A FATHER has blasted the delay in issuing his four-year-old daughter with a vital prescription by a doctor’s surgery.

Tim Rogers, of Herring’s Way, Fordham, was issued with a prescription for antibiotics for daughter Aimee after visiting a specialist at Colchester General Hospital.

He said: “She has had problems with urine infections so she is one two types of medication, the main one being antibiotics.

“The one she needs is a sleeping dose and she has it once at night to keep the infection away whilst it heals.

“We saw a specialist at Colchester General Hospital who said the previous antibiotics were not the right ones and therefore she must go on this new one.

“The problem seems to be that this brand of antibiotics is £500 a bottle.”

Mr Rogers was told to collect the prescription from Abbeyfields Medical Centre, in Ypres Road, Colchester, however the surgery had the prescription for ten days without it being issued.

He continued: “Since she came off the antibiotics she has been ill.

“The bottom line is that it was a repeat prescription and all a doctor had to do was sign it and check it.

“It is on my daughters doctors notes that she needed it and my wife went in and gave them the prescription.

“They are putting a price on my daughter’s health and she is only four years old.”

After Mr Rogers contacted the hospital's Patient Advice and Liaison Service, Abbeyfields Medical Centre agreed to issue the prescription as a one off and Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust has agreed to pick it up going forward.

Dr Max Hickman from the North East Essex CCG said: "We cannot comment on individual cases. The decision to prescribe medication is made by a patient's GP in conjunction with a patient, their guardian or their carer.

“If a prescription has been written by a hospital clinician it should be dispensed by the hospital pharmacy.

“Often these are specialist drugs and the GP might not be aware why the drug was prescribed in the first place unless they have received written notification by the specialist."