To wonder how many times GPs get it wrong, and risk someones life? for the sake of funds??

[lisad123]

Had a call from friend earlier today to say another friend of ours has a tumor on her spine. GP has fobbed her off for ages :(
Same happened with dh, and my gp misdiagonised gallstones and sadly i ended up very unwell.
DD2 we were told had a virus but instead she had pnemonia, and so spent a week in hospital.

Cancer seems to be the thing they miss most often, especially if you dont fit target age ect.
I always feel GPs dont refer or do tests because of funding and people are dying, getting very unwell because of it.

Hiding - explain why a GP should dismiss a patient who asks if they have X and can they have tests and they just say no, you are fine. They are not going to be right all the time and while a patient might not be a GP, they know their body better than the GP does.

I got told it was just abad back ache then sciatica and i just need to learn to cope with it loads do .Now Im a paraplegic .wee bit differnet

But on the flip side it could have been far worse without the surgeon who when i finally saw one took one look and knew the problem and operated could been far worse

Although there are a lot of great gps out there, there are also quite a few shit ones- and it has nothing to do with funding-it's to do with them being shit gps and the annual appraisal process being a joke.

oh nad they asked for mri non urgent after i insisted it was not normal back ache

My GPs have been brilliant. They have diagnosed a thyroid problem that I didn't even have any symptoms for, always listened to me about various ailments and given practical, non-patronising advice and treatment. I really can't fault them. It's not difficult to get an appointment at mine, and they do early and late hours one day a week so you can go around work hours.

I'm sure I would feel differently if anything significant had been missed about me or someone close to me, but I don't think 'fob off' is fair. That implies they knew something was wrong but couldn't be bothered to look into it. It is far more likely that they were not enough typical symptoms being displayed to indicate what the problem was.

I really have doctor bashing threads

and nurse bashing threads

and teacher bashing threads

and social worker bashing threads

A few bad apples does not an orchard make

I expect a thread entitled "my treatment was adequate and perfectly appropriate" wouldn't be very interesting though, would it ?

although it woud be a fucking hell of a lot longer than this one

you lot will curse the day the NHS is finally run into the ground

There is a problem with the system, though, isn't there, Hiding, as you've just spelt out? How can they be expected to diagnose a possibly complex illness...in a ten minute appointment? Plus they probably are pretty angry with members of the public, who seem ungrateful.

hate not have of course

anyfucker

read my post yes mine got it very wrong but did also point it out another got it very right .

on the balnce when weigh it up i am lucky they surgeon got it right , and have had fab support from a spinal unit .

But that does not take away some of the pain that someone i truseted proffesionally missed it

I didn't just see this thread and think "I know, I'll take time out to log a few insults in the direction of GPs, that will help while away the evening". I posted here because it resonated with an opinion I already held for various reasons. I could post other incidents but it wouldn't add any more to my point.

when you have to live with the consequences , yes you tend get a bit or a bit .

Im 38 i will never wall again , have no control of my bowel or my bladder .I have no feeliongs at all below the waist so bang there ever goes a sex life even if did meet someone

So pretty big fucking mistake so dont tell me i have no right to be pissed of that the nhs got it wrong becuase you do not have to liv e with it [angry[

wall -walk

It's silly to personalise it, and say it's an attack on people who are GPs. Most of those who are GPs know that the system is up the creek without a paddle.

It is the system which is fucked.

I am not sure that people do always know their bodies better then their gp fab. Some years ago know I went to a couple of gps with awful back a shoulder pain and terrible exhaustion. The first one was crap but the other one was lovely, he gave a me a good check over and then rather then sending me for all the tests I thought I needed talked to me about depression and how that can effect the body. It took a few days and some thought but I realised that I had been wrong and he was right. By treating the depression I got rid of the pain which no amount of hospital tests for heaven knows what would have helped with no matter what I thought.

I think instead of just coming on here and listing all the times gps have done wrong we should instead look at the system a bit more and think About what could be done to improve it. As gin said the appraisal process should be better to ensure gps are up to standard and I believe there needs To be far more time for doctors to spend with patients who need it in order to be able to make a better diagnosis. At the moment the pressure to get through as many patients as possible in a short period of time causes a lot of problems I think.

I do not believe that doctors are deliberately denying people treatment that they need to save money.

Any fucker, I work for nhs and know how wonderful it is in general, but the fact is that the current systems are not robust enough to assure us of gps competence.

I wonder if there should be a requirement that a GP practice do an internal inquiry when something goes badly wrong?

You don't all have to give me a personal rebuttal, folks

I have said my piece, like you have said yours

The thing is the GPs are the guards at the gate, and the first port of call for most of us who are worried about their health. If GPs cant get it right and listen to patient, have the time to listen and have funds to exclude serious illnesses, then they too are being failed by the system :(

Its fine if you have a good doctor. But if your local doctor is bad it can be very difficult to change under the current NHS system. It actively discourages it. We are taught in this country that doctors know best and to question that is ungrateful as its a free service. Any other service if you are happy with the service you can complain and easily switch to an alternative.

For years we've also been stuck with the dreadful catchment areas - effectively gentlemans agreements of patient cartels. The system ensures that bad doctors are getting away, with not much short of manslaughter, in the worst cases. People are far more likely to vote with feet rather than actively complain about a person in some a position of respect...

I had a problem with my doctor. There is one other surgery in the area which is full. So I tried to change to one with space on the books 2miles away. I was refused. Apparently you can ring the local PCT and get 'allocated' someone but not someone of your choosing...

So I'm ecstatic to hear today that they are FINALLY piloting a scheme where you can choose any doctor you wish for your convenience. A month after I finally find a doctor after 4 years, they do this. I've been waiting for the change for 3 years.

The doctor in our practice isn't the brightest spark, but is fantastic about referring to hospital. Every time I have asked to be referred, he's gone along with it.

Does that mean we'll get info on doctors, so that we can effectively shop around?

for six months my mum was told she had recurring cystisis, then one day they called her in and said

do you want the good or the bad news?

the good news is we know what is wrong with you...

the bad news is its ovarian cancer

the doctor died some 7-8 years after my mum she also died a long slow agonising death from cancer - I hope to goodness that she wasn't treated as badly as she treated my mother

my mum wanted to die at home but couldn't as her gp was - bluntly - crap. Fortunately the consultant oncologist and the staff at walsgrave hosptial - one with an awful reputation - where angels and gave the most wonderful care and my mum died with dignity.

my gp saved my life last year

Does that mean we'll get info on doctors, so that we can effectively shop around?

I believe that is potentially part of the plan. I'll see if I can find the link to the story.

I also hate how you have to tell the receptionist what is wrong.

Actually, no you don't. They may well ask but they cannot refuse you an appointment if you would rather not say. Likewise, if a patient insists that they are in need of an urgent (same day) appointment then they must be offered one - our surgery does that by having an "emergency surgery" once a day where patients are seen in order of arrival. Here speaks a trained Medical Receptionist (yes, such training does exist).