to want to take my pushchair into my doctors surgery?

[gillquil]

my g.p surgery has just banned pushchairs, I've them a letter that follows, is this the norm? or should I just change our G.P.?

Hello,

I would like to make a complaint about the forthcoming ban on pushchairs in the surgery from the first of April. I am a mother of three, my eldest child has just turned four and we have a double pushchair which we normally use for our two youngest. My youngest child has just turned one, and as is typical for his age, he wants to crawl and climb all the time, he definitely doesn?t want to sit on my lap while I wait, he will however normally wait happily in his pushchair, or sleep in it while we wait or during our appointments. My two year old daughter just wants to run around.

If I am unable to bring my pushchair into the surgery I am going to have to let my son crawl over the floor in the surgery which I can?t imagine being the most hygienic thing to do. Or when he is asleep I will have to wake him, and what if both he and his sister are sleeping? do I really want to wait for my appointment struggling with a sobbing two year old daughter and a crying one year old son, my handbag, and changing bag on the floor or on the seat next to me. All of which, toddler, and baby and baggage have to then be carried into the appointment. I would also like to know what is suggested for mothers who need for example to have their young child with them during say a smear test? Should I leave him to crawl around the floor in the surgery during this?

Parents that I know often rely on being able to entertain a young child or children in a pushchair so that they can speak to their G.P. or nurse for a few minutes uninterrupted. Or the child sleeps on through their appointment and waiting time, and the parent can have a proper conversation or treatment.
I don?t have the option of arranging childcare for the times when I need to come to the surgery, especially as we normally ring at 8 a.m to see what appointment we can get if any for that morning.

I asked about the security of the area that has been designated for pushchairs to be left. As far as the lady I spoke to knew, there is none, it seems that the surgery is relying on the area being ?out of sight.? I disagree anyone walking past will be able to see a row of unsecured pushchairs. Pushchairs cost as I am sure you know an enormous amount of money. We live close by and two of my neighbours have had pushchairs stolen from outside their own front doors in the last six months, and we had a child?s scooter taken ourselves. It was suggested also that I buy a bicycle style lock for our chair, but I can?t see what I would secure it to.

While I can see the need for some sort solution to the congestion in the waiting room, as a result of parents and children who are patients at XXX Surgery using pushchairs, I don?t feel that just telling people their only option is to leave their pushchairs outside, in an unsecured area, and carry in their child or children and changing bags, handbags and who knows even their shopping, is acceptable. In fact I think it?s discriminatory. I have spoken to several mothers today who are patients at XXX, as are their children, and they all agree, and have said they will be putting forward their comments also.

I look forward to your reply and hope that XXX can be a bit more creative in finding a solution that doesn?t leave patients feeling unwelcome.

Actually, I think as the GP surgeries are effectively small businesses and GPs are self employed, if a decision is made to leave prams outside and is enforced then they do have a responsibilty to ensure that young families can access their services and if this means a mother with three under three, and including a set of twins, needs some assistance then they should provide it.

No they shouldn't married.

As that will result it the death of an elderly person.

Obviously.

FFS.

MsNorbury; I'm sure most women would do their best to move their pram to let people get past. We're not completely heartless. unlike some people

How will that result in the death of an elderly person. GPs are paid per patient, per vaccination, per smear quota and some are turning profits of £200,000+ per GP out of that. If there are 4 GP's at a practice why is it unreasonable to expect them to turn £195,000 pa each and fund an extra member of support staff to make the services more accessible for all patients at busy times.

More chance of someone like my DH, who works 12 hours a day, not accessing the services to keep his diabetes under control, due to the nurses only working 9-1 and the GPs refusing to do the blood sugar checks than an elderly person dying. GPs need to make their services accessible for everyone - they are paid more than enough to do so.

Shame we don't get a rebate for accessing services privately.

Or your elderly father trips over a small child not in a pushchair injuring himself and the said small child!! Also remember that if a surgery isn't suitable for pushchairs, it's also not suitable for wheelchairs which also may affect your father at some point. Accessibility is an issue for most people at some point in their lives.

married because they will trip over the pushchair.

tracey the solution suggested on here for people with twins is that they put them on the floor. Aside from the fact that at my surgery they do not allow you to put babies on the floor, one also assumes that a small newborn or a crawling baby presents quite a trip hazard as well.

I just bet some of the people on here suggesting people leave their babies on the floor would actually be really taken aback to see an unattended newborn left on the surgery floor while the mother restrains / calms / looks after their older toddler sibing.

I really find it mind-boggling that people think it is right that women who (for whatever reason) cannot reasonably access their GP when they have young children should therefore not be able to use that service.

It is a time when women are at risk of mental health issues and also may be recovering from physical injuries from birth. It is for many women the most vulnerable time they have had in their lives so far.

Of course the children have various checks and jabs that they need as well.

Denying them treatment because they have - what - deigned to have babies - seems remarkably callous.

Is this another thread where people think that women should be able t predict the future before they TTC?

at my doctors they is a space for prams ,so they dont need to go in ..unless they are asleep then you can take pram in.

Totally agree, my point is that there is a greater safety risk to both the small child and to those at risk who don't have great mobility, eyesight, or who are just distracted (i.e healthcare worker concentrating on doing your smear then steps back onto the child on the floor) where children are on the floor.

Tracey plus the point that people seem to be missing is that there are mothers who have poor mobility / poor eyesight / other issues themselves which is contributing to the problem of access for them in the first place.

Mothers do have disabilities. Permanent, temporary, caused by the birth, pre-existing , whatever. Lots of them do. Maybe people don't realise that?

MsNorbury: why call your father lame? You obviously do not care to much for him!
And a major pointer to you-your father could quite easily trip over a child on the floor as much as he could a pushchair and even more so considering a child would then not be at eye-level!
Again you have still are yet to answer my question-do you actually have small children?
And why swear

A mother like any other human being should be able to access simple health care with out all this flaffing about.
Imagine having a painful c-section scar or painful stitches -you are not supposed to be carrying a child if you had these conditions as it can rip the stitching open as it puts pressure on your body!

And also MsNorbury what if your father fell on someones baby? Anyway theres no point in me or anyone else for that matter wasting our time putting our point across to you as you obviously belong in the dark ages with your discusting attitude toward women-remember one important thing your mother was also a mother at one point

Just a thought but if you get to the surgery with baby twins and toddler and they staff won't help and you can't access the surgery. I would just be awfully polite, go home and call the surgery and request an emergency visit at home. I would explain very quietly to the doctor why I had been unable to visit the surgery. Bet arrangements would be put in place pronto for the next visit. I wouldn;t make a formal complaint but there would be lots of "I'm so sorry to have had to call you out but when I arrived the ladies wouldn't let me bring in the buggy and I couldn't carry in both babies at once and I didn't want to leave one outside unattended and the receptionist wouldn't hold baby 1 while I went back for baby two.

sorry but LOL at babies in buggies deliberately tripping up the lame leaving them hospitalised and probably contracting the flesh-eating virus while the lame fall headlong onto babies and crush them to death. Somone needs to get James Cameron onto this - we need a 70s style disaster movie where hundreds of people die in a GPs surgery due to one carelessly placed buggy.

I think this sums up the entire point of the thread. It's a buggy. Calm down.

Lol Marjoandjerry

I think around here surgeries aren't that fussed about losing patients, married. There are waiting lists to get onto a GP list and so the patient (customer) has little leverage. See post earlier where a nurse suggested that a patient find a different surgery if she was not happy with that one.

lol, I've been using buggies for nearly six years and have not had anyone father's trip over it, nor has my buggy caused anyone to have a heart attack, as far as I'm aware. If buggies are that dangerous, I'm surprised they haven't outlawed them, or at the very least, made it compulsory to take out liability insurance for them.

Sorry should say waiting lists around here I think.

marjo I am a bit offended actually at the suggestion that there are all these selfish evil mothers out there just waiting for the chance to off pensioners.

Sounds like a DM headline

I still don't get it. Even when I had newborn and 14 month ( now 10 months and 2 years), surely 99% of the population can cope with sling for baby and carry a one year old for the odd minutes into surgery from pram outside?

Yes I now have a crawler and a toddler but you know what they will have to just sit bored/ read book/ play with something quietly for a short time, they will not die or be affected for life!

forevergreek situations have been listed on this thread many times

Have you read the thread and you still don't get it?

Read the posts from mothers with twins & toddler, people with mobility issues etc etc?