To take this complaint even further?

[Edenviolet]

In October dd2 was very ill, episodes of confusion, a nasty sore throat, stomach aches, very pale and had a whole week where she literally just slept and was so weak and lethargic she had to be carried everywhere.

After a few trips to gp we ended up at a and e. Told them all the symptoms above and waited for hours and hours. We were quite concerned dd may be anaemic as she had been so tired/lethargic and pale and at the time there was a ? Over whether she may have coeliacs (she also has type 1 diabetes). We were keen for bloods to be done to rule it out but managed to see possibly the rudest, nastiest dr ever who belittled our concerns and terrified dd saying she didn't want to stick needles in her for our reassurance and was just absolutely horrible to us and really upset dd.

I made a formal complaint and received a response. Apparently dds notes were looked at and the dr concerned was spoken to. They are saying that it is standard to discuss treatment in front if the child, fair enough but this dr used inappropriate and scary language in front of a four year old who was traumatised.
They also said the dr was right not to test for anaemia as it was not clinically indicated by the symptoms dd presented with and then went on to list her symptoms but missed out the extreme tiredness and being pale???

I'm not happy with this response as the dr and hospital are clearly trying to deny doing anything wrong and denying the fact that the main symptoms dd had could have pointed to anaemia?

Shall I take this further? Dh seems to think it will just stress me out and that they will never admit any wrong doing.

i would probably leave it.

i don't think you sound precious though.

You have made a complaint and it's been investigated so I would leave it there. What if the next complaint doesn't contain an apologetic response, will you complain again?

I would move on.

No, I'm not a doctor but I know my own child and she was very unwell and exhibiting worrying symptoms that the gp couldn't find a cause for so sent us to a and e for further tests (and the gp had specified bloods and mri in the ref letter) which I also still have a s that confirms the extreme tiredness/pale/confusion.

I don't think it is a waste of time, why should a dr get away with terrifying a small child about invasive procedures when that child has to have things done on a daily basis with needles?

Having seen your previous threads I think you're projecting a lot of your fears on to your daughter. She is diabetic, and has been a dx'd diabetic for some time now.

She wasn't anaemic, the doctor was pretty sure she wasn't anaemic and, while their 'bedside manner' might not have been perfect, I'd suggest they were avoiding unnecessary testing of a child who has enough to cope with on a daily basis. Your insistence itself may well have added to your child's distress; perhaps you need to do these things away from her.

Two of my children have complex medical needs, one is 6 and one is 3. Procedures and invasive medical actions are always discussed in adult terms away from my children, before it is then relayed to them in a child appropriate manner so as to keep their distress and fears to the absolute minimum possible.

I would at least like an accurate response if not an apologetic one

Honestly (and without being medically trained), I would probably have expected your DD's blood to be tested as you say she was very poorly & is diabetic.

I'm slightly confused though - does she have a cannula in permanently? Could this have been used to take blood without the need for a new needle? Or am I thinking of the wrong sort of cannula?

For me, as a parent & not a Dr, how far I would take the complaint would depend upon how much I thought they had realistically endangered my DCs health. For example, if they had said that a blood test was unnecessary despite your request but had advised, say, Calpol for the immediate problem & that had helped then I would probably let it go on this occasion.

If however, I felt that I had received no help whatsoever from the Dr then you bet I would complain all the way. Not entirely sure what outcome I would be hoping for though!

Forgive me for asking, but how did you go about asking for a BT? In my personal experience, patients without medical training telling the Dr what investigations they need to do/self diagnosing are not best received. (Used to work in a GPs surgery). I understand that you know your DD and her existing health problems best, but sometimes it's how you ask.

I would honestly have thought if A and E thought she had dangerous anaemia they would have tested for it, but if it was a mild form then it was more the GPs place to test for it. So I don't think they were neglectful of your DD but their bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired. And it is good that you complained and didn't just put up with it IMO.

but now I would drop it and try to move on, for the sake of your sanity.

It is a cannula for her insulin pump and the sensor is separate and in her arm for her cgm, neither are in a vein so couldn't have been used for bloods

I saw a consultant recently about something which is quite a sensitive issue to me. He acted perfectly well medically but was utterly devoid of any warmth or sympathy or human kindness whatsoever. I felt a bit traumatised afterwards. It does matter, and people should stand up to it if they feel upset by a doctor. It isn't being precious.

Let's turn that last question around:

Why should the doctor give my child an blood test when she has so many needles in and out of her each week, if he is pretty sure she is not suffering from anaemia that requires treatment?

Hedgehog- I've seen your posts often before, and know you have a lot on your plate. Your life sounds hard. I seriously would not add to the stress by pursuing this for an apology. You probably are right, but please let it go. Iirc this is your down time now before you go to collect dd for lunch. Please use this downtime to relax, watch some TV.

Ah, x-posts. I see you had a GPs letter asking for a BT & MRI.

Hospital Drs don't like GPs telling them what to do either!

I will probably leave it now, was just so irritated they have ignored/deliberately left out very relevant info in their investigation and reply to me and how dd was scared.

I know, its just hard to relax when you get such an irritating letter !!

Ah, OK, thank you for the cannula explanation.

I've never come across one for insulin before.

fanjo I think most people would agree that a complaint should be made if a doctors treatment doesn't meet our expectations, but how far can you take the complaint?

I think that's why the word "previous" was used and most of us say to let it lie now.

As she said she wasn't satisfied with the outcome of the complaint as they missed out relevant information.

I don't feel that is precious.

I think you need to let it go. You have enough to deal with.

You have no proof of anything that was said on either side. They say the doctor has been spoken to, so maybe he/she will be more careful in future.

But would the inclusion of that information change the outcome of the complaint? Probably not.

As long as the medical records are accurate then that's the main thing.

it might not change it. She isnt being precious to wonder though, most people would.

We had to take our eldest DC to A&E this year. It was a specialist children's hospital so yes, I'd expect the doctors there to be "good" with children but quite frankly they could've effed and blinded and called me all of the names under the sun while so long as they saved my son's life (they did).

Doctors aren't robots. Sometimes they say things that patients find offensive (and offense is very subjective). They also do an incredibly difficult job in challenging circumstances - especially those in A&E. demanding an apology over the words you've described just sounds ridiculous to me and frankly I'm a bit incredulous that you would take up a hospital's time this way.

That's the problem isn't it Fanjo. Beyond the scaring of a small child, this is what we would call a near miss.

I'm guessing that either the hospital know they've fucked up and are trying to fob off the OP by missing off the clinically relevant symptoms. Or the doctor not only ignored the referring letter by the GP but failed to take and record an accurate medical history which led to them not carrying out a test that was clinically indicated.

I would tend to agree with the doctor, my daughter has type 1 diabetes and I myself would be reluctant to have unnecessary tests performed on her as she already goes through so much on a daily basis. Illness on top of T1 is scary and I know the first time she had a sickness bug I was ready to whisk her to the hospital because I was sure she was going to die. I've had to calm down where illnesses are concerned and my GP is always happy to see her.

However, with regard to the complaint, anything that needs discussed with medical staff I will do out of eat shot of her as she already has enough anxieties about her health, and I think the doctors bedside manner could have been better. I also don't understand why the GP couldn't have done blood tests? I would let it go though, you have complained and they have replied. As much as you don't feel you have the response you are entitled to, you have enough on your plate. Hope your DD is on the mend now.

But we don't know if they have missed this information. This is a response letter to a complaint, it may not be included in there but be fully documented in the medical records and that something the op should check if she feel it necessary.