A pensioner who cut his hand after falling to the ground was shocked that his GP refused to offer any help for the wound.

Douglas Uzzell stumbled while going to see a friend in Highworth and began to bleed heavily due to the blood thinning medication he takes.

As a first port of call, he visited Westrop Medical Practice to see if they could bandage the injury but was instead turned away.

The 89-year-old then went to the nearby Home Farm Pharmacy to ask staff for assistance and they went back with him to the surgery, who again refused to help.

The practice has since told the Adver that Mr Uzzell should have gone to Great Western Hospital’s Urgent Treatment Centre as the surgery does not have the right equipment to assess and treat minor injuries.

The pharmacy employees bandaged Douglas’ hand – after he paid for the bandage – and he had the wound dressed properly a few days later when a neighbour agreed to give him a lift to GWH.

He said: “I was wet through from falling in the rain, the blood was running down my arm and onto the floor, and the other patients in the waiting room were saying ‘ooh, that’s terrible’.

“I’ve never had a problem with my GP before, it was a nice surgery before the pandemic, but this was terrible, and an absolute disgrace, they just did not want to know and said there was nothing they could do.

“The staff from the chemist tried to persuade them but it made no difference.

“They refused to see me, wouldn't say why not, and told me to go to the hospital - I asked ‘How will I get there, fly?’

“When I did go to the hospital a week later, the doctors were surprised to hear about what happened.”

Mr Uzzell does not drive and a journey by bus from Westrop Surgery to GWH would take at least an hour an 10 minutes, according to Google Maps.

Highworth Surgery operations manager Amy Kitchener said: “Providing an accessible service is an absolute priority for Westrop Medical Practice, and we provide over 5,000 appointments a week - the equivalent of half our patients having an appointment once a month.

“Whilst we can’t comment on this specific case due to patient confidentiality, within Swindon the Urgent Treatment Centre is the appropriate and commissioned service for the treatment of minor injuries.

“Patients can access appointments for the Urgent Treatment Centre by visiting NHS 111 online or by ringing 111.

"More information regarding the treatment of minor injuries can be found on Bath and North Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) website

"GP practices do not have all the necessary equipment for assessing and treating minor injuries such as X-ray machines and suture equipment.

“When a patient requests an appointment at Westrop Medical Practice, they will be asked questions to assess who is the most appropriate clinician for them to see or which service is most suitable for their needs.

“If the assessment concludes that an alternative service is more suitable, we will signpost to a more suitable service, and when appropriate we will arrange ambulance transport.

“This would be standard practice throughout the BSW practices and the majority of England. “We would welcome the opportunity to discuss with any of our patients that have concerns directly.

“We would encourage them to contact the practice manager at the practice they are registered at.

“Alternatively, we have an active Patient Participation Group both online and in person and always welcome patients to join to help us improve our services.”