to have gone to the GP?

I’m not sure if I prefer either at that age, I can’t remember. Now I prefer to go to the GP but yeah, probably I might have preferred the clinic at that age mainly because I would, my friends would go with me and they’d have an appointment as well so we could sort of go together. And again there was, you know, a young person’s session so I guess I felt more comfortable at the clinic.

So how often do you have to make an appointment then to?

Every six months.

So every six months and is it always the GP that you see or sometimes a nurse?

No. I see the nurse sometimes. I don’t mind who I see but obviously when I see the nurse, the nurse can’t prescribe me anything so I think then she has to get a signature from the GP for my pill. But usually I call in advance because I know in advance I’m gonna see, that I’m gonna need an appointment, so it’s usually with the GP but I have seen a nurse before.

And is it a different GP every time that you go every six months?

Usually it is, yeah, because they ask me do I mind and I say No, I don’t mind.

And what happens in the appointments when you go to get the pill?

So they ask me what the appointments for, obviously I guess they can’t see what I have booked in for a certain appointment, so I think they just think it’s a general appointment. So I, and I say I’d like, you know, a repeat of the pill and they’ll look on my file I guess and see what health issues or anything I’ve had in the past. And take blood pressure every time and check weight and height and things. And then yeah usually it’s just a straight forward repeat and I generally get up

Every six months, yeah.

Yeah.

Is there a chemist nearby?

Yes there is, yeah a two to three minute walk.

Okay so that’s quite handy.

Yeah.

And when you see the nurse does she do the same kind of thing?

Yeah.

I remember calling a few times asking for an emergency appointment. They, we have always known and always been told that if you ring at 8 o’ clock in the morning, then you’ll be able to get an appointment, emergency appointment, or that’s when you should ring.

And then, you know, you could be on hold or there’s no answer and it’s 8:03, cos I’m ringing constantly from 8:00 to 8:03. And the phone will be answered and there’s no appointments left. And I say well, I’ve been on the phone since two or three minutes to 8 o’ clock and how is that possible?’ And they say that people have been waiting outside since 7:30. I was never told, nor is it advertised anywhere, that if you come to the surgery at 7:30 that it’s more likely that you’re going to get an appointment.

And I think my mum also probably said that to the receptionist at some point as well because I was never to know. If that was the case, then I would have done that sooner, gone down to the surgery at 7:30. And I had to do that that time recently so it was really frustrating for a while that we didn’t know why there was no appointments left, but it was because you had to go down in the morning, yeah.

And when you did go down in the morning, then you did get the appointment?

Yeah, I did. I’ve only had to do that once but, yeah, I did get an appointment that day.

And at that time it was because you had cystitis?

Yeah.

When you go to the doctor now, you probably go on your own?

Yeah.

When you were younger you went with?

My mum.

With your mum. At what age did you feel comfortable going by yourself?

Possibly about 15 or 16 which was when I think I started, I asked for the pill for the first time was when I was 16. I was probably worried about what my mum would say if I wanted to get the pill, so I went on my own. So yeah I guess about 15 or 16.

But again, like I said, I wasn’t luckily unwell or anything to have to go often, so I do remember going to the doctor with my mum because mum would say that I’m- like I’d got flu or something like that but never for anything that bad, so I guess yeah about 15 or 16.

There’s just one time I went to the GP because I wanted to have an implant fitted. I can’t remember why the reason, why I wanted an implant then I think because, I think probably I would forget to take my pill quite regularly, which obviously is terrible.
So, so I think I wanted an implant because I think it was sort of I had it, you know, it lasts for however long and I don’t have to remember to do anything. And then when I went to the, I think I saw the nurse actually and she, I think she was like Oh why do you want to have the implant, you know I think you should-,’ I think that she suggested I had the coil and I didn’t want that, I really wanted it, and she said just go away and think about it.

So I left a bit frustrated then because I think, once you have something in your head, you want it done straight away. So I think I left feeling frustrated and, in the end, I didn’t get it, so because I decided it wasn’t the right thing for me so yeah.

Did you look for more information about it?

Yeah, I looked online and I also went to like a clinic, you know, a health, a sexual health clinic and they, the clinic said I could have it. But they didn’t have an appointment for it so I changed my mind at that time anyway, so…

So when you first went you spoke to the nurse at the local surgery. In a way she, she slightly put you off it?

Yeah, definitely.

Then you went home, how long did you think about it and then think no I’ll go to the sexual health clinic’?

Just a few days I think, yeah, cos I think I waited until the clinic had, because they had certain opening times, so I think certain days I think I just waited until, I think I waited like three or four days and then I went to the clinic.