A WOMAN left devastated after being diagnosed with a rare, debilitating disease has hit out at the care she received from a Bradford GP surgery.

The woman, in her 40s, and who has asked not to be named, has had to undergo gruelling chemotherapy-based treatment for dermatomyositis, which affects only six to eight people out of 100,000.

The condition is usually caused by an underlying problem with the immune system and affects the muscles.

Her ordeal began in late 2017 when she was hit by two flu attacks and then going into the New Year, she began to get viral infections at least twice a month.

The woman, on the advice of her GP at Farrow Medical Centre, Otley Road, began to record her periods of illness and went back in the Autumn to see if a blood test could be carried out.

But to her dismay, she received a letter from the practice, which was recently rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission, on October 11 which said her request for a referral to further investigate her continued viral infections was discussed, but "we all felt that further investigation was not necessary or warranted".

It added: "It is part of our role as General Practitioners to make sure NHS resources are used appropriately".

The woman says she got a blood test referral, but then received another letter, which said: "You have been dismissive of advice from the doctors and demanding in terms of what you feel you are personally entitled to from our practice."

The woman, who says she was fit and healthy before being struck down, says her blood test results showed inflammation, but claims no further action was taken, and decided to change to a different practice.

She says the new surgery requested an immediate blood test and signed her off work for four weeks.

During her ordeal, she also had stints at hospital, but eventually decided to turn to a private doctor at the Yorkshire Clinic in Bingley.

"This doctor thought I needed urgent care and fast tracked my treatment," she said.

She was prescribed steroids, had a blood test, then had a biopsy and MRI scan and then received her diagnosis, before beginning her treatment in January.

"I went blank," the woman said. "I could not work, I was bed ridden."

At her worst she said she thought she was "going to die".

She said: "The whole situation, I feel numb. I still can't get over what's happened and what's still happening to me.

"I think about it all the time, I'm that depressed about it, that upset about it. I've no life."

She believes the practice should have intervened earlier with preventative measures.

"Patients know their body, listen to the patient," she said.

A practice spokesperson said: "We take patient concerns and complaints extremely seriously, however we are unable to comment on specific concerns due to patient confidentiality.

"Please be assured that robust reporting procedures exist within Farrow Medical Centre to ensure that we learn from the experiences of our patients in order to continuously improve the service we deliver."