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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Do GPs write letter to help with housing?

79 replies

MsHopey · 19/07/2018 19:19

I've got terrible mould in my living room. Originally my DS cot was against it until we moved the cot and saw how bad the mould was.
Been doing our best to keep him away from it, now he's a toddler he wants to eat the flaking paint Sad.
I've contacted my local council (i am currently a tenant in a one bedroom flat) they've said I will need a GPs letter to prove it's affecting DS health before they seriously look at moving us.
DS is 11 months and has had several coughs and colds including a stomach infection that left him in hospital on a drip for 3 days when he was 4 months old.
But will do GPs write letters like this to the council? Is it common?

OP posts:
bellabasset · 19/07/2018 20:51

Have you tried using a dehumidifier? Borrow one if you can and then keep a record of the amount of water it removes. As much of the country has a heat wave and little rainfall that might help prove your difficulty.

BUT they aren't cheap to run. I live in the South West where we have damp conditions. Look up South West Ventilation or similar company in your area to understand the issue better.

You have the issue that when it's damp bedding also becomes damp and that isn't good for anyone's health.

specialsubject · 19/07/2018 20:58

house needs repairing. if a private landlord owned this shithole you could get the council to enforce but I dont know who enforces the council.

re storage heaters - do you have economy 7, preferably economy 10? are they wired right?

MsHopey · 19/07/2018 20:59

They've specifically asked for medical evidence at the moment. Which is why it was the main thing I was focusing on.

OP posts:
MsHopey · 19/07/2018 21:01

Pretty sure we're on economy 7.
The living room one stopped working last year, and they did send someone out to fix it. So I think it's all working.
It's just if I put the output to 6 there's no heat left by 11am. So you have to put the output on 2, which takes the chill off but it's still cold, but it'll last till 4pm. They're crap!

OP posts:
TitusAndromedon234 · 19/07/2018 21:03

My practice will write you the letter, but it's private, not on the NHS, so we will charge you £30 for it.

specialsubject · 19/07/2018 21:05

hmm. when are your eco 7 hours? at night is input right up and output right down?

( I realise you cant really check in a heatwave!). and do contact your supplier about economy 10, it will take some arguing...

MsHopey · 19/07/2018 21:09

I'm under the impression it's 7pm to 7am. But I feel like I haven't really checked.
Yes input right up, output right down.
How water bottles and warm PJs at night. We was managing but since LO arrived I worry about it a lot more.

OP posts:
mrsm43s · 19/07/2018 21:22

Re the doctors letter - what they are looking for is a pattern of illness caused by the mould. So things like constant severe asthma, repeated bronchitis, repeated/constant allergic skin conditions etc. They will only write the letter if the reported illnesses that your son has are outside what would normally be expected for a child of his age. And respectfully, " several coughs and colds including a stomach infection", sounds a perfectly normal health record for an 11 month old - so it doesn't sound like the mould is actually causing him any medical harm.

That said, it's horrible to live with, and needs to be fixed. Often, however, it is due to occupants behaviour - you absolutely must adequately heat (buy extra plug in rads) and ventilate the property, no cooking without lids on/extractor going/windows open, no drying indoors, check dryer is venting correctly, use a dehumidifier etc. But keep on at the Council, and hopefully someone will be available to look at it soon.

mrsm43s · 19/07/2018 21:28

It's just if I put the output to 6 there's no heat left by 11am. So you have to put the output on 2, which takes the chill off but it's still cold, but it'll last till 4pm. They're crap!

Right, it was really, really cold last year, and it is possible that the heaters failed to cope. However, overnight you need to have input HIGH, and output OFF/LOW. Don't put output ON except when the house needs heating, so, as with GCH, perhaps for an hour or two in the morning, and then again for two or three hours in the evening, and I wouldn't put it on full, more a mid range settng. If you're trying to have it pump out full heat all day, then it'll run out really early on. If it's working, and has been fully charged (input HIGH overnight) then there's no way it should be out of heat by 11am.

RideOn · 19/07/2018 21:33

They might write a letter but as pp said it isn’t NHS work so this is optional and likely they will charge.

Also they can only say what they know to be true ie you “report” mound and the general health effects of mould. They are not going to do a home visit to check.

Noloudnoises · 19/07/2018 21:35

What colour is the mould? Black is condensation from inside and green is coming from outside.

Dettol mould and mildew spray is great. Bloody strong bleach smell but will certainly help.

Also getting a stand alone de-humidifier and running it at night will help.

MsHopey · 19/07/2018 21:50

It a definitely indoor mould. The roof is leaking above that wall and drip onto that wall.
I am doing as much as I can to keep it to a minimum, i don't want a mouldy home.
Also regarding the storage heaters, they're not really the point of the thread and I am using them correctly regarding input and output and just trying to fight the cold off for my family

OP posts:
TurquoiseDress · 19/07/2018 21:53

@Uniquack
I'd double check with the practice again as to why they've declined, there must be a firm reason why.

One of my good friends is a GP- they do write letters but it's not just based on what they are "told" to put in it, the bulk of it is taken from the patient record.

eg your child has been admitted to hospital x number of times due to worsening asthma etc

The state of your property will be based on what you "report" to the GP, not necessary a statement of facts as given by you.

It's not a GP's job to inspect your home etc- def one for ?environmental health

Uniquack · 19/07/2018 22:00

@TurquoiseDress - all I wanted was a factual letter - eg ADOS assessment done, appointments regarding issues relating to ASD etc. I have insisted on a reason why they've declined, and I will keep pestering them 'till I get a reason.

Uniquack · 19/07/2018 22:03

For what it's worth, the GP agrees that there are obvious issues and highlighted entries in DDs patient record, but still declined writing the letter. I would love to know why Confused.

Sorry for derailing your thread OP.

Yacka · 19/07/2018 22:09

My friend had a gp letter addressing all health concerns but her real help was the local mp who managed to access all her housing application details and the reasons she needed to move (health and being closer to family)
Maybe worth finding your local mp and outlining the full situation.

Yacka · 19/07/2018 22:16

Is it private or council rent. Sorry if I've missed that info.

Try and get environmental health to come and use a probe to assess the damp on the walls. I was 8 months pregnant and had awful damp and mould which ruined cots and a pram that was stored before I had given birth. Luckily I had the chance to be offered an other private rent.

But private land lords often get away with not bringing a house up to standard if they can "show" they are getting quotes for work.

Your gp may be more a help if they can see appointments made due to illness which they can say were from mould and damp.

But also please speak to your mp. Most council re housing work on a point system. (Sorry of u already know this) but they can help with moves through local area if it will help the local constituency

Confusedbeetle · 19/07/2018 22:20

Put an electric dehumidifier in the bedroom, They don't use much electricity

mrsm43s · 19/07/2018 22:24

Also regarding the storage heaters, they're not really the point of the thread and I am using them correctly regarding input and output and just trying to fight the cold off for my family

Well if, "It's just if I put the output to 6 there's no heat left by 11am. So you have to put the output on 2, which takes the chill off but it's still cold, but it'll last till 4pm. They're crap!" is true, then your storage heaters are either faulty or you are using them incorrectly.

Polly2345 · 19/07/2018 22:37

I have thought about my HV but I haven't seen her or heard from her since LO was 2 weeks old.

Are you due a 1 year check soon? Could you ask then? You should have had a weaning appt or workshop at about 4 or 5 months.

HelenaDove · 19/07/2018 23:06

Uniquack tell the practice that you wish to put in an FOI request.

SaltyPeanut · 19/07/2018 23:12

I've had all what your experiencing apart from the baby with it which must make it more horrible, it was 20 odd years ago but still remember what a nightmare it was. That was when I used to use storage heaters strangely enough.

I don't know what sort of budget you've got to work from so sorry if this is useless info because I myself know money for one offs such as these doesn't just magically appear because they would help. On the plus side, they are things you can take to a new property if you can find the cash.

You need an electric dehumidifier, can't stress this enough. There's one on offer at Argos at the moment for £100, 12 litre Challenge one. It's the one I've got (only I paid full price) and it sucks the water out of the air really quite well.

You are going to have to strip the wallpaper or paint right back to the plaster, there's no other way to kill the mould as it's spores are right stuck in that and will keep growing back. Then you need to get some Dettol Mould and Mildew killer and follow the instructions.

DO NOT use bleach. I got this info from a bloke at the council who came out to view my mould problem. He said that although bleach will kill what you can see, it won't touch the bits you can't see. Not only that but using bleach leaves behind deposits that attract moisture back to the area and encourage the black mould to grow back even faster.

That all has to be left to dry out. Don't try to repaint it while the ceiling is still leaking, it's a waste of time. Better to have bare plaster, easier to dry out.

Contact environmental health instead of the repairs management department, they couldn't give a shit how much your suffering. I had to do this myself years ago and that was when it got fixed because environmental health made them do it.

Finally, you need to get a electric radiant bar fire such as the Complex Yeominster (£70ish) or similar. If you look up the Dimplex one on Amazon the other cheaper ones will be on the also viewed/related bit.
Storage heaters are absolute shit and the most expensive way to heat going. A radiant bar fire is expensive to run but I personally find it cheaper than the storage heaters I have (I'm all electric, no gas). The heat is instant and because it's radiated heat, you can feel it in your body better and it warms the walls and furniture too so that heat is released back in to the room from them. I find one bar gives more heat than any storage heater. Halogen heaters are not bad because they also put out radiant heat but are a bit bright, burn your eyeballs if you can see it out the corner of your eye. Stay away from fan heaters, very very expensive to run and only warm the air temporaily, freezing again the second you switch them off. Human beings can't absorb heat from the air, we can feel it on our skin which gives a mere illusion of warmth but it doesn't warm our core, we need radiant heat like that from the sun.

I know my shit when it comes to electric heating. I've never had gas as an adult and have done much research and tried it all.

FourFriedChickensDryWhiteToast · 19/07/2018 23:15

housing standards at the council, very helpful.

SaltyPeanut · 19/07/2018 23:15

That should read Dimplex not bloody complex, fucking autocorrect....argh

Duskqueen · 19/07/2018 23:21

Not RTFT and probably late putting this but yes they do. My gp wrote a letter for me.

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