Would you take this further?

[teacherlikesapples]

I made an appointment with my GP to chat about planning a future pregnancy. I have had some health issues in the past, so was needing to get a range of blood tests to establish current health before conceiving.

I told the GP that I had mumps as a child, and unsure whether I ever had the MMR vaccination & am unable to check my records (due to complicated reasons/having lived in a few other countries) so asked my Dr if I could get a blood test to check if I had immunity to Rubella. It was my understanding, from my research, that Rubella could be dangerous during pregnancy.

The Dr signed off on the other blood tests, but said there was no blood test to check for rubella immunity. I questioned this as I has just read about it on the NHS website. He assured me, that there was no test.

After I left I looked it up again and saw, sure enough- a blood test for rubella immunity is recommended. So I wrote to the surgery, saying I am concerned that a GP is giving out misinformation. I said luckily I have access to my own resource/information so was able to question this- but others may not.

A few months later they have finally replied saying that they have investigated my complaint, that I misunderstood the GP, he meant they don't test for Mumps/measles immunity and he did actually print me the blood test request for the rubella immunity- it just didn't print out with the other one he gave me... for some unknown reason

So, obviously I can ensure that I get the tests I need, so I am not concerned about myself here. I am also sure that this Dr won't make this mistake again, I just feel if it had have been someone less confident/with less access to information- they would never have questioned this Dr.

I also feel that I have been fobbed off with a story that doesn't really ring true- making me feel my concerns haven't really been taken seriously.

Am I making a big deal out of nothing? Should I just take this "sorry you misunderstood" letter and let it go?

What do you hope to achieve by taking it further?

I'm not happy that the Dr has essentially lied to cover his arse. Makes me feel quite uneasy. Should I just assume he has learnt his lesson? I guess there is really nothing else to be achieved. The whole thing just annoys me!

If you still don't feel comfortable about it then do what you need to do to feel reassured. If I were in your shoes I would contact them again, in writing, and request to see a different doctor as you are not satisfied with this outcome. You can ask this doctor to check your record to make sure everything you were told you were testing for was. If you fear that doctor will cover up for the other, which is understandable, you always have the option of moving surgeries. Your records will be moved across and they new GP can check. Or, you could ask for a copy of your medical record but you have to pay an admin fee.

I don't think any of these things are unreasonable. It's your peace of mind about your health and that of any baby you may have.

Yes it would annoy me too. But you have raised it, and he probably won't make the same mistake again.

I would ask to see a different GP in future, just to make the point.