View Full Version : Is it worth complaining?
About my GP? This is the 2nd time in the past 12 months that they have failed to diagnose correctly or even close enough a condition.
If any of you remember about this time last year I had gone to hell and back when my partner got sick and ended up in hospital for an emergency operation. The GP could have diagnosed or even sent us to an emergency hospital appointment but failed to do so! In the end we went via ambulance to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a bowel obstruction and operated later on that day.
This year they again tried to convince me that I was suffering from gastroenteritis even though I had none of the common symptoms AND there were obvious signs that this was not as simple as that! Again it was only after my firm request that they run tests and again it was me repeatedly asking to be refered to a specialist.
In the end this was done and I am now diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis!!! If I hadn't applied that much pressure to them this could have got worse to the extent of Crown Syndrome and this would then have devastating effects in my life!
Needless to say I have lost all confidence in them and from now on I will have to be asking them for tests and referrals! BUT should they actually continue working like this??
gettin2dizzy
23-03-09, 01:37 PM
Change your surgery, and ask another GP for his views. It's much easier to diagnose with hindsight ;)
Indeed mate in hindsight it's very easy to diagnose :)
In my partners case the only question that was asked by the doctors in hospital was "When was the last time you went to the loo".......answer was 4 days ago...."OK then seems like we have an obstruction in the bowel lets get it checked".
What you know after that hey presto! Diagnosis done, operated, week down the line all sorted!!
In my case it was text book! They didn't even examine me.....and there is only one way this examination can be done!!!
But it seems like it is time we change surgery
gettin2dizzy
23-03-09, 01:48 PM
GPs can be awful. I had the unfortunate job of working with them once, and my god are they difficult.
Your area PCT will have someone you can phone up or write to, who deals solely with complaints. These things are always investigated, so maybe worth a shot.
Write a letter of complaint and say why you are changing GP's, then hopefully they should be given some feedback.
gruntygiggles
23-03-09, 02:13 PM
I would go via your local PCT as G2D has said. You do need to take some action here as sometimes people in any profession don't know they have done something wrong and so, will not know to be more vigilant in the future. After my cousin died, the GP that referred her to an eating disorder clinic was later suspended. The referral would have come through after she passed away so a fat lot of good that did. We, as a family chose not to pursue anything, but that doctor wrote the nicest letter to my auntie apologising and saying that she would make it her personal mission to change the way eating disorders are dealt with in the NHS and we since learned that she has indeed stuck to her word.
It's very hard for doctors to diagnose some illnesses, but where there seems to be a lack of willing or a failure to listen to and act upon a patients concerns, the patient should absolutely make an official complaint.
I would stay with your surgery. An odd example, but about 10 years ago, the RAC was featured in a special edition of watchdog that ran an undercover investigation into them using faulty equipment to check the charge in batteries. Quite a few ex employees stated that they were instructed to do this so that they could show that perfectly good batteries were in fact dead and sell new batteries, making more profit and taking the perfectly good batteries with them.
I had been with the AA, but after seeing that, I switched to RAC. They changed the management and were in a position where they could simply not afford to do anything but give the very best service in order to repair their reputation.
I have been with them ever since and I have always had fantastic service.
If you complain about your surgery or the particular doctors, you can rest assured that every time you go there in future, you will get the best possible care and referrals and so will all the other patients!
I'm sorry you and your wife have had such a rough time. Maybe now you can prevent it happening to others!
Thanks for your responses, I am trying to find a contact for the local PCT but have failed up to now :)
gruntygiggles - not my wife!! :) too young to get married yet LOL.....we have been together 5 years though........OH MY YOUTH HAS BEEN LOOOOOOOST!!!
gettin2dizzy
23-03-09, 02:24 PM
Mark Carroll
NHS Manchester
Mauldeth House
Mauldeth Road West
Manchester M21 7RL
Tel. 0161 958 4117
Email mark.carroll@manchester.nhs.uk (mark.carroll@manchester.nhs.uk?subject=Complaints %20Web%20Query)
Certainly complain, but do so in writing and to the correct people. Presumably lots of people complained about Stafford Hospital, but if you don't write it down and get it to the right people, you may as well not bother at all.
timwilky
23-03-09, 02:30 PM
Some years ago my sister in law was complaining weekly to her GP about headaches and the medication not helping, after 6 months or so he suggested she see a psychiatrist. She demanded a referral to a neurologist who conducted a couple of tests and she fell on the floor. So a CT ordered.
2 days after, her GP phoned her at work to tell her that the CT had identified a brain tumour that was the cause of her trouble. As you can imagine the poor girl was left at work, frightened and alone. My brother worked in London at the time, so my wife and I were the nearest support she had.
My brother immediately drove back from London. Saw his wife and straight down to the GP's for a "strong word or two". fortunately the GP was out on his rounds. He did have the good grace to then call at my brothers house that evening to explain everything.
She was a nurse, understood that they did not necassary think of tumours with a 24 yr old and did not wish to persue a negligence case. They did however change their doctor.
My friend did sue his GP when they gave his 6 yr old daughter Calpol when she was suffering from meningococcal meningitis and lost an arm&leg when early diagnosis would have made a full recovery
gruntygiggles
23-03-09, 02:37 PM
Thanks for your responses, I am trying to find a contact for the local PCT but have failed up to now :)
gruntygiggles - not my wife!! :) too young to get married yet LOL.....we have been together 5 years though........OH MY YOUTH HAS BEEN LOOOOOOOST!!!
Stretchie and I had only been together 2 months when the guy giving him an insurance quote marked me down his commonlaw wife because we were giving each other so much sh$t in banter...lol.
Anyway....G2D has given the address so get to it and good luck!
gettin2dizzy
23-03-09, 02:40 PM
One thing to remember though, is that GPs - regardless of how they're rewarded or how difficult they can be - have very very little time with each patient. You're a number to them (and not through their own doing) , long gone are the days when your GP would know you and live on the street corner.
A lot of their time is wasted on hypochondriacs and people who are a self-inflicted walking health hazard, looking for the note they need which says they don't need to work for a living.
Derail: Did you know the NHS is the largest employer in the world? Crazy.
gruntygiggles
23-03-09, 02:43 PM
One thing to remember though, is that GPs - regardless of how they're rewarded or how difficult they can be - have very very little time with each patient. You're a number to them (and not through their own doing) , long gone are the days when your GP would know you and live on the street corner.
A lot of their time is wasted on hypochondriacs and people who are a self-inflicted walking health hazard, looking for the note they need which says they don't need to work for a living.
Derail: Did you know the NHS is the largest employer in the world? Crazy.
Well then they can hurry up and give El Saxo a job so he can move to ours!
plowsie
23-03-09, 02:45 PM
Think about how an incorrect diagnosis could seriously affect someone...I would complain...
But...
600+ Ulcerative colitis, I have it. Its a bugger but it can be incorrectly diagnosed mate, its not as simple for diagnosis of it. I was diagnosed originally with gastorentoritis (sp?), then Crones, then eventually Ulcerative Colitis. Unfortunate I know, but it took them 2 years to get it right. As a kid I suffered seriously from age of 7 to 12 with it.
gettin2dizzy
23-03-09, 02:46 PM
Well then they can hurry up and give El Saxo a job so he can move to ours!
NHS HR on the other hand . . . Now they must be the most useless in the world. I had to be employed through an agency to make their life easier (i got the job outside the agency, I wasn't even on their books!). I wouldn't mind but I had to deal with the bills. I got HALF what the NHS paid the agency. Friggin' useless.
gettin2dizzy
23-03-09, 02:48 PM
600+ Ulcerative colitis, I have it. Its a bugger but it can be incorrectly diagnosed mate, its not as simple for diagnosis of it. I was diagnosed originally with gastorentoritis (sp?), then Crones, then eventually Ulcerative Colitis. Unfortunate I know, but it took them 2 years to get it right. As a kid I suffered seriously from age of 7 to 12 with it.
If my GP told me I had that, I'd sh*t myself :rolleyes:
I have contacted them and they referred me to ICAS
I will put in a complain as both of our conditions are commonly seen to people our age!
In fact with mine they have almost photographed me! 15-30 years old, no smoker, no drinker, high stress levels, got the religion right as well!! only thing missing was them telling me where my parents come from...
plowsie
23-03-09, 02:50 PM
If my GP told me I had that, I'd sh*t myself :rolleyes:
Ulcerative Colitis can make you do that mate. Unfortunately.
If you get it bad, trust me its not nice.
gettin2dizzy
23-03-09, 02:52 PM
In fact with mine they have almost photographed me! 15-30 years old, no smoker, no drinker, high stress levels, got the religion right as well!! only thing missing was them telling me where my parents come from...
Yeah, those skinny jeans can give a bit too much away sometimes :rolleyes:
Ulcerative Colitis can make you do that mate. Unfortunately.
I know ;) It was a lame joke. Don't expect anything better from me! :smt026
Think about how an incorrect diagnosis could seriously affect someone...I would complain...
But...
600+ Ulcerative colitis, I have it. Its a bugger but it can be incorrectly diagnosed mate, its not as simple for diagnosis of it. I was diagnosed originally with gastorentoritis (sp?), then Crones, then eventually Ulcerative Colitis. Unfortunate I know, but it took them 2 years to get it right. As a kid I suffered seriously from age of 7 to 12 with it.
Initial diagnosis was gastroenteritis! This is a bug and if you have it you will have pains, throwing up, fever possibly and other people around you will get it as well. It also shows on tests!! Also there is no loss of blood!!
Crones is a serious thing!! Means your bowl is always inflamed!!!! Hence you have to go to the loo very often and also your body doesn't keep hold of the food nutrients (this is what the bowl does....or sort of).
Ulcerative Colitis is a very very mild form of Crones which is treatable if caught at an early stage. It also depends on the individual.
The correct form of investigation to all these is blood tests, stool tests and if all clear then colonoscopy - this will give you all the answers basically!!
plowsie
23-03-09, 02:56 PM
Initial diagnosis was gastroenteritis! This is a bug and if you have it you will have pains, throwing up, fever possibly and other people around you will get it as well. It also shows on tests!! Also there is no loss of blood!!
Crones is a serious thing!! Means your bowl is always inflamed!!!! Hence you have to go to the loo very often and also your body doesn't keep hold of the food nutrients (this is what the bowl does....or sort of).
Ulcerative Colitis is a very very mild form of Crones which is treatable if caught at an early stage. It also depends on the individual.
The correct form of investigation to all these is blood tests, stool tests and if all clear then colonoscopy - this will give you all the answers basically!!
Ahh yes but my problems were very alike to Crones which is why they got me wrong. Blood in stools etc, toilet every 10 mins.
They tried me on all sorts, I was on 8 steroids in the morning 8 in the evening, at the height of the ilness, my main GP at John Ratcliffe went nuts at this, told me my back would be toast by the time i was 20. Gluten free bread etc.
I'm on steroids as well mate, not that strong though! at least they started treating you for something close to UC and they didn't sent you home like they tried doing with me
plowsie
23-03-09, 03:12 PM
I'm on steroids as well mate, not that strong though! at least they started treating you for something close to UC and they didn't sent you home like they tried doing with me
Oh they did, it took me to you know what all over the bathroom before they actually kept me in the hospital (I lost a lot of blood) and operated to find out what was going on. At first they had no clue and just dismissed me everytime saying tummy bug.
I was on per morning and per dinner - 1 1/2 Azathiaprine
3 Mezalazine
8 steroids.
I weighed 4 stone for a long time. Now look at me and you wouldn't believe it.
It's bloody Dairy that starts me off.
i'm on mezalazine as well and prednosolone
I wish I knew what started me off :( Just like that out of the blue!!
plowsie
23-03-09, 03:22 PM
i'm on mezalazine as well and prednosolone
I wish I knew what started me off :( Just like that out of the blue!!
Have they not informed you what it is?
My personal experiences as a kid and up to now really, is get booked into Dr Sullivan at the John Ratcliffe in Oxford. If I get inflamation at all and similar symptoms as I used to, I have to go immediately.
I am seeing the specialist on the 8th of April and he will be giving me the rest of the information then.
apparently is very mild case so should be treated and hopefully never come back again
do you still get it?
plowsie
23-03-09, 03:30 PM
I am seeing the specialist on the 8th of April and he will be giving me the rest of the information then.
apparently is very mild case so should be treated and hopefully never come back again
do you still get it?
I do, thing is with it, it's an indefinite lasting illness. Can be months, can be years, can be life.
I know I can control it now* though so I just head off to the quacks and get a prescription.
*touch wood.
Gazza77
23-03-09, 03:31 PM
Derail: Did you know the NHS is the largest employer in the world? Crazy.
Not actually true, but not a million miles off. ;)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article1050197.ece
deff complain mate.
im in the middle of writing a complaint about my local hospital in the way i was treated and to top it off when i asked for the name and address to write to alone with the complaint leaftlet, because i had my son with me they saw it nessorsry to step into my life with social services as they gave me some very very wrong advise in regards to tempurters and colds etc, and missed some basic sings to help me get the correct treatment, i got treated in a hospital 20 miles out of town in under 20 mins and got the correct treatment.
but complain and you will get the stupid letter back saying they did nothing wrong, and then complain they have not listened to your complaint and do what i plan get it in the press
I do, thing is with it, it's an indefinite lasting illness. Can be months, can be years, can be life.
I know I can control it now* though so I just head off to the quacks and get a prescription.
*touch wood.
nice! I've spoken to a few people that got it once and since then it's never come back so I'm being positive thinking that since it has been what I can only describe as a mild case it will never come back once its gone
gettin2dizzy
23-03-09, 03:49 PM
Not actually true, but not a million miles off. ;)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article1050197.ece
That's 5 years old ;) But may be wrong yeah. :lol:
plowsie
26-03-09, 09:27 AM
Would you believe it, I'm ill with it again...
oh no! just like that out of the blue?
plowsie
26-03-09, 12:11 PM
Yup, last night I felt awful, my stomach starting giving m the pains etc, not like a normal stomach ache, up all night, not as bad as before when I was a kid, I often get this, lasts couple of days. Annoying more than anything.
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