2026-07-09 11:02:15
A grandmother who cut her finger while preparing lunch was left stunned after claiming she was told to call 999 because neither her local pharmacy nor GP surgery could help.
Pauline Shillito, 84, sliced her finger while cutting a melon at her home in Lydd, Kent. Although the injury was minor, the wound continued to bleed because she takes blood-thinning medication.
According to the Mirror, Mrs Shillito walked to her nearby Well Pharmacy hoping someone could clean the cut and apply a plaster.
She told the publication: “But the pharmacist said, ‘We don’t deal with blood.’
“So then I went to the GP, but the receptionist said, ‘We have no nurse on duty today,’ and told me to call 999.
“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.”
Pharmacist Tunde Odelade claimed the pharmacy was unable to treat the injury because staff were not trained or insured to deal with bleeding wounds.
He said: “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.”
Mrs Shillito said she also visited Orchard House GP Surgery, where she was allegedly told there was no nurse on duty and advised to call 999.
Fortunately, a neighbour spotted the pensioner walking home in tears and came to her rescue.
The grandmother explained: “She saw me crying with a piece of blood-soaked kitchen towel around my finger and helped me. She cleaned my finger and put a plaster on it. I’m just lucky I have good neighbours.”
A spokesperson for Invicta Health, which operates Orchard House Surgery, said it could not comment on individual cases because of patient confidentiality, but said the practice is committed to directing patients to the most appropriate healthcare service based on their clinical needs.
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