Doctors won’t see me (saga continues)

[TheCatsPaws]

Previous posts about severe anxiety, recurrent miscarriages.

Had a D&C on Wednesday. Yesterday had a raging temperature, coloured discharge and general unwell feeling. Rang EPU who said to make an emergency doctors appointment today re possible infection.

Got an emergency appointment today. Stuck in traffic for half an hour because road is covered in snow. Rang GP, stuck on phone for 20 minutes. Got told by a receptionist that “sorry you’re too late, we won’t see you”

I explained I had surgery on Wednesday and the ward thinks I have an infection, and wants me to see a dr today. “Sorry that’s our policy”. After much arguing, I asked if she’ll be personally responsible if I get sepsis to which she just quoted policy at me again.

AIBU to be fuming? I’m going down to the surgery and demanding to see the manager right now.

nakedscientist That is why we have walk in centres and A&E. a GP surgery isn't the place for a speedy response when you've missed your appointment and they're dealing with a clinic full of people who are waiting for their appointments.

Look, I apologise for being blunt with you OP. My points stand. You did post in AIBU asking others if you were being unreasonable and in my view you absolutely are. And I believe it's better to explain why like I have than just say yep you're BU. I have no reason to believe once you've calmed down and been seen you won't recognise that yourself. Just focus on being seen by a doctor in the ways that are open to you instead of expending fruitless and unjustified anger at the surgery, for your own good.

My surgery would be far more helpful in this situation. Sorry you are having such a horrible time.

LemonShark crikey what about all your energy raging at the OP. A bit of kindness wouldn’t go amiss. Hope you get some help soon OP.

Having read your other thread OP I think you need to tread carefully. Doctors can and will remove you from their list if they see you as difficult or intimidating.

I’m sure it’ll be really inconvenient to all the non life threatening conditions in there if they were made to wait an extra 10 minutes.
How do you know that other people are in as much need or more than you? How arrogant. I'd be rightly pissed off if your late arrival made my urgent appointment late.

If you're that ill, go to A&E

frogsoup Every GP surgery has different policies. Usually set by the doctors NOT the receptionists. That's your GP's policy. The OP's is that when you've missed your appointment you need to book another. Sadly just because your surgery does that doesn't mean that policy magically transfers onto the OP's surgery. They've already stated theirs.

Don't you have a walk in centre anywhere near you? I guess they're less essential if the surgery functions as one but what about nights and weekends?

I’m not offended Lemon, I just think it’s incredibly ridiculous when I am stuck through no fault of my own (I don’t even drive, my parents had to give me a lift!), having set out an hour before my appointment, and ring to tell them I’ll be late, that they can’t fit me in.

If it was for something minor like acne treatment or an ear infection, I’d understand, but I think blanket policies without any concern to the individual situation are ridiculous.

I’m so glad you are being seen op. I am so very sorry you lost your baby

Others who were unpleasant hope you realise these comments amount to cyber bullying.

Op, please stay out of AIBU. It really isn’t a great place to post when feeling fragile.

My surgery would be far more helpful in this situation. Sorry you are having such a horrible time.

My surgery is very very crap. I want to change but there aren’t any others near me. Glad to hear others aren’t as awful.

"But hey, they can’t possibly be late for their non emergencies can they hmm"

Seriously lost all sympathy with you at this point. Stop judging other people's reasons for needing the GP.

As you believe your condition is immediately threatening, then this is an A&E emergency. I hope you are on your way. If you have decided it can wait until this evening, then it isn't lidpfe threatninf and missing your appointment is damned annoying when you tried hard, but one of those things. It is not the GP's fault that they cannot rearrange patients around a non-attender

Weren't you on about diazepam the other day? If so they probably think you're a bit dramatic.

Ah the mental health prejudice comes out.

I'm far from raging Pannalash and clearly not alone in my response. At least I explained how else she can be seen through the appropriate channels instead of encouraging her to go and make a scene at the surgery which may have made things even worse!

Glad it's sorted OP and that you were able to find a way to speak to them calmly.

Cats - YANBU. The receptionist sounds like a robot. Hope you can get to a Walk in or A&E today. Ignore those who came to Mumsnet to have a go at someone and went for you.
You need medical advice asap. 💐

I can't believe all the "YABU, you missed your appointment" posts. Sepsis is deadly.

TheCatsPaws I suppose the problem is if they start being flexible to fit people in it'll become the norm and the whole thing will go to hell in a handbasket for everybody who has an appointment. It is shit when you're the one who struggles to make it in time but there's no alternative that doesn't come with worse problems. Especially when we do have facilities to be seen elsewhere so it's not GP or nothing.

If you were inclined to make a written complaint I'd focus on the fact you literally couldn't speak to anybody at the surgery to tell them you were late. Being on hold for 20 mins is sadly commonplace but it does mean people who are late or even need to cancel can't even let them know which might make it go down as a DNA and go on your records/contribute to being struck off.

If people could actually get through then they could cancel and then others can be seen more quickly instead of having to wait for all of the non attendees to show up!

yes I agree frogsoup, since we have had a weekend GP surgery my visits to A&E over the weekend have dropped (same reason). Saturday we had the first signs of a chest infection got a GP appointment and antibiotics and a nebuliser.

That said the OP probably needs to be at A&E anyway as if it is a serious post op infection she may well need to be admitted.

Glad you got sorted. How the receptionist dealt with you was inadequate to say the least. She should've offered you the next available slot or advised you where to go if they were genuinely unable to fit you in.

I doubt her GP was twiddling his thumbs during the ten minutes her appointment would have been. As she wouldn't have checked in, he would have automatically gone on to one of the next several patients in the waiting room. It would have cost the GP nothing to slot her in after she got there. The only consequence for other patients would be a few would get seen slightly earlier than they would have been if she'd been on time.

That is why we have walk in centres and A&E

Exactly. OP needs to call the ward and follow their advice, not shout at the GP's receptionist.
But, I have not lost sympathy for her and I thought your post suggested that everyone thought the same as you.
The receptionist should have said something like, "if you are concerned about seeing a doctor urgently, call 111, call the hospital, go to a
an out of hours GP located at X and if symptoms worsen go to A and E"
Then OP would not have felt so blanked and stressed. Simple good practice.
Oh and DONT call AIBU!

If people could actually get through then they could cancel and then others can be seen more quickly instead of having to wait for all of the non attendees to show up!

This I agree with. If it were possible to cancel and or inform of lateness, people could be rearranged around it and it would save money and time.

I also get your point about the slippery slope of allowing flexibility but I don’t get why they can’t employ a bit of common sense with it.

I’m interested to see that when you arrived with your dad suddenly they found a space for you.
Either they have a prejudice towards women just being over dramatic OR you saw someone else who was a bit more on the ball.

Re just going to a walk in center. Or A&E.
I’m amazed at people proposing A&E when we know it’s only for life threatening issues and that otherwise you should see your GP.....

I dint know about the OP, but there are no close walk in center where I live and not everyone has a car/ability to go 15 miles away (eg by paying for a taxi) That’s why we have surgeries close by.....

Glad you’ve got an appointment op. Sorry you’re having such a shit time.