About patient's confidentiality

[GuendalinaCatEyes]

I don't get it. I went to the cardiology clinic for an echocardiogram last month. It's taken 4 weeks for them to write a letter to my GP. I haven't been sent a copy of the clinic letter.
I spoke to the GP's receptionist today and she said that she couldn't let me have a copy until the doctor had agreed to it.
Are we fucking kidding here? It's MY LETTER. Why would I not be allowed to see it?? Am
I missing something?

afaik there shoudl be nothign shared between consutlant and GP that patient should not be privy to

How patronising to think OP isn't competent to read a letter written by a medical professional about her own health.

Horace, that really is not a universal truth.

Maybe your copy got lost in the post ?

As for the posters saying the OP is entitled to see the letter,well she is but the GP could in theory make her wait (up to 40 days) & charge her for the privilege.

Of course YANBU - but probably easier to get a copy off the cardiologist, as originally was supposed to be the case

Not read all the thread as just on my way out. However I work in nhs hospital in cardiology, when we send clinic letter to GP we send patient a copy of same letter.
However this letter has to be checked and authorised by Consultant before we can send, are you sure that isn't what they meant ?

Yes I'm positive the letter in questions the final version, signed by consultant and sent to GP.

Tbh op if final letter yours should be on its way by post. I think its standard good practice to send letter to patient now. If not gp will show you the letter when you next visit. If not been signed off yabu as it cant be sent until its finalised!

Fucking hell if I had a copy of every leter written about me by consultants and GPs I'd need a spare room. My current set of notes at the hosp (non archived) are 18 inches high.

I do ask for my blood results each time I have an infusion , from the pevious time, so I can track them, but otherwise I only ask if there's something I particularly want to know. If there's anything important, the medics will soon tell you!

It's not your letter, it's from your consultant to your GP.

The vast majority of the time patients are sent copies of the letters, but on occasion I have asked that they are not.

Let me give you an example:
Dear GP, I saw patient X in clinic. Blah blah blah, took a biopsy. I have since had the result which shows it is cancer, and I will be telling the patient when I see them next week. She will need chemotherapy and as she does not have local family may need your support over the next few months.
Sincerely, Dr Wild.

This is not a letter you need to receive in the post. Yes, you are entitled to a copy, but if you asked for it, the GP would at least have the chance to talk to you in person before giving it.

Ok, yours probably just got lost in the post, but please understand there are many reasons why a letter may not always be copied to the patient.

Here it goes again:
The guy who did the echo said he would write a detailed report and pass it on to a cardiologist who within three weeks would write to my GP and send a copy to me. After 4 weeks the FINAL letter SIGNED by the consultant has reached my GP but not my doormat.

Yeah, we get it. But so what? Maybe the guy who did the echo told you he would send you a copy but then realised they weren't supposed to? OR maybe it got lost in the post. Or maybe they couldn't be bothered.
You really need to get over yourself.

Get over myself?? What an insensitive thing to say!
it's my health that's at stake and I've been waiting 1 month for the results.

Call up the cardiologist,s secretary on Monday op and ask for a copy of the GP letter. GP receptionist being a bit overcautious but its the hospitals job not hers to copy you into hospital letters

then that is a different issue entirely. Focus on that and stop obsessing about the letter.

Is it different for children? I have received a copy of the consultants clinic letter for every clinic my daughter has attended. It always lists names at the end stating who a copy has been sent to and always says copy to parent/carers as well as GP, other specialist involved and our local peadiatrition.

i know that many hospitals now send letters to GPs electronically, but patient copies and other copies by mail, and generally second class. that may explain the delay.
best advice imo is to ring consultant's secretary on monday to ask for a copy.

Call the Consultant's secretary. If it's a letter from the Consultant to your GP they will be able to say whether you were indeed cc-ed on or if you weren't. Lots of letters are on electronic systems now that GPs have access too. Therefore your GP might not have got a physical copy of the letter, hence yours might still be in the post.

Just because the Consultant says he'll do the letter within so many weeks, doesn't definitely mean it will happen. Consultant could be off sick, not dictate it, dictated copy not clear, secretary off etc etc.

Your GP isn't just going to print off and post you a copy of a letter sent to him by a Consultant, especially not before he's read it. If your Consultant should have cc-ed you on and hasn't, then it's up to them to send you the copy in the first instance and that's the person you should be chasing.

Op - sorry countessmarkyabitch is living up to her name!!!

As previously suggested, gat a copy from the cardiologist's secretary. Forgot to say when posting earlier, hope things are OK and best of luck.

Countess, that was an awful thing to say.

OP, I understand where you're coming from. It is frustrating and upsetting. I don't think this thread will help you as

A. Some people are just giving wrong info
B. Some people are just bloody insensitive and/or rude.

If you have a sympathetic GP or other HCP involved, if you speak to them they can normally set up for you to receive copies from everyone involved in your care.

I hope you get it sorted and don't feel too bad.