My GP was literally angry and told me off..

[Sofi88]

I'm losing sleep over this, so hope someone has any advice. I went to my GP yesterday, I'm 27 weeks pregnant and have been feeling extremely run down and have had achy legs for over a week. It's become so bad that I even struggle to walk up stairs. One leg has also suddenly gone very purple, due to clear veins and spider veins, that have appeared out of nowhere. I thought I might be anaemic, as that happened to me when I was pregnant with DD.

Anyway, as I got in, it was clear that he was in a bad mood. DD was with me and she wanted him to say hello to her teddy and he didn't even look at her. I told him my symptoms and he said "why are you here? You should be seing a midwife". I said my next appointment with her is in two weeks. He then went on a rant about how I was now in the midwife's care, due to pregnancy, and that I shouldn't go to the GP for things anymore. The midwife should be the first stop. Then he went on for ages about the different types of funding given to midwives, compared to doctors, and basically, in so many words, said I was taking advantage of the wrong type of funding.

I told him my midwife is very far away, so it's hard to go see her apart from the set appointments. There is no midwife in my area, and the nearest one is quite far away. When I said this, he said "this is not about what is more convenient for you". He then said that for some people it might be very convenient to go to A&E with a cold, but that doesn't mean it's right.. I asked if I could get the blood test anyway, and he eventually said "yes, but I don't see the point".

I left feeling distraught and shocked. He was literally angry! No joke! DD needed the toilet, and whilst in there with her I burst into tears, and couldn't stop crying. I tried to speak to the lady in reception, but couldn't get a word out as I was crying so much. Luckily, a female doctor happened to be in the reception at that time as told me to come to her office. I still struggled to speak, but eventually told her what had happened and she said the other doctor was wrong and that I was perfectly entitled to see the GP that day. She even said that I can come there for anything, even stuff that's pregnancy related. She understood that the midwife is far away, and said that they actually do have a local midwife, but that she's on maternity leave and hasn't been replaced.

I'm now wondering whether to formally make a complaint against the angry GP. You'd think pregnant women should be entitled to more care, not less! Anyone can become anaemic, and they are supposed to see their GP for that, so why can't a pregnant woman? How am I supposed to know what I can see my GP for, and what I can't? If I break my leg am I supposed to call the midwife? If not then how am I supposed to know where to draw the line? And how the hell am I supposed to know about the different types of NHS funding?! Or is complaining a bit over the top?

OP please get your leg looked at just in case as previous posters have said, could be a DVT.

I’m a doctor (not GP), I’ve worked closely with midwives, they are amazing and knowledgeable about pregnancy and birth. However their remit doesn’t include management of medical problems and while they would know how to detect a problem, they don’t have the infrastructure in place to refer for investigations, treatment etc and nor should they because it is not their job!

On the other hand, some hospital doctors aren’t totally up to date with pregnancy issues. For example a slightly higher blood pressure may not flag as serious to them.

The answer to this is shared care and GPs like yours don’t sound like they are cooperative in this.

The civility costs lives campaign says all you need to know about ride HCPs!

I would complain. I bet he wouldn't have spoken to a male patient in that way. Male doctors can very dimissive of women.

Actually I suspect the other doctor may have a word with the appropriate people or the doctor himself anyway. I would give the first doctor a break and assume he was struggling himself that day. Doctors are humans too and if we put too much pressure on them I think we'll end up with a crisis due to a lack of people becoming or continuing as doctors.

Oh, cross posted with ScreamingBeans

@Sofi88 I totally agree with everyone else, that this needs a complaint but if you are really interested in this complaint getting to the real root cause of the issue, it’s going to have to be carefully worded.

Most GPs are decent human beings who are pushed to their limit by political interference.

A GP who behaves as this one did today is most likely extremely stressed and burnt out by pressures most of us can’t possibly imagine. Just google GP suicide if you want to scratch the surface of this...

The GP you saw is probably already tearing themselves apart over how they behaved.

All of the GPs at your practice have probably complained loudly about the non replacement of the midwife on mat leave and how this would impact on their workload, and had these complaints go unheard. This will be just a drop in the ocean of things they are supposed to just absorb, without funding for extra staff to do it, while other services have gaps, shortages etc. All the while being under pressure to keep up with every other target enforced on them. You met someone who came across their “final straw”.

None of this excuses what you experienced but please think about what you want to achieve, as you have options:

1. Complain about GP being extremely rude and dismissive of you = even more stressed GP for a while during the complaint process and yearly appraisal process etc, may be off sick for a while etc + complaint (for you) doesn’t really amount to much other than an apology letter that doesn’t really make you feel better

1. Complaint about lack of maternity cover for local midwife leaving you with difficulty finding adequate care without travelling, causing GP to behave in a stressed and unpleasant manner = GP gets that they have been a dick but because he feels that you have understood the real problem, actually feels a bit understood, less stressed, genuine remorse etc, local health authority has questions to answer too and can’t just let one GP take the hit for the bigger issue.

I agree with those saying you should complain. You wouldn't put up with rude, dismissive treatment from anyone else you consulted for advice in a professional capacity - imagine if your solicitor or accountant or bank manager spoke to you like that!

@Sofi88 I am so sorry this happened to you...

This doctor was WELL out of line here. He should never have dismissed you like this. Bet he wouldn't have done this to a man.

I know someone who was worried she was fat (in the early 1980s,) and she was 8 st 9 and 5 ft 4 so clearly not. She kept eating as little as possible as she wanted to get under 8 stone, and she went to see the doctor to see why she thought like this.

He gave her a ticking off for wasting his time, told her she is NOT fat, and that she is just bloody stupid. She has spent the last 25 years battling numerous eating disorders, and is currently around a size 22 and 16 stone. (5 years ago she was a size 10, and 9 and a half stone.)

So she has gained 6 and a half stone in 5 years.

If she had got some help, advice, and sympathy at the time, she would possibly have recovered, but being shouted down made her a lot worse.

I can't believe this kind of thing is still happening some 35 to 40 years after what happened to the woman I know.

Women's issues are never going to be taken seriously are they?

And they are never going to be listened to,

I think that you should complain (to the head of the practice,) about this doctor. Tell them that you don't want anyone to get into trouble, but say he upset you.

I did the same as you OP, I knew midwives could order the 10 and 28 week blood tests but suspected (correctly) that I was anaemic and wasn't sure she could order blood tests and wasn't sure I could actually see her outside of my monthly appointment. So I went to the GP who ordered blood tests. It was a 2 minute job for them.
It's down to them (the NHS) to make it clear where to go. And in any case how are you supposed to know whether symptoms you have are pregnancy related or not?

Please listen to people asking you to get an emergency out of hours appointment to get your leg checked - if midwives can do this you may be able to pop straight along to your local birth centre or hospital as it may be an emergency. You need possible DVT checked straight away, it can be serious, please go today

Op I haven’t read the full thread so this may well have already been suggested

Firstly complain to the practice manager

You could also ask to fill in a Friends and Family Test questionnaire - these should be published/brought to the attention of the Clinical Commissioning Group (they have a say in quality and safety in GP services)

If the response from the GP practice is not satisfactory then contact the CCG to complain.

You need to shout about this, not only is he wrong but he’s clinically unsafe and fucking nasty to boot

Oh, and PLEASE get medical advice ASAP - you need to make sure that you’re ok

A GP who behaves as this one did today is most likely extremely stressed and burnt out by pressures ... The GP you saw is probably already tearing themselves apart over how they behaved.

I’m a little tired of this ‘explaining away’.

Lots of ppl have stressful jobs wherein they’d be fired for treating a client rudely.

Dismissing concerns costs lives.

It’s not up to the OP to determine whether the GP is burnt out or just an arsehole. She was treated badly (possibly negligently). She should complain, without softening.

It’s the job of whoever deals with the complaint to determine if there are extenuating circumstances that explain the rudeness (which then should be addressed) or not.

You should complain but it won`t get you anywhere.
I would put your energy into feeling better tbh.
He clearly has the bedside manner of a pitbull and it will be interesting to see how he is with you on your next visit.
Please let us know.
hope you feel better soon and congratulations on the forthcoming event.

Complaining really can get you somewhere..... I deal with complaints about NHS services every day, I’ve seen changes happen because people have taken the time to get in touch

Complain. Then slash his tyres. That's what I did once.

I would complain op x

Complain. Then slash his tyres. That's what I did once. Jeez - top advice, not.

The doctor may have been angry for lots of reasons. None of them were to do with OP, she was just a convenient target for his rant.

Clots are dangerous. I have a blood clotting disorder so am probably more 'clot aware' than most but checking the possibity of this should have been at the front of the doctor's mind given that the OP is pregnant.

Definitely complain and I say that as a health professional. I see things from both sides. As a professional you should not treat anyone this way burn out or not. People are at their most vulnerable when seeking help/advice. I had a similar situation as a patient. I was feeling unwell and the doc did not know what was wrong but was clearly irritated and made me feel like a time waster. I felt horrendous because they are the very people you should be able to put your trust in. I did not complain but still look back and think I should of. Your situation definitely.

Would it help your decision if you thought of it as feedback rather than complaint? Offer your experience. Ask if it's correct that you should not / can not attend the GP. Don't be shy of explaining that it made you cry. Don't apologise for it.

Ask for your records to be amended if he has put emotive comments about you. Does he put in anyone else's notes that they haven't seen the pharmacist for instance.

There could be many reasons why the GP decided to speak to you like that - list is endless and could be pressure of work - it's wrong though just as it's wrong if an Asda worker is rude but more than that it could be dangerous. He dismissed your presenting condition but he didn't think that he should deal with it. No health care professional should do that - they should all do any emergency care or make sure you get it if they aren't the right person.

I would complain

I'm hoping OP is now busy getting that leg checked out.

It’s not up to the OP to determine whether the GP is burnt out or just an arsehole. She was treated badly (possibly negligently). She should complain, without softening.

It’s the job of whoever deals with the complaint to determine if there are extenuating circumstances that explain the rudeness (which then should be addressed) or not.

YYYYYYY.

This speculation about whether or not this GP is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, is irrelevant. If he is any enquiry into his behaviour as a result of the OP's complaint, will uncover that and will be taken into account in how he's dealt with.

It's not the OP's job to consider his feelings, his life, his back-story etc. It's not her problem. Her problem is that her GP was dismissive, unprofessional and negligent. She has the right to prioritise that over speculation about why this GP behaved like this. He can prioritise his feelings and his life, that's not her job.

And bear in mind that you keep the complaint factual the practise can use it to lobby about the lack of a midwife.

That there is no midwife, that the GP may feel burnt out etc are all explanations but none make your experience okay or acceptable.

Your GP practise is your primary care provider. They have agreed - albeit nationally or at local level - to subcontract varies services. If their service provider - in this case the midwifery service - doesn't provide a service it doesn't mean you shouldn't get it. The GP practise has to find a different way whilst holding the provider to account.

You asked for a primary / community service in the best way you knew how. In the only way that worked in the timescale. You didn't get it.

Apologies but can't remember how pregnant you are but if you are worried today you may want to ring your local Early Pregnancy Unit or Out of Hours GP. If you do - or if you go to A&E / Walk In Centre then pop that in the letter too. That's more costly than the GP practise sorting out midwifery care for its practise population.

100000% complain that's awful how you were treated. My midwife told me to go see my GP as she was concerned about the bruising on my legs and big red swollen lump on my foot. He was very caring and referred me on for bloods which discovered I was anemic! Take care xx