A FRUSTRATED mum who was told she could not register her newborn daughter at the same doctors’ surgery as her has called the situation an “absolute nightmare”.

Vicky Cumby, 29, gave birth to her daughter Isabelle on June 16, and went to register her at Gillies Health Centre, in Sullivan Road, Brighton Hill, the week after to get her vaccination jabs.

However, when Miss Cumby spoke to the receptionist she was told she no longer lived in the catchment area and her daughter would not be registered, despite the 29-yearold and her 12-year-old son both being patients there for a number of years.

Miss Cumby had moved to her new address in Julius Close, Rooksdown two years ago, but was still a patient at Gillies, and had no issues with them until this point.

“I have been with Gillies for so long and my son is registered there as well,” said the mother-of-two.

“I thought it would be common sense for them to allow me to register Isabelle as well, but they just told me they can’t take her because we aren’t in the catchment area.

“During the pregnancy my midwife and my home visits were all through Gillies, but yet they wouldn’t allow me to register my daughter, I just couldn’t believe they wouldn’t help a minor.”

Now eight weeks old, Isabelle still has not had any vaccination jabs, and Miss Cumby herself hasn’t had the correct post-natal care since giving birth, after she decided to leave the surgery.

She has been looking for other GP surgeries in the town to register, but has found it difficult to get an appointment. 

She added: “I tried the Rooksdown surgery and they were very honest and said it would be a long time before they would be able to see me, same with the one in South Ham.

“Up until this there have been no problems with Gillies.

“Okay, the odd wait for an appointment but you can deal with that, but this was just ridiculous.

“It has been a really difficult time. 

“I have a child that is still very vulnerable and they are making my life a lot more stressful,” added Miss Cumby.

Finally Miss Cumby managed to register at Crown Heights, which on Tuesday gave Isabelle her six-week check-up, despite it being two weeks late, and has booked Isabelle in for her jabs on August 18, by which time she will be 10-weeks-old.

“I know Crown Heights has had its own issues recently, but they have been really helpful,” added Miss Cumby.

“Things are finally falling into place but I should not have had to be put through all this straight after having a newborn child.”

Gillies said that its staff inform pregnant women as early on in the pregnancy as possible that if they have moved out of the catchment they may need to register elsewhere. But Miss Cumby claims she was not given this information.

A spokeswoman for Gillies said: “There is at present a national shortage of GPs and we are doing our best to provide a service to our patients.

“It is our policy not to register new patients from outside our practice boundary. This includes newborn babies.

“It is our policy to inform women of this as early in their pregnancy as possible. This gives them time to register with a practice closer to where they live, and where their baby can also be registered.”