A HORRIFIED gran has told how her granddaughter was refused medical treatment in Largs after a dog bit through her ear.

Wilma Rodger told how the youngster was directed by staff at Brooksby Medical Centre to Inverclyde Hospital's accident and emergency department despite suffering serious injuries to her face in the attack.

The 68-year-old is calling for a minor injuries clinic to be established in the town to deal with similar emergencies.

She said: "The dog bit through her ear by the dog and her forehead was also pierced.

"We knew she would be left waiting hours in Greenock, it felt like we had nowhere to turn for the urgent help we needed."

Wilma says she is 'totally disgusted' at the way she was treated.

She added: “I phoned the surgery only to be told that the doctor does not deal with such injuries and to go to A&E, where my granddaughter would not have been viewed as a priority.

“We have been told only to go to hospital right now if a condition is life-threatening, which we knew it wasn't, so what were we supposed to do?"

Wilma says her granddaughter had to wait three days to be seen and was then given a course of antibiotics.

She believes it would have been a simple task for the surgery to assess her granddaughter at the time and is calling for a minor injuries clinic in the town to deal with similar issues.

Wilma said: “Luckily our new neighbour is a nurse and she had a look and gave us help with treatment, for which we are really grateful.

“A clinic in Largs could have looked at the bite and assessed the severity of it at the time.

“I have never had any bother with the Largs surgery until this. All I wanted was a doctor or nurse to look at the wound to see how bad it was and if my granddaughter needed to go to hospital.

“Surely in a town the size of Largs there is a case for having a minor injuries surgery to help relieve pressure on our hospitals.”

Craig McArthur is the director of the local Health & Social Care Partnership.

He said: “NHS Ayrshire & Arran is working closely with GP practices across the area to ensure patients receive right care in the right place.

“When patients contact the GP practice, depending on the patient’s need, staff may choose to direct the patient to a scheduled appointment at the nearest minor injuries unit.

“This allows families and the urgent care services to plan ahead. If the injury is more significant, the GP practice can refer directly to the emergency department.

“For patients who need urgent emergency care, such as broken bones, head injuries or suspected heart attacks, they can still go straight to the emergency department or call 999 for an ambulance if it is felt appropriate.”