Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

about my GP refusing to issue a doctor's note?

20 replies

TartyMcFarty · 06/02/2012 20:43

I think he's absolutely right.

DD goes to a toddler water confidence class. Nothing expensive, no waiting lists just a STA class in a council-run pool, but it's paid for termly up-front. She hasn't actually been at all this term so far, as she's had a cold followed by a nasty cough, and after three missed weeks I asked if we just transfer the balance over to next term instead. OK, they said, but we'll need a doctor's note.

At the time I didn't feel DD classed as an urgent case, so made her appointment for the following week, which was then postponed by the GP surgery to the following week. Over the last few days she's got worse again, so I took her to the docs today and it turns out she now has a secondary infection and has been prescribed antibiotics. However when I asked for a note to explain this to the leisure centre he refused, getting on his soap box about hot there are 4.5k bits of paper coming in and out of the surgery weekly, and did they not think that GPs have better things to do etc etc. If they started quoting policy at me I was to refer them to him, and he would be very glad to tell them why their policy was wrong.

So while it's put me in a bit of a position re the pre-paid classes, I think he's got a very good point. Why does society need every claim legitimised by a professional? When did a parent's judgement stop counting for anything?

I have to say, I enjoyed relaying this to the jobsworthy manager at the leisure centre (legitimised by a GP of course )

OP posts:

EirikurNoromaour · 06/02/2012 21:21

Um I think YABU actually
It wasn't an unreasonable request to be fair.

Olivetti · 06/02/2012 21:23

No, I don't think YABU. Why would you lie, for a start? And I agree, your judgement should be good enough.

troisgarcons · 06/02/2012 21:24

Get a private doctors note, roughly a tenner.

Sidge · 06/02/2012 21:27

I agree with you, and him.

Given that I doubt you took her to the GP for the first few episodes of illness (the colds and coughs) quite how the centre can expect a "note" for those things I don't know.

Some of the things GPs are expected to provide notes for is laughable - we had one chap recently ask for a note as he'd joined a gym and they wanted proof that it was safe for him to do so.

He hadn't seen a GP since 1994 so the surgery said they weren't willing to do one, and if the gym had a problem with that to give them a ring!

Areallytiredwoman · 06/02/2012 21:29

YANBU - ridiculous and a waste of time and money that should be spent seeing sick people.

Original poster

TartyMcFarty · 06/02/2012 21:29

Why Eirikur? What's in it for me? I wasn't asking for a refund. Why should it automatically be assumed that I can't judge whether or not DD is fit to be in the pool?

OP posts:

TeaOneSugar · 06/02/2012 21:30

Toddler swimming lessons aren't a matter for the NHS, the GP was quite right.

I agree with troisgarcons ask for a private note if you need one.

TBH my dd has missed classes due to illness and I just wrote it off as one of those things, you didn't get you money's worth, but you'd have paid the money out anyway if she's been well enough to attend, so I wouldn't consider myself out of pocket.

Theas18 · 06/02/2012 21:34

I totally agree its not a reasonable request from the leisure centre.

How could your gp " certify" that your child has been I'll and unable to attend as they haven't been I'll enough to need to see a GP? The best they could do, if they are sensible ad defensible is to do a letter " mrs x tells me that little y has been unable to attend..."
Which isn't worth the paper it's written on anyway!

DexterTheCat · 06/02/2012 21:34

But Olivetti presumably this child is taking up a place someone else could be be paying for or if the centre knew there was consistently only going to be 10 instead of 15 paying children per class it maybe they could not afford to keep the class going. It's good that they will even consider a refund in all honesty. A lot of places would say 'tough'.

There must be many people who just have a case of 'couldn't be arseditis' and they may think the OP is one of those and now wants her money back. There is a reason classes expect payment upfront so they can, hopefully, guarantee attendance and not lose money.

Mumof1plustwins · 06/02/2012 21:35

DDs school wants notes from the Dr everytime she's off sick now - they'll have to accept an appointment card because the receptionist even said they don't do notes (wastes time) plus I read you can refuse to give a note because of data protection laws

catsareevil · 06/02/2012 21:38

Its not NHS work, the GP can choose whether to offer a private note or not, so in that respect getting on a soapbox about it really isnt necessary.

Robinredboobs · 06/02/2012 21:38

I don't understand. You always pay for doctors notes, don't you? I needed one some time back and I had to pay "20 pounds, I also had to pay for a note that confirmed I'd had certain vaccinations, again 20 (and at a different surgery), you also pay for fit to fly notes (pregnancy) , fit to drive, signing passport photos among other "admin" things that doctors do. These are not private practices.

I was signed off work once, and was given a note for free, but I think that is a completely different scenario to claiming back money in for swimming classes.

Original poster

TartyMcFarty · 06/02/2012 21:41

TeaOneSugar, it wasn't just a week though, it'll be half a term by the time she's finished these antibiotics. I only asked on the off-chance that they'd let me carry it over to next term. If they have a policy of allowing that with confirmation from a GP, why not simply trust the parent's judgement in the first place? If they'd said no they wouldn't carry the payment over, that would've been that and I wouldn't have pursued it.

Dexter - as I said, no waiting list. No-one missing out on a place.

Mumof1plustwins - that's ridiculous. Why one legal requirement for adults but a different one for schoolchildren?

OP posts:

Original poster

TartyMcFarty · 06/02/2012 21:42

Didn't know doctor's notes were paid for. Never had one. I've had a sick note once, and that wasn't. Is that the same thing?

OP posts:

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 06/02/2012 21:46

I think you're BU to ask for the balance to be transferred to next term.

Even though your dd hasn't been there, her place has been reserved. It's paid in advance and you've obviously agreed to that and handed over your money. DD not being well enough to be there isn't their fault any more than it's yours - I think you'll just have to put this down to experience and decide whether you wish to continue with the class or just take you dd swimming yourself when she's well.

I don't think that your Dr IBU in refusing to write you a Drs note.

Robinredboobs · 06/02/2012 21:46

Ah yes thats what Ihad too, a sick note - they are free, they say you are not fit for work so you are able to prove this to your employer, claim any benefits you might be entitled to etc.
Doctors notes are not free, however!

Original poster

TartyMcFarty · 06/02/2012 21:53

I'm not asking if IBU about making the request. Like I said, it was just on the off chance; and since they're willing to do it with a doctor's note, they should do so anyway. The GP's view (and mine too, now!) is that they shouldn't need that authority.

OP posts:

Original poster

TartyMcFarty · 06/02/2012 21:54

I just thought that what he said was interesting, that's all.

OP posts:

Robinredboobs · 06/02/2012 22:00

It sounds like they are just being difficult and thinking that yo uwill not go to the trouble/expense of getting the note so they get to keep the money you've paid.

HexagonalQueenOfTheSummer · 06/02/2012 23:38

I agree with IwishIwasmoreorganised. I think YABU to want to transfer the money over. It's not your fault your DD is ill of course, but the place has still been taken for the term and the people running the course still have expenses to meet. If you've paid for the whole term surely your DD will be able to go at some point?

I used to run fitness classes and customers used to pay for a 6 week block and to be honest I used to get fed up with people asking to transfer this that and the other "Oh I was off sick one week last 6-week block, can I have that money off this course?" "I might be off for 2 weeks of this course, can I just pay for 4 weeks and the other 2 weeks if I come?". I was very inflexible about it all as a) I stated upfront what the costs would be for the 6 weeks and that the charges were non-refundable and b) I still had my costs to meet each week, eg the hire of the room and cost of the PPL licence, why should I be out of pocket just because someone had gone on holiday? I am a member of a gym and have weeks when I don't/can't go but it wouldn't occur to me to ask for the money for those weeks back or to tag them on to the end of the year's membership as that isn't part of the deal. I've agreed to pay for X amount of time and if I can't go then it's my problem, not the gym's!

Flip