K W.
Avoid
I went to Spa Medica in Birkenhead for a cataract operation assessment. What a dreadful experience. I am a wheelchair user and this ‘clinic’ as they described themselves to me, seems to have attitudes towards disabled customers right out of the 1970’s. I say customers, as my impression is they operate a conveyor belt to process as many customers as possible without any inconvenience. The receptionist was hidden behind a high screen and couldn’t see me until I moved myself some yards away when she expressed surprise to see me. They knew my circumstances and I was on time for my appointment but to no avail. After waiting past my appointment time, I was taken to a room for tests. Two people who were dressed as nurses were in the room. One completely ignored me, the other unsmiling one asked me to get into a chair. I explained that I couldn’t, but suggested moving the chair for me to occupy the space. I was told the chair didn’t move. Very odd ,as it didn’t appear to be fixed to the floor. I explained I had had numerous eye tests at the local hospital and they simply moved the chair. Magically, the chair did move and I occupied the space for my eye test. Then the nurse measured my eye pressures. Again, I have had this done countless times without difficulty. Unfortunately, she did have difficulty, and kept asking me to open my eyes wider. The problem was that she was touching my eyelashes with the equipment causing me to blink. Eventually she managed it. After this I returned to the waiting area. After a few minutes I was called into a room by a young lady who described herself as ‘the Optom’. I took this to mean she was an optometrist. She then said she couldn’t examine me as I wouldn’t be able to get onto a bed for the operation when I went for it. I reassured her that I had no difficulty in getting on a bed, explaining that transferring on to a plinth was not a problem. She then told me Spa Medica was ‘only a clinic’ and doesn’t have the same facilities as a hospital for wheelchair users, so she would refer me back to the hospital. She did say I could have a ‘bed assessment’ if I was prepared to come back, or wait until the end of the afternoon when everyone had gone. I declined this offer. I guess Spa Medica is alright if you are a routine patient with a straightforward need for cataract removal. If you’re not, forget it. On balance I feel like I had a lucky escape.