AIBU re treatment by GP?

[Wildwaterfalls]

I am in floods of tears so possibly not quite in the right shape for AIBU, but I need to know if I am overreacting.

DD (12 months) has developed a rash which has been getting worse and worse over the past 24 hours. First red spots on her bottom and tights, but spreading to other parts of her body. Called 111 earlier today who advised that as she had no other symptoms, watch and wait, but seek medical advice if it got worse.

We were out this afternoon when I noticed the rash being more blister-like and prominent. I also remembered a sign I saw this morning re chicken pox at her nursery. Anyway, I decided to pop into the GP surgery on the way home. Asked for an appointment today or tomorrow. Was told the duty doctor could phone me. Said I'd already sought medical advice on the phone, and would like someone to look at her. Was told the doctor could see me although it might be a bit of a wait. I said great, thanks.

Was then seen by GP who was brusque and rude from the beginning. Showed him the rash which he described as "a bit like hand, foot and mouth, but not quite, possibly a viral infection", and indicated the appointment was over. Being a first time mum this doesn't mean much to me so I asked "so does that mean it is nothing to worry about?". He said, angrily "well, what were you worrying about to begin with?". I said "I'm a first time mum and my baby has a rash all over her body, so I thought she might be ill". "Does she have any symptoms of illness other than the rash?", "no", I said, and he said "Well, come back if she gets those". By now I was more or less in tears because of his manner, and said "I'm really sorry if I have wasted your time, I didn't realise a rash was nothing to worry about without other symptoms". Rather than accepting my apology he said "well, we don't offer a walk-in service" and stood up to show me out.

I was crying by this point but went to reception to get his name (he had only been described to me as the duty doctor), and left.

Now AIBU to be so upset? I know I was being PFB and inexperienced but shouldn't doctors treat you better than this? I did't insist on being seen as I walk-in, I just refused a phone consultation as I didn't think there was any point and asked for an appointment today or tomorrow.

And if you think IANBU, would you complain? I kind of want to but this is out practice and I don't want to be seen as the difficult patient who complains.... even thought I know that is week.

Sorry this is so long. for lasting this long

Complain. He was BU. I will always be grateful to the lovely Dr who saw ds2 with a mystery rash. He thought it was possibily viral and not to worry, but told me other things to watch out for. He brushed off my apology for wasting his time, by saying he would rather something was checked out, than something serious missed.

Well, they didn't offer walks and you had pushed for one. I would have been irritable if someone had made me do something that I was supposed to do at work tbh.

SucksAtRelationships I doubt your job could involve life or death matters. The OPs DD might just have a viral rash but it could have been ANYTHING. Things with children should always be taken seriously because children can deteriorate frighteningly fast.

OP you are NOT unreasonable. I've had walk ins for similar things with my GPs and never been treated like that. Complain!

Thanks all.

Sucks I had not pushed for one: I asked for an appointment today or tomorrow - not immediately - and I refused a phone consultation as I didn't think there was any point with the rash.

Well there is no doubt about the fact he was rude, but I wouldn't have taken a child with those symptoms to a GP.

Yanbu. If they couldn't see you they shouldn't have offered to, rather than doing so and being rude about it. Very unprofessional. I understand they get stressed, but the job also comes with a lot of perks!

No YANBU
My son who was a little over 12 months had a rash and the GP said nothing was wrong with him as he had no other symptoms by that evening he was in hospital with a head that had swollen so much he was unrecognisable. I took him to hospital because I knew my son was not well and it was lucky I had. You must trust your instincts and even if you feel a bit of a wally when they turn you away at least you care enough to get it checked out.
Hope your baby is ok now :)

I also meant to say the GP you saw was a pig and I don't blame you for being upset.

So you refused to let the GP telephone triage you then were upset when it turned out there was nothing to worry about?

YABtotallyU.

It might not be pleasant but when people misuse the NHS like this they should be made to feel uncomfortable so they don't do it again.

You had already been advised a rash without symptoms was probably not serious. You went into a doctors and refused a telephone triage and demanded to see a doctor straight away and then you're surprised they got pissed off when it turned out that there was nothing really wrong?

Are you really incapable of seeing the difference between a 111 call and being triaged by a professional GP?

Also there are probably services available in your area which are designed to see people straight away and offer triage on the spot such as walk in centres.

And you do realize that there is a significant chance that wasn't going to play golf but may well have been held up going to make important housecalls to people doing insignificant things like dying, etc.

You were offered telephone triage for a reason and you should have taken it. I'm not surprised they were cross with you. I hope you appreciate that there were probably children who are also PFB who's parents would have been just as worried as you but will have gone through the correct channels today and probably gone to a great deal more inconvenience and waited longer to do so.

Go ahead and complain if you want to. But I am 99% certain the response you will get is that you misused the service and got a well deserved ticking off.

He was rude you should complain.

The thing that people seam to forget is when you require an expert ( pretty much any time something could be serious) you go and see one.

A first time mum with little experance of rashes needs an expert just the same as someone rewiring a light when they don't know how to do it. When it comes to medical matters dr's are the experts so that's who you go see.

I wouldn't go to the docters with a rash but that's only because I can identify pretty much every single dangerous rash that children get at 20 paces ( I really really wish I couldn't and hadn't had the experances that mean I can) but someone with out the same experances as me probaly couldn't, if you can't its usually best to err on the side of caution.

Just the same as rewiring.

Why on earth they would push for phone appointments when it is a rash in a patient who can't talk to the gp to explain what they are feeling etc

My gps always priorities young children for on the day appointments and they always say they would rather you brought your dc in if you have any concerns - better safe than sorry.

I do wonder whether the receptionist said anything to the doctor though (were they angry with your refusal of the phone appointment? ) due to his pointed comment about a walk in service - and surely gps would rather they checked a rash then in the day rather than risking it being something serious that ends.up in a&e or out of hours gp which costa their surgery afterall - and subsequent complaint re their refusal to see the patient who then ended up in a more serious situation

Roxyfox the job might have 'perks' but it also has a huge number of patients. The point isn't that the GP was inconvenienced, it's that patients like this encroach on the time other patients deserve and push the queue.

Do you realize that if every mother with a PFB turned up at the doctors and demanded to be seen immediately the entire service would keel over and collapse? When do you think that GPs might fit in all the visits from people with things like cancer and heart disease?

Why is it fair that other parents will go through the correct channel and have to wait longer and worry longer purely because they're not prepared to go in and harangue reception staff and refuse the correct procedure for a case like this which is a telephone triage?

Naiceham.

That makes you sound like a total drama queen with a massive attitude problem.

She didn't misuse the NHS she just used it, she also didn't demand instant attention she requested a none emergency appointment.

If the surgery has a policy of phone triage then this what they should call it not refer to it as a telephone consultation.

Please do complain. My Gp practice NEVER treated me like that when Dd was younger. They weren't terribly helpful when I was ill but they always understood that when you are a parent and your child is ill you want the reassurance of having them checked over. Actually after my Dd was once seriously ill I took her quite frequently at the slightest sniffle and they were brilliant about it. You did the right thing in taking her and you are doing the right thing if you complain.

How totally U Naice. She had a quick consultation with a gp, she didn't race up to a and e.

I would have thought a doctor could identify whether a rash was serious or not by looking at it, much more quickly than having you describe it over the phone.

YANBU the one category of patient who really deserves loads of slack to be cut is the new Mum of a child with a worsening rash. Complain about him please through the proper channels...make him sweat lol.

Our GP practice were always really cautious with babies and told parents not to worry about bothering them..it was their job to reassure.

Naicehampombeartrexfrootshoot
What an NHS jobsworth you are!

She wanted the rash seen as it had worsened since the 111 call and even if it hadn't there is no point in a second telephone triage for a rash.

Babies can deteriorate suddenly. The rash had got worse since she'd had medical advice. I'd rather a baby with a rash was checked out than a grown up with the sniffles demanding antibiotics. My GP friend says she deals with loads of the latter.

YANBU the doctor should not have spoken to you like that, you were concerned about your child.

However if it is anything like my surgery if you want an urgent appointment (ie in the next couple of days) they have some appointments set aside for this, but you have to have a phone consultation first.

I was initially very sceptical about this but I have used the system a few times now for my DS, and they have always fitted me in for an appointment after speaking to someone, usually the same day.

I think it's just the way some surgeries work their appointment systems these days.

Both DD and DS1 had chicken pox without being ill or having that many spots. But I wouldn't have bothered the GPs as I was fairly sure it was chicken pox as it was going around nursery at the time. You shouldn't have been treated like that - so the doctor's behaviour was totally unacceptable and you should complain.

naiceham let me tell you a story. A dear friend of mine had a lovely one year old baby boy. He was vomiting hugely and in a worrying way. The dr refused a home call ( mum was ill having just had surgery), there was a telephone convo about fluids and another refusal to make a home visit because advice needed to be followed. The advice was followed. Two hours later the baby boy had deteriorated further and mum called an ambulance. There was no rash for another hour; it was meningitis. 36 hours later that little boy was dead. 21 years later my dear friend has still not recovered. To add insult to injury when she complained - the surgery struck her off.

GPs are self employed. They are not paid at the point of delivery. If they were standards of professionalism and conduct would drastically improve.

I don't usually swear on Mnet but Naice on this occasion you need to "f" right off. Go and find some manners and some empathy and if you work for the Nationally Disgraceul Health Service reflect about your attitude.

As you were.

Oh right Lilacroses, so I suppose that you are one of these idiots who thinks that there is no alternative but racing to A & E if you can't see your doctor immediately.

Most doctors surgeries are really cautious with babies. But they have telephone triage for a reason.

But most doctors surgeries also know that they are likely to get several PFB parents a day ringing with rashes and teething absolutely convinced that their child is at deaths door. And they also know that because they have a finite amount of resources they need to deal with these cases in the most effective and efficient manner.

After a telephone triage many of these parents can be dealt with over the phone fairly quickly with an over the phone diagnosis, some advice and reassurance. A few of these patients may need to be seen same day or immediately. It sounds like the OP is one of the former. So why should she get to push in front of the latter, sicker patients just because she has refused to take the same advice?

I know you all seem to think that the doctor has nothing better to do, but the fact is that it's not the doctors time she will have been encroaching in, it will have been the time of sicker patients who had more need of the doctor.