MY trust in family doctors has been dented.

My partner, who is no surgery lizard, was taken ill and normally refuses to go to the GP, so he must have felt rough when he paid a visit for the first time in probably eight years.

On being diagnosed with a "diarrhoeal illness" he took to his bed but went gradually worse.

Five days later on Bank Holiday Monday he was in agony. I was forced to ring the emergency doc who refused to come out for his symptoms but said he'd see him later at the surgery.

I was forced to drag my patient out of bed despite protestations and take him on a long, painful drive to see the doctor who immediately called me in to tell me he was too sick to go home. Within hours he was undergoing major surgery for a perforated bowel with complications.

I made my feelings known, but it infuriates me when I think that time wasters who call out emergency doctors for petty reasons could have put a life at risk.