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.

"So, more slowly.

A woman needs assistance to walk
She can use a stick
She has a baby
OH LOOK isn't this handy, the pushchair is really good to lean on
She can walk and transport her baby
But oh dear she has depression
And oh dear there is a pushchair ban at the surgery
And oh dear she can't use her stick and carry her baby at the same time
And oh dear as she is depressed and a normal sort of person, she does not think "But that rule doesn't apply to me!!!!" She thinks, I can't get to the doctor, what will I do with the baby when I get there
And so she doesn't go"

Hands up who thinks this woman should have her baby removed?

1. Oopsi

Any more takers?

I also feel that there's a weird kind of general resentment towards mothers of young children in our society and that, depressingly, it's often reflected on mumsnet. Lots and lots of talk about mothers being selfish and entitled for daring to take up any space in public when out with their DC

And Yet Again.....

The reason these buggy bans are coming in is that smaller surgeries are being told that for H&S, fire risk and insurance reasons they have to leave space. Buggies take up the space. Hence the bans.

The cost of converting/upgrading/moving a surgery is mahoosive. The state is skint. The vast majority of people will cope with bans, so no one will willingly pay extra. so it ain't going to happen. The chances of rescinding H&S and insurance legislation is negligible.

And again, to those who wail about how dweadful it all is - what is your solution, apart from wailing about your right to shove a buggy into a surgery any time you desire?

I said this

"I think that surgeries should be aware of these accessibility issues and advise parents that if they need assistance with access then to speak to X and they will find a solution."

Apparently this is NOT a solution, it is outrageous and completely stupid.

I see no reason to think that letting parents know they can talk to a specific person at a surgery about their issues and they will find a way around it is a terrible idea at all. Apparently it is though.

Better to take the babies away apparently.

Was that to me, SQ?

Oh OK, scrap that!

Crashdoll - that is what our local surgery (the Tudor building in Wokingham that Milliways mentioned further up the thread) are planning to do. As you can see here the current building is extremely cramped and very difficult for anyone with less than perfect mobility to access - not just those with buggies but for wheelchairs and the elderly too. But as far as I know(it's a long time since I had one), they still don't actually ban buggies - if you can get it through the doorway/down the steps/round the corner you can take it in...

SQ, we are on the same page. I think a lot of us are. In a perfect world, all surgeries would big enough for all buggies but as there aren't, some people are going to have to forfeit the buggy.

Whatmeworry would you care to explain now why you think that women who try to speak to their GP practices about problems with access to their doctor, should be told to bog off.

Thanks

crashdoll yes I think that there should be ways that people with access problems - anyone with access problems - should know there is someone at the surgery they can discuss it with and find a way around it.

You'd have thought that was obvious, but apparently not

I think most of us are on the same page, yes, there's just some rather strong and strange views over there

Perhaps it could be something like....

"Hi, Receptionist, I cannot manage leaving my pushchair outside today."
"I hope you understand why I am asking, it is our surgery policy. Are there health problems preventing you?"
"Yes."
"Of course, it is ok. Please go through and take a seat."

< optimistic >

oopsi are you an actual human being or just some cold heartless thing that has no idea about life!!

I suffered from horrific PND where I was hospitalised WITH my baby! God help you if you EVER suffer from it, in a way I hope you do as it will give you a taster of what the real world is all about, I feel for you I really do and your children for that matter, with you kind of attitude I can only see them growing into an emotionless cold person as you "seem" to be. I got through my illness and my children are happy balanced normal children, just because I had to be sent away to get better does not make me or ANYONE else who has suffered in that way unfit to be a mother.

where do you get your justification to say all of this, what experience of life do you have because right now it sounds like you have none!

crashdoll

Which is why I think having someone specific to contact and sort it out with them in a more ongoing way would be better.

I think we are getting off the point.

The fact is that people are inventing such ridiculously farfetched scenarios where a mother who has been s perfectly able to get as far as the surgery door, cannot manage to manoever her children from there into the surgery and manage them for a few minutes without a pushchair.Now I can accept that in a very very few cases such as a physical disability this might be a problem, although these patients would be protected by the DDA.But I would have to question why a depressed patient would not be able to carry her baby a few minutes.And if her depression meant she truly couldn't (as someone said it can mean you can't physically get out of bed ) then you would have to question whether it is safe for her to be in sole charge of a baby.

*

"Ever mindful of the lurkers on the thread, and aware that the maximum post limit had nearly been reached, Oopsi quickly remembered to raise the spectre of child removal in their minds, before it was too late"

*

Quite a few women on this thread have explained at length why it was hard, or impossible.

Hardly that rare, then.

sardinequeen

I am throwing in the towel. You have deliberately twisted the points I was trying to make .
I don't think that surgeries shouldn't be inclusive.
I don't think that buggies etc shouldn't be allowed in to surgeries if there is space.
I do think that if such a ban exists it is possible for most people to manage. And I totally get that some people can't.
I also tried at the beginning to point out that I thought the reason there was a ban at the op's surgery was to do with Health and safety/insurance purposes.
If my grasp of written english is so bad as to make you or anyone else think otherwise, then I apologise.
It just feels like you are shouting over the top of everyone though.

SQ, it boils down to that you seem to be unable to process plain English, and you seem to enjoy twisting what is said.

The U-turn is in your mind, not the thread. I cant understand how you can possibly take my statement to insinuate that you are imagining this thread. Utter madness.

You also seem to say that women with depression cant go to the doctor, and cant access health care. Frankly, that is insulting to women with depression. You are generalizing an awful lot!

People, we have reached a solution!

Receptionists should be told how to deal with it e.g. "it is surgery policy to ask any person with a buggy if they require it due to health problems (be it mental, physical or otherwise). If not, we kindly request you to leave it outside."

Now can we please stop slinging shit at other mothers who may not be able to cope without their buggies for various reasons that are none of your damn business. Oh and if you're a vulnerable mother, please ignore the trolls. You do not need your baby taking away from you if you find it hard to cope without a buggy! Even writing that, (social work student) I'm rolling my eyes.

There are always solutions. Never fear!

well said crashdoll, yes, the shit slinging isn't nice, and there is a lot of it. I am waiting to hear back from the practice manager at my g.p. about what they are going to do if anything. Hopefully it will be something sensible as you have suggested.
This was the first thread I had ever started on mumsnet, I haven't really used mumsnet since I joined. While there are some great opinions that I have agreed with and disagreed with, and that have been really useful, I'm shocked at how people have taken the time to be so vicious toward each other.

@gillquil

This was the first thread I had ever started on mumsnet, I haven't really used mumsnet since I joined. While there are some great opinions that I have agreed with and disagreed with, and that have been really useful, I'm shocked at how people have taken the time to be so vicious toward each other.

Welcome to Mumsnet - AIBU isn't always the best place to start off on MN - the very nature of the question encourages people to take sides, does it not?
Have a look around the rest of the site and enjoy
MN Towers

Olivia, I don't think anyone is questioning the idea of people taking sides, on this issue or on the site generally. But this thread has been much nastier than others I have seen (on AIBU and elsewhere), some of which have actually been deleted for descending into bun-fightery! Among other things, mothers with mental illnesses/post-natal depression have been told that they should not have had children in the first place.
Gillquil is quite right to feel dissappointed and disgusted by it, and I think this reply from 'MN Towers' comes across a bit flippant.

Absolutely! Well said brdgrl. It says above 'this is not a fight club', does it not? Feels like it!

It's not particularly nasty by AIBU standards.

OK, so it drifted from the OP whinge about having to entertain her child to the needs of disabled parents, but pretty much stayed there. I can't even think of too much swearing.

The debate tactics are a bit straw man, but there you go.

Whinge, whinge, whinge.

When I look around my surgery and see the people, many of whom have encountered not insignificant struggles to get to this country, and whose lives may be fairly difficult even here, and having experienced life in underdeveloped countries, such as China and Egypt, I can't help thinking that for most people even the depressed mother, or the mother of a few children (I have been there too) a few minutes without a buggy in a doctors surgery is not a gross infringement of their rights.