'I needed urgent surgery, but got heartburn pills'

A man had emergency surgery on an "exploded" appendix, a day after his GP practice sent him home with a prescription for indigestion tablets.

Chris Feast, 75, said he had been examined by an advanced nurse practitioner at Drs Reddy & Nunn in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, who found no signs of appendicitis.

However, he required surgery the following day and said he had been told he should have left the doctor's surgery in an ambulance.

Drs Reddy & Nunn said it was "not appropriate" to comment on individual cases, but many patients had "positive experiences" at the surgery.

Mr Feast was given a same-day appointment at the GP surgery on 10 September for abdominal pain and nausea.

He told the advanced nurse practitioner he had a hiatus hernia, but the pain he was suffering was much lower in the body.

He said the nurse had given him a physical examination, including the part of the abdomen called McBurney's point, where extreme pain can suggest appendicitis.

Mr Feast said: "She stuck her finger in an area I now know is the McBurney's point and literally I took off. I could have reached the ceiling.

"She said, 'OK put your shirt on, if it gets worse go to hospital. In the meantime, I'll give you this prescription', which turned out to be for heartburn."

Mr Feast was unable to eat or sleep, so drove himself to Scarborough Hospital the next morning.

He was told he had perforated acute appendicitis and needed emergency surgery to remove his burst appendix and clean away infection, which had spread inside his abdomen.

According to Mr Feast, the consultant surgeon told him his appendix had "exploded" and he should not have come out of the GP surgery "without being in an ambulance".

The NHS website describes appendicitis as swelling and infection in part of the bowel.

It lists common symptoms as pain in the lower right side of the abdomen, feeling or being sick, and loss of appetite.

The condition requires urgent treatment in hospital, or the appendix can burst and cause peritonitis, an infection of the internal organs that can be life-threatening if not treated.

Mr Feast said the surgeon had told him "it could have been extremely serious".

He said he had been left with five scars "because they more or less had to get in with a hose and brush and wash the entire belly out to get rid of the infection".

"I hate to think what might have happened if I'd have said I'll just hang on another day or two," he added.

Mr Feast wrote to the practice to raise his concerns, but only received a full response after the BBC contacted the GP surgery.

In the response, the advanced nurse practitioner said: "Bowel sounds were normal and there was no rigidity. If he had presented with signs of appendicitis, I would have signposted him to A&E."

Mr Feast said: "I'm not interested in solicitors and compensation, I just want someone to say, 'yes there was a problem, we ought to look at it', otherwise somebody else is going to end up perhaps worse than I was."

In a statement to the BBC, Drs Reddy & Nunn said: "It is not appropriate for us to comment on individual cases, particularly in circumstances where a complaint has been made and a response provided."

Many patients had "positive experiences" at the surgery, as recognised by a recent Healthwatch report and by a government minister during a debate in Parliament, the statement added.

The NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, which supports GP practices, said advanced nurse practitioners were "highly trained and highly skilled", and "an integral part of a GP practice's clinical team".

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.