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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WIBU to write a 'thankyou' note to a GP?

56 replies

CoffeeDog · 07/10/2011 14:35

DH thinks it not the 'done thing and that i should just leave it.

I went on and of the the GP with my son for 18mths before i went in one day and burst in to tears in front of a very bemused locam... after he sat me down and actually listened to me he sent me and my boy up to A&E with a letter stating in big bold letter 'this is not a neurotic mother' please test and refer.... they did DS will be having surgery which will improve his life as he gets older and take away his pain ;)

I dont even remember the name of the GP but i presume my local doctors will have it on file/ and addresas they can forward it. I just want him to know how gratefull we are that he helped us.

DH just says its his job. and that he wont rember/care so WIBU just to write a note to say thankyou?

OP posts:
whomovedmychocolate · 07/10/2011 15:28

Definitely do it! I make a point of saying thank you in writing whenever someone has done something above and beyond the call of duty these days. Even for quite small things.

Because frankly it reinforces good behaviour and damnit, people who are good at their jobs ought to get credit.

whomovedmychocolate · 07/10/2011 15:28

p.s. would your DH have preferred the GP to fob you off? Hmm

No, thought not. Perhaps he should sign the letter too! :)

SnakeOnCrack · 07/10/2011 15:31

I think it would be a lovely thing to do. You could ask the receptionist if they have a record of who it was so they can make sure it reaches him.

KittyFane · 07/10/2011 15:31

Do it. Our very unsmiling 'here's your prescription' GP was amazingly professional and knowledgeable when I went to see him about something quite important. He dealt with me in his usual miserable way but helped me out a great deal.
I took him a box of biscuits and he actually smiled and shook my hand!! :o !!
Do it OP! It's a nice gesture!

witherhills · 07/10/2011 15:31

It's probably not the done thing, and that's more reason why you should do it.
this GP changed your life and your son's life, I think a thank you is perfect

lostinwales · 07/10/2011 15:32

Please do, working in a hospital myself you only ever hear what people are unhappy with and it can be demoralising. I have had two thank you cards in 16 years and they still make me smile. (actually that's not many is it

GetOrfMo1Land · 07/10/2011 15:32

I did this a couple of months ago. DD and DP saw the same doctor at different times, I went with them both and they were both quite sensitive issues. The doctor was so wonderful - really respectful and helpful. Did not talk down and patronise like so many medics.

I wrote an email to the practice manager praising him. I had a reply within days thanking me profusely and saying that it is so lovely to hear positive feedback, and he forwarded my thank you email to the partners and the GP in question. It turned out that the doc was a locum, and that at the time when I wrote the letter was in the process of being interviewed to be a full time doc at the practice. He got the job, and he wrote to me and said thank you - the letter couldn't have come at a better time!

notcitrus · 07/10/2011 15:34

It's never unreasonable to say or send anyone a thank you. Never happens enough.

Though I was in a discussion elsewhere online a while back where some women said they would be hugely offended if their partner said thank you after sex, but the majority opinion was that those women were bonkers.

pommedechocolat · 07/10/2011 15:36

I took a GP flowers and a thank you card once.
I had been seeing my GP for months and she had been saying nothing was wrong with me. I went home to my parents and saw the family GP who sent me to a and e immediately. She saved my life.
We should remember to say thank you even when it is people just doing their jobs. If they have helped you in a way that has touched you it is nice to tell them that.

The other GP got an official complaint though...

sportsfanatic · 07/10/2011 15:37

Definitely do it. A GP like that is worth his/her weight in gold.

proudfoot · 07/10/2011 15:38

YANBU, lovely thing to do

WhereYouLeftIt · 07/10/2011 15:39

Definitely do it!

nogoodusernamesleft · 07/10/2011 15:43

Please do this, I am a complaints officer in the NHS and the complaint letters far outweigh the thank yous! But when they do come, the doctors are so appreciative, and a lot of them keep them in their appraisal folders so that they can show them at their annual reviews. Smile

Am glad you've got your son sorted out!

Greenshadow · 07/10/2011 15:45

How lovely.
I once did the same to my GP when she had been incredibly helpful.
I know it's their job, but everyone deserves a little praise now and again.

happydotcom · 07/10/2011 15:47

Do it - it's a lovely thing to do and WILL be v much appreciated. I did the same for my GP and HV who looked after me and listened when I had bad PND. Ignore you DH! :0

going · 07/10/2011 15:47

Write a thank you letter. Everyone likes to feel appreciated!

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 07/10/2011 15:49

Do it.

I always meant to write a letter to the lovely nurse and gynae that looked after me when I had a miscarriage. The moment's long gone now, and I really regret not having done it.

wonkylegs · 07/10/2011 15:50

Not unreasonable at all. DH is a hospital doc and has a little box of the notes and cards he's been sent over the years and they are special to him. It's nice to know when you are doing something right and that people appreciate it.

AmINearlyThereYet · 07/10/2011 15:51

Definitely do it. It can't possibly do any harm and will probably a lot of good. The doctor is likely to remember it all of his life. I quite often write when medical professionals have been particularly helpful; it seems to me to be the least I can do.

Inertia · 07/10/2011 16:13

Maybe it should be the done thing- everybody appreciates thank-you notes. Might also be worth copying to the practice manager as well- as GetOrf says, a written record of positive feedback might actually be helpful for the doctor when it comes to getting references etc

WhataTreat · 07/10/2011 16:16

You should definitely do it - we have people bringing in sweets and cakes as thank yous to the surgery I work at, and a card is always really appreciated!

Rhinestone · 07/10/2011 16:19

Do it - it's a lovely thing to do and a recognition that even though someone is 'just doing their job', it's made a huge difference and you are grateful to them for doing that job well.

At my dad's 60th (GP) we read out a selection of letters from some of his grateful patients over the years. One was from a D-Day veteran who wrote to thank my dad for being the first person who ever really listened to his experiences. Wasn't a dry eye in the house.

soandsosmummy · 07/10/2011 16:22

YANBU. I know their "just doing their job" but that doesn't mean they don't deserve our thanks when they do it really well. I bet medical professionals often wonder about people they've treated as well.

soandsosmummy · 07/10/2011 16:23

their = they're (its been a long day)

Deliaskis · 07/10/2011 16:24

Definitely do it. I would imagine it's the nature of a lot of medical professionals' jobs that they only see people when something is wrong, and so for obvious reasons may not see people at their best.

Like everyone, this lovely locum probably has days that are tough, when he wonders whether he is getting it right, and getting a note of appreciation would be really nice.

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