GP bollocked me for a Facebook comment

[Lliria]

So, I don't know if I ll be the only one but basically my GP used my telephone consult to bollock me for a comment I made on FB.
Like all local FB groups there's always a whinge topic and even though our GP practice is very good sometimes the 7am App for making appointments just doesn't work so by the time I can call though all the appointments have gone sometimes by 9am. So I commented on a post that was already running about this- nothing mean just agreeing..
Weeks later I managed to book a phone consult off the 7am App. The GP called at 7.20 then 2 minutes into the chat had a proper go at me about my comment and said I'd hurt people's feelings etc.
I was shocked that a medical professional sabotaged my appointment to do this.
What I wrote in my private life has nothing to do with my medical consult - surely
Why is he reading through everyone s comments then using his position to say something ?
I feel it's inappropriate.
I've never even seen him as a patient.
I'm actually quite upset and feel I've taken the can for the other 62 people that made comments that day.
Maybe he was stressed but it's not ethical is it ?

I don’t think it is inappropriate. You made a derogatory comment on a public forum. Your GP has every right to say how that has made people feel and an appointment is the time to do it. Do you really think they should take extra time out of their enormously busy schedules to contact you to say something? Slagging off GPs seems to have become a national pastime but everyone is aware about funding problems, lack of doctors, increase in demand and so on. If you have a problem with the practice then complain to the practice manager or mention it to the GP during your appointment.

Having said all that, I’d find a 7am app ridiculously early as, unless you’ve been unwell the night before, you might not even realise something is a problem. Mine does a 8am-10am triage phone call system which works really well but they will also take urgent calls outside of that time.

The GP was unprofessional in what he did.

If I am honest though, I have little sympathy for you. Those who can dish out the complaints on Facebook are usually the same people who have difficulty accepting criticism.

He should not have done that during your appointment, very unprofessional.

If they had a problem with your Facebook post then they should have contacted you separately, or sent out a general email to all their patients about it.

I agree with writing to the Practice Manager. I was in a telephone consultation with a GP I never met. I very briefly spoke about some serious trauma I had experienced (relevant to the call) and the GP piped up that I had made them feel uncomfortable, so I ended up apologising! I told them if they feel uncomfortable listening to it, how do they think I feel having gone through it!
Afterwards, I flagged this with the Practice Manager. They said they would follow up, but never got back to me....
However, it's good to have a record on file.

If they are not addressing or responding to concerns raised privately, then they have to expect some criticism of that.

The fact that you weren't a clinician talking to a patient is really significant here. It's just not appropriate for the issue to have ever even been raised.

OP

Seriously, you sure it the THE Doc???

Workmates of mine rang another work friend pretending to be from the environment dept and told our friend to be more responsible for her dog when out in public. We were there when she came of the phone and did she rant and started blaming everyone down her road for reporting her "lovely" dog. The dog is one of those little ankle snappers someone told me. We told her about 10 mins later she saw the funny side

So could it be a joke by a friend or a pretend friend?

We don't know what was actually said, because we haven't been told. A case of reserving judgment, I'd say, as I think there's more to this than first appears.

It is very relevant. If the doctor said I understand from your facebook post that you aren't happy with our system I can't see any problem with that. The question is was it a bollocking which would be inappropriate.

Surely the app is working if all the appointments are filled? Presumably the issue is there aren't enough appointments and OP didn't get one. The same thing happens with dentists, there are x amount of appointments on offer and once they are filled the dentist can't see more people.

This is entirely unprofessional of him. It wasn't like OP was personally slagging him or any gp at the practice, it was a comment about the booking system which the practice manager should have taken on board, and looked at ways to improve.
And that should have been the end of it.

GP surgeries are businesses, and ones we all fund. Unfortunately because they are free at the point of use, some people seem to think they are doing us a favour and are thus beyond critisism.

It's a big problem. The appointment is there to deal with the medical issue, nothing else, and there is a professional duty of care here. No examples are comparable if they don't include a clinician and patient relationship.

Additionally, if GP time is that scarce it shouldn't be wasted on something that the non-clinical staff could deal with. It was completely inappropriate all round.

So in answer to your question, no the GP shouldn't have done this. It is not professional and is completely outside of his job description. Not to mention he had no confirmation it was even you (even with an uncommon name, he's never met you before so how could he know it's you?) And to use a phone call for medical reasons to do so is disgraceful.
Regardless of what you wrote, how hard work has been etc it is not his place to do so.

In fact other than a comment being reported to the police and then contacting you (if it had been a malicious comment of course) then no one from the practice can contact you as it is in breach of GDPR.

I would be making a complaint to the surgery that this has happened. Also, if you can keep a screenshot of what you said in order to add that to the complaint to show that whilst agreeing you actually had good things to say about the practice.

It doesn't matter how under pressure we are, or how bad a rep we have withing the NHS (I've been a HCSW for 20 years so fully appreciate this), you never berate your patients for their social media use. I'd even be curious to see what their social media policy is because I'm sure this may even be covered, not to raise issues with things you read on social media.

Who put you in charge? If there is an issue that is affecting the doctor patient relationship I don't think it is inappropriate to discuss it like two adults. Moaning on facebook and saying you've been bollocked isn't very grown up behaviour.

If you have a problem with the practice then complain to the practice manager or mention it to the GP during your appointment.

This, too, would be really inappropriate. A medical appointment isn't the time for either party to address general gripes about the service.

But she didn't criticise a person. She made a comment that the appointment system made it difficult to get an appointment. Where are you getting the idea she criticised a person?

Where are you getting the idea she criticised a person?

About 70% of the posters on here don't read the OP properly and then just make shit up and project wildly.

If the app works, and it must if the appointments were all filled, then what do you expect the PM to do? Magic up extra appointments? Make doctors work round the clock if that's what it takes? Recruit more doctors when they are already struggling to recruit?

The OP didn't get an appointment so she says the app doesn't work, a few weeks later she uses the app and gets an appointment at 7.20. Where is the evidence that the app isn't working?

Where is the evidence the GP bollocked her? From what she has told us the GP told her people were upset, maybe he ranted at her and was rude, maybe he just told her people were upset and she didn't like it.

Your 'who put you in charge' comment is silly for multiple reasons. The first is that, as you're also stating an opinion, it could as easily be levelled at you. The second is that you can't possibly think the existence of clinicians duty of care was the doing of anyone on Mumsnet. The third is that GP appointment capacity is also not the doing of anyone on Mumsnet.

The 'grown up' part is a goalpost move and has nothing to do with GP appointment capacity, duty of care or whether your analogy was comparable.

You're right. I'm also wondering, if there was a discussion with multiple people, how often the GP might have done this and how much NHS appointment time has it taken up?

I actually wished more people were pulled up for comments they make online.... I think its great that someone reputable like Drs do it too as people might listen and their words be more impactful. He probably had to listen to the reception/admin staff be upset over the post you felt the need to comment on.

I also find it funny that you felt the need to comment on a local facebook post being a keyboard warrior about something rather than engage with the service itself and then when your public words was pulled up on, it annoyed you. If you can't deal with the consequences of your words on line maybe scroll on down next time.

Whether or not people agree with the doctor being angry, it doesn't matter.

This was (I assume) an NHS appointment funded for medical purposes. The doctor had no right to use that time to do something so unprofessional and that had nothing to do with what you were there for. I would say you need to report this doctor if you haven't already.

He can read the comments and get as annoyed as he wants, but he's being paid to act in a professional manner for a medical appointment, this was completely out of order.

Again, ridiculous post. The op has a right to complain on a public forum. This is 2024, why do you need to be so deferential to a Gp?

If you make comments on social media on any type of service or business you should be prepared to be held accountable for them,

if your comments are valid then you explain this and stand by them,

I don't see the issue in this being raised when the doctor had the opportunity to.

You told me my example of people misusing the word bollocking wasn't relevant, I gave an example not an opinion which is different to you telling me I'm wrong. Appointment capacity has everything to do with it, the app worked, the appointments were booked. The OP not getting one of the available appointments does not mean the app isn't working.

If the app really isn't working it is something he should address if it is having an adverse effect on his patient, he might be able to change it or he might make her less stressed about it if he explains the issue.

Completely unprofessional of the doctor. It was complaining about the appointment system, not complaining about a person and the OP has every right to highlight the problems if she wants to. Massive over reaction of the doctor and odd that he's tracking Facebook. The correct response, if he cares so much about Facebook posts, is to look at the appointment system and assess if the complaints are valid. Our GP has changed the system several times in the last few years in response to feedback - they don't take it personally and have a good record of acknowledging the issues which does tend to take the wind out of peoples sails.