mr & mrs carlos uk300

Just wondering if anyone has had to make a complaint about their GP and what was the outcome.

I 'm seriously thinking of making a complaint towards my GP about the treatment he gave my 8yr old son on Wedensday afternoon (well the treatment he didn't provide).
My son was diagnosed with asthma when he was a baby, he's been fine for about 3yrs, so i assumed he'd grown out of it.
Up until now, he's suffered from realy bad hayfever this year and it seems to be affecting his chest, he's had a lot of bouts where he's been coughing, breathless and vomiting a frothy mucus caused by the coughing bouts, so i tried to get an appointment at the doctors but there was none available until 3days, so the reception said for me to take him after surgery for an emergency appointment.
Waited nearly an hour for him to be seen, which turned out to be a complete waste of time, he couldnt even be bothered to examine him, he simply asked what i was given him for the hayfever, which i said Piriton which wasn't working so he prescribed a bottle of Neoclariyton. I said my concern was his breathlessness and explained about him having asthma as a baby and if the hayfever could've triggered it off again, he replied with "he would need a full assesment to see if the asthma had returned, and didnt have time to do this" and i would need to make another appointment to bring him in to do this, ( the assesment is a case of blowing into a tube to check the oxygen levels which takes all of 2minutes) i was so appauled at this, i was lost for words.
So i had to go back to the reception to make another appointment with a DIFFERENT doctor, which i got for tuesday afternoon of next week, which i have now had to cancel because my son was rushed into hospital 12.30am this morning with another attack. After a quick examination a few puffs on an inhaler and a couple of hours wait just to make sure his breathing was back to normal we were allowed to bring him home at 3am this morning with a diagnoses of chest related hayfever ( an attack brought on by pollen on the chest).

I am just so angry with my GP and i knew the inhaler would have helped from the start, if he had bothered to examine him in then first place there would have been no need for my child to go through something as scarey as this.

So i'm just wondering wether it's going to be worth making a complaint or is it something that'll get brushed under the carpet.


Mrs C

jods

It's always alarming when one of your children suffers like this and, understandably, you were extremely concerned. The Dr however has probably seen dozens of cases and is less "Emotional" shall we say when faced with the same symptoms. This is actually probably a very good thing, I don't think I'd be happy being treated by s GP who goes into one at every symptom. I'd rather have a cool / rational approach.
(My father in Law has this week been diagnosed with Cancer - It has returned and as you can imagine we are all very concerned)

It is up to you about making a complaint, however I would take a while to consider things very calmly first.

It wasn't life threatening, although distressing and bear in mind that Dr's now have the right to remove "Troublesome" patients from their books. If you get the reputation for being a bit of a worrier who also goes nuclear on a Doc you may find yourself having to look further afield for service !

jasey

Sounds like you were on two waiting lists then back off them in double quick time.

New Labia's approach to the NHS wins again and your NHS Trusts targets are nearer being met.

There's only one way to solve this sort of bollox - the Ballot box .

Hope your son gets well soon .

TheBigMan

Doctors are rushed off their feet, have quotas, get sick of time wasters and hypochondriacs <spelling>. Not condoning his actions though, he seems somewhat unprofessional.

I needed an appointment for an issue in a compromising area - 3 weeks I had to wait ffs. It's bad generally.

Que - government bashing thread.

mr & mrs carlos uk300

The doctor probably does see patients everyday with the same symptoms, but i thought each patient was meant to be treat as an individual.
My child was having breathing diffucilties which in my eyes can be life threatening.

I'm not a mother who runs to the doctor everytime he has a snotty nose, infact i can't remember the last time he was there.

When the attack happened last night i first phoned NHS direct and they thought it was serious enough for an ambulance to be sent (they wouldn't even allow me to drive him there).
I told the doctors in the hospital about my visit to my GP, who shook their heads in disbelief so what does that tell you.

mr & mrs carlos uk300

I totally agree with you, but should everyone be tard with the same brush because of these sad little time wasters.
Had he took the time to examine my son and find nothing wrong with him then yeah fine he can chuck me off his list do what the hell he likes, but when my sons sitting in the sugery wheezing and got to swollen eyes like he's had around with Tyson, then i do expect him to be examined.

OllyK

The kid has swollen eyes and is wheezing. He has a history of asthma. The doctor correctly diagnosed pollen induced asthma an issued a script. What exactly is the problem other than him not being a clairvoyant and predicting the condition would later worsen?

TheBigMan

Yep. It's unprofessional and a sorry state of the current times.

jasey

The Boss's daughter had just be diagnosed with Glandular Fever.

Boss cam in a week ago and explained her daughter's symptoms to us. Me & a colleague said "sounds like Glandular Fever" (Swollen glands being the biggest give away and general lack of "energy").

Off she goes to the Doctor. Get's give some **** and bull and prescribed penicillen (sp?). Three days later daughter still ill she goes back and is told her daughter has Glandular fever.

Looks like Doctors are being taught by the same arsehole teachers churning out kids who can't spell / Add up and think the world insn't competitive.

mr & mrs carlos uk300

If you'd read the post's properly you would have read the hospital diagnosed pollen induced asthma, NOT the GP doctor, and a script for neo-c from the GP didnt exactly help with his breathing did it, otherwise he wouldnt have ended up in hospital. The hospital doctor perscribed him with an inhaler which has cleared his breathing STRAIGHT AWAY, so my point is why didnt the doctor examine him and do the same when he's had a history of asthma. Then we wouldn't have had to go through what we went through last night.

OllyK

Why did your boss bother going to the GP when you are obviously so much more knowledgeable than they are?

OllyK

Ahh I see. You child wasn't having an attack when he saw the GP, but you wanted him to give the same treatment that another doctor gave him several hours later when he was actually having an attack?

mr & mrs carlos uk300

Are you thick or something!! Your totaly missing the point. The doctor didn't examine his chest to see if his chest was clear or not or measure the level of oxygen, any decent doctor who reads a history of asthma of a patient, i would of thought would listen to a patients chest. If i'd gone and the doctor had examined him and then said his breathing was fine and he doesnt need an inhaler then fine, but because he didn't examine him he never knew how bad his chest was, pure laziness if you ask me

Anyhow who the **** are you! seems to me you must be a wannabe doctor know it all.

Abdabz

Hark & LOL at you ...
I think we'll find its the parents and not the teachers who are to blame for todays society... Despite my own sentiments on this issue, there are stats that show exam results improving every single year (even though I often argue they must be getting easier and I also hate new labia).
But hey, it would be all too easy to turn this into a thread about modern socio-economics and morals.

Mr & Mrs Carlos 300; Its a shame that the GP didnt take the two minutes to do a thorough test - but if you were to complain, I am pretty sure he will be able to substantiate his decision, (based on his schedule and the childs present symptoms) rendering the process useless...

I'd consider changing my gp if possible or making use of NHS walk in centres wherever possible in future.
P

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Just my two cents: If someone presents what looks like pollen induced breathing difficulties and has a history of Asthma -particularly a child who is likely to be very active- I'd be inclined to prepare for a worse case scenario and administer an inhaler as a precaution. I would have thought that was only good practice if you didn't have time to determine the extent of the problem via a more comprehensive examination.

Of course the Dr can't predict how things will turn out; it's always a question of probabilities, but if they're not performing a full diagnosis to make an educated guess on an outcome, then they should err on the side of caution IMHO.

A bit of a bedside manner wouldn't hurt when you're dealing with worried parents too!

If you're not happy, I would just ask to see another GP.

NS04

TheBigMan

Will anybody assist me opening the floodgates and battening down the hatches??

mr & mrs carlos uk300

Thankyou NS04, couldn't have worded it better myself

Abdabz

<<<duly assisted>>> - Abdabz runs for the hills

OllyK

And yet you were present at the time and didn't insist on having a more thorough examination at the time, but suddenly now feel he should have been more thorough? It's amazingly easy to be critical with hind sight.

No, but you seem to consider yourself better qualified to judge the treatement and diagnosis methods than a doctor. If you're not happy, complain by all means, or go to another doctor in future.

I'd be interested to hear the doctor's side of the story.

jasey

That's excatly what she said.

However I can't get my hands on the same drugs the Doctors can .

A better question would be Why are we paying these clueless fcukwits to be doctors when all they are qualified to be is school teachers ??

And yes - I do hope I dont get Ill - I'd have to get myself well or be seen by some **** more interested in getting me off their list than getting me well !

What I really want to know is where has all the money gone. Labour have doubled the spend on the NHS since coming to power and all the evidence I see is overworked, undertrained poor old soles given targets of clearing wait lists above preventing more serious problems (as was clearly the case im Mrs Carlos's son and probably the case in my Boses's daughters too !

Olly - You would appear to be a hospital administrator from your responses - maybe you could tell us where it's all gone ?

OllyK

But he did administer an appropriate script for hayfever - an anti-histimine which in thoery should have reduced the swelling and irritation and eased the breathing. What else should doctors give to patients "just in case". You treat the observable symptoms not "may be's".

I admit, from mr & mrs carlos uk300's POV it could have been handled differently / better. It's only becuase the prescribed medication didn't have the desired effect and the condition worsened that you're even hearing about this at all. You are getting one side of a story recounted by a distressed mother, I suspect the doctor would tell things a little differently.

OllyK

The money, I suspect has gone on more beauracracy and paying to magage and count targets rather than actually delivering a service.

Nope - just standing up for doctors, who on the whole, work bloody long hours for little or no thanks. A GP is "expected" to diagnose any and all ilnesses under the sun when they are allocated little more than a few minutes per patient to do so, on the whole I think they do a bloody good job.

TheBigMan

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

OllyK

A bit of both, in any profession you'll always find some substandard people and even the odd discrace - look at Shipman. The NHS does OK for funding, it's just mis-managed IMO.

The point I have been making in a round about way is that we are being told a story by one person, one that has emotional overtones for that person and as a result it may be getting slighty distorted (unintentionally). There seems to be issue of self guilt for not insisting on a better examination at that time being turned upon the doctor. I'm just not sure it is fair to hang the doctor out to dry at a SN kangaroo court without the doctor even being present

TheBigMan

Yep. Doctor was doing his job within the timeframe and parameters set by his "employer" for want of a better word.

jasey

You've been here long enough to know how it works.

String 'em up I say .

OllyK

True - so have NL, doesn't stop me trying to change things though, hey? Hope springs eternal!

jasey

NL are here to stay - we'd all better get used to it.

By the time the great unwashed are ready to get shot of NL this country will be completely f***ed

The Zohan

I am glad your son is ok

I have a much more distressing story that this whichh i cannot go into but the funeral of the young boy was last week. GP may be responsible in some way - IMHO

Report it, contact local papers and make an issue. If it its not the GP's fault then someone is to blame for not allowing enough time or too much workload or whatever but we keep being told things are getting better - well they are not IMHO!

OllyK

I have visions of the Winter 1978/9. It all goes round in circles. NL lied to get in, they are back to their old spend, spend, spend ways and it'll all go bang and the Tories will spend the next 10 years paying the debt off only for Labour to get back in again a fu*k the job up yet again.