or was the doc right to refuse a home visit?

[2plus2more]

OK, so today my youngest (7 months) daughter's temperature kept spiking up to 39.5-40C and calpol was only keeping it down for about 2 hours before it started to rise again. She's also got an awful cough and cold which has been ongoing for 2-3 weeks, but today was the first time her temp has been bad. Normally I would call the docs and ask for a same day appointment and then drive down whenever the appointment was. Unfortunately that wasn't possible today because yesterday I fell on the stairs and ended up in hospital. Nothing broken thankfully but I have bruised my ribs and some muscles in my back so am unable to drive. TBH, I am struggling to move at all and even holding the babies is incredibly painful, so getting the buggy out and walking the 40min walk to the surgery with 4 kids was just not an option either. So anyway, I phoned the docs, explained the situation and asked if we could have a home visit. They said "no" because they "don't do home visits for babies". They said my daughter did need to be seen though so I would have to work out a way of getting there. I explained that it just wasn't possible as I couldn't walk or drive, I have no family who could take us, none of my neighbours have a big enough car to take me and all 4 of the kids and my husband works an hour's drive away from home (depending on traffic) and was uncontactable anyway because of meetings. They still refused because they "don't do home visits for babies". I had no choice but to wait until my husband was able to answer his phone, which wasn't until 4.30pm so he wouldn't get home until after the surgery was closed, and then when he got home we had to phone NHS24 and he drove 40 mins away to the out of hours doc at 6.30pm with exhausted daughter whose temp was spiking again. They're just home and she has a chest & an ear infection. She's gone through an extra 6 hours pain because doc wouldn't come out to see us and we've also had to take up a valuable out of hours doc appointment when we could have been seen by our own doc hours earlier. so - AIBU to be annoyed by this, or was doc right? Anyone else's doc have a similar policy of refusing home visits on babies?

But a GP surgery could have 10,000 patients (the one where I work does).

Can you imagine how many patients a day have similar reasons for requesting a home visit?

It would be lovely to be able to visit them all but it's just not possible

2plus, you said she "suffered" for a further 6 hours? So I ask again, what happened to miraculously cure her "suffering" when you saw the doctor.
Do you take any responsibility at all for your families health needs?

When my GP did her home visit after DD2 was born she told me to request a home visit if I was ever ill or couldnt get to the surgery. She said taking a poorly child as well as 2 others under 4 on public transport was unfair to both DCs and the transport provider. Luckily I never had to do this but it was reassuring to know that I could. Seems the rules vary from one surgery to the next, so YANBU op.

Oh I give up really, complain if you must, though no idea what you think you will get out of it.

yup I'm very serious, because we had to go out, young children had to go out in the midst of winter they became worse, that is a fact. There is no cure for flu, I would not have taken them or myself to the doctors for flu but they clearly had secondary infections and were very traumatised by what we had to go through. They were too ill to walk and had to be carried down a road one by one by parents barely unable to stand up themselves,and be carried up flights of stairs one by one, wrapped in layer upon layer and you still think they should have been put through that? Madness. The surgery clearly think it was madness too.

"Sidge in some rural areas, that will be the closest surgery. I had a choice of two within my area - neither of which I could have walked to; nor were taxis readily available - so I don't think the OP is being difficult. Not everyone lives in a town."

scaryteacher that's why I asked!

If it's the only one then fair enough, not ideal but not much you can do.

But if you are regularly alone with 4 children and no car and there is another surgery then it would be worth registering there.

But I'm just thinking out loud really.

I read threads like this and am always massively thankful for my GPs. I can almost always be seen on the same day (although not necessarily with choice of GP), no receptionist asking why I need to see the doctor (and the receptionists are lovely), no over the phone triage. They do home visits (and have done for me when I was in a similar situation as the OP) too. I love them.

I think the message from the OP is still that her husband's activities were too important to interrupt, but she still thought a GP should spend 8x patients' time doing a home visit.

So your husband COULD have come home if he'd had to ? But you chose not to ask him to ?

macdoodle - I assume she means the treatment started later, and so the antibiotics will take effect later. Easy to read it without a miraculous cure being involved.

As does flippin, because clearly her families needs were far far superior to every other patient (some very elderly, immunosuppressed), who were also suffering, at a time when the health service was near breaking point. And her children were "traumatised" by being taken to the doctors, ridiculous.
As an aside flippin, could you point me to the evidence that shows that taking a child out in the cold makes them worse, I have been a GP for over 10 years and have never seen such evidence?

I have never been in a situation where calling for a home visit would have come into my mind, if he was that ill I would take him straight to A and E. We either go to the GP (normal hours or OOH) or go to A and E depending on the situation. I would never expect the dr to come to me and like PP said you would have still had to go out to get the antibiotics anyway.

NappyShedSal, her husband did come home when he came out of his meeting and was contactable again. The OP higlighted the problem with the car seats for the babies and other children with her current injuries.
But the only person whose fault it is that your baby had to suffer for 6 hours longer than necessary is your own. Thats a bit harsh, hope you are never overwhelmed by a similar set of circumstances.

to be honest i would say your husband was to blame more than the doc

the doc will have 101 other patients to cope with, its not really their fault he is in meetings

the 'evidence' was condition of my children, but you were not there so you cannot make a judgment on that. And clearly the surgery thought that in retro spect a home visit in those circumstances should have been given.

this was not last winter btw, I had a month of hideous flu too that required antibiotics in the end, but I took myself to the surgery as I should have done.

In hindsight could you have your neighbours to take the car seats out and watch your children while you went in.

I hope your little girl feels better soon, but it would have taken a GP a few hours to see you anyway and I think you let your concern blinker the situation (which is completely understandable)

I think that yes, my GP surgery is more accommodating than most, MW who visited following homebirth was very shocked that the GP had come out for 'new baby' visit. But they have done with both DDs (DS had his check in hospital so didnt arise). I have never not been seen the same day with a poorly DC, even if I rang at 4 in the afternoon (as I did once with DS after his umbilical cord fell off and wouldnt stop bleeding).

I dont think my circumstances are or were exceptional. 3 under 3 and ex DH wasnt around for no.3. Antenatal depression with no.3 too.

However, maybe the fact they are helpful encourages me not to take the pee. I have never asked for a home visit (I went by taxi with all 3 when I had mastitis, taxi driver was really helpful, put all 3 seats in for me and then kept older 2s in boot til I'd finished when he came back to collect me). I cant imagine a time when I would ask for a home visit but it was very reassuring to know that I could when they were all tiny.

And yes op, it's your fault you were unale to drive or carry car seats and didnt want to disturb DH (for all we know because you would have got a slap for doing so) ...the complete lack of empathy on here is pretty sad.

I guess I'm also lucky because my GP surgery is excellent. They do home visits during the day not the end of it and it's built into their day. They also do home visits to do baby checks after homebirth or early discharge and do phone consultations within a few hours if you can't go in.I can always get a same day apt and we also have a nurse practioner who eases the load too.

I feel really lucky and I will tell them how much I appreciate them next time i'm there.

No, I know she didnt mention DV, and it doesnt seem to be an issue here but it could be. Or ops DH could be in the army in Afghanistan. So IMO the 'no home visits for babies' rule is unfair and discriminatory. My parents are pensioners but they would be able to pay for taxi or the other would drive or they would get a lift. But they are still more likely to get a home visit than the op's baby, which seems like a strange policy to me.

meaniemo, I tell my GP and receptionists and nurse how fantastic they are whenever I'm there, people will always moan so it's good to give credit where it's due.