SouthDoc phone line

kampik

I just rang SouthDoc because friend of mine was asking me for an advise where to go for treatment of possible finger fracture. I wasn't sure if he can be treated in SouthDoc or only in the hospital for fractures so I decided to pop a quick question to the operator if they treat fractures.
I was refused the answer until I told her all details about the patient(luckily I kept him on the other phone) DOB, address, name. Then she asks whats wrong with him and that they will ring back without telling me if they can do x-rays or not.

I know that she was following a procedure,but is it really necessary for such a query?

If I didn't have him on other line, it would cost her time for two phone-calls.

Ps: the reason why I was ringing instead of him: I thought that I will find the right place for him faster with better english than just sending him the numbers to places

CharlieCroker

She's a call taker, nothing more. She passes the details onto the nurse/doctor on call

She's not qualified (or insured, I'd imagine) to provide any kind of advice or information, medical or otherwise.

IsaacWunder

South Doc, like other out of hours GP services, is a cooperative service with different doctors doing shifts. The service is not as homogenous as ambulance, etc. One doctor might be differently prepared to carry out procedures that another might do (within reason, obviously) so the operators have to accommodate that.