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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to complain to doctor's surgery?

36 replies

poohbear90 · 02/06/2020 09:10

I'm not sure if I'm just overthinking it!

My daughter has a history of kidney problems, high risk for UTI and then very high risk for a UTI to infect/damage her kidneys.
She had sepsis at 6 weeks old and I was told if I'd taken her in any later the outcome would have been bad.

Last week she had temperature, so we got her checked out at the doctor and they dipped her wee and confirmed UTI. All good, antibiotics sorted. Had to go in via the back entrance and into the special covid-19 room, all understandable.

Later that day her temperature spiked to 40.3, she was lethargic, shaking, her arms and legs were going blue and mottled and she was not herself at all. Obviously at this point I'm thinking it could be sepsis. I called the doctor back (they told me to call if she worsens, should have gone to A&E I think)

10 minutes later they called me back and immediately said go in, again via the back entrance. We got there 10 minutes later. I called to let them know I was there then got my daughter out of the car (it was hotter in the car than out). 10 minutes after that she throws up a lot. They lean out the back window and tell me the covid room is busy with overflow from the normal surgery so I'll need to wait. 10 minutes later my daughter has stopped holding her head up and cannot sit. I'm near panic. I think if they don't see us now I'm taking my daughter to A&E, so go to tell them that but they tell me the doctor is coming.

Doctor takes us to a small side room, and says yep she needs hospital within a couple of minutes, go back to the car, she'll call pediatrics and get our paperwork ready. It takes her a good 10 minutes if not longer to get the paperwork. My daughter is in the car crying very high pitch at volume.

Thankfully pediatrics were very quick with treatment and after a short stay and strong antibiotics she is now well.

AIBU to think that given my daughter was showing signs of sepsis the doctor's surgery either should have told us to get to A&E or made sure they could see us straight away?

I understand the current situation makes things more difficult. But sepsis is serious and should have been suspected/escalated? Especially given her high risk for a UTI to cause kidney infection?

OP posts:
Bridecilla · 02/06/2020 09:13

You should have gone to A&E

Who are 'they' ? Admin staff or medical staff?

SweetPetrichor · 02/06/2020 09:19

I can see why it's stressful, but I don't think the did anything wrong. I'd have gone to A&E straight away.

Original poster
poohbear90 · 02/06/2020 09:19

Admin staff leaned out the window to say of the delay and then to tell me doctor is coming

Doctor called me back and told me to bring my daughter in

Sorry for the lack of clairty

OP posts:
Thighmageddon · 02/06/2020 09:21

You should've gone straight to A&E yourself with her given you knew how high risk she is.

TheVanguardSix · 02/06/2020 09:23

Given your DD’s history, I’d have gone straight to paediatric A&E.
I don’t think there’s anything to complain about. Your poor DD was dealt with as swiftly as possible (you have to remember that there were other patients there. The GP didn’t see your DD immediately because they were likely dealing with another patient. But your DD was seen to quickly it seems to me. The patients that GPs are physically seeing right now are not going into the surgery with routine problems. The ones with routine problems are being triaged by phone).
Just go straight to A&E next time. I wish your DD a speedy recovery. How terrifying for you. Focus on her wellness. Flowers

Kazzyhoward · 02/06/2020 09:26

GP surgeries really aren't the place to go for anything that may be urgent.

Original poster
poohbear90 · 02/06/2020 09:33

Thank you for your replies.

Yes I realise I should have gone to A&E rather than called the doctor, but I expected them to tell me to go to A&E if they thought it was bad or they couldn't see her immediately. They've done both in the past (said to go to A&E and called her in and seen her immediately).

I think it's guilt/panic that it could have been worse that's making me want to complain 😅

OP posts:
Rose789 · 02/06/2020 09:35

I don’t understand why you didn’t take her straight to a&e with the symptoms she was displaying and her history.
Don’t complain to the doctors, it doesn’t sound like they did anything wrong.
Speedy recovery to your dd Flowers

bloodyhellsbellsx · 02/06/2020 09:47

I think the doctors did everything they could do there’s no grounds for complaints. However given how unwell you personally thought she was you should have taken her directly to A&E rather than the GPs.

LonginesPrime · 02/06/2020 10:11

I expected them to tell me to go to A&E if they thought it was bad

But you thought it was bad - people don't go to the GP for medical emergencies, they go to A&E. GP surgeries aren't geared up for emergencies.

I appreciate that having to wait for the paperwork is stressful when you've already been told it's an emergency, but if time was of the essence, why go to the GP first and not straight to A&E?

She was blue and you know her history - I don't know whether you were worried about being told you were wasting A&E's time or worried about catching covid, but it's not the doctor's fault you went to them first.

Glad DD is ok.

janet1267 · 02/06/2020 10:18

What do you hope to achieve by complaining? This is a practice you have a relationship with and who know your daughter's history. Do you really want to sour that as it does sound like they were helpful to you? It was your choice to take her there rather than A&E. if I were you I'd let it go. I'm glad your daughter is ok.

BumpBundle · 02/06/2020 10:21

Your complaint, unfortunately, won't make a blind bit of difference. GP surgeries are privately owned and can do what they want. NHS England won't take any responsibility for them. They have no functioning complaints system, their complaints systems are just a token.

GreyishDays · 02/06/2020 10:23

I’m really not sure, but just wanted to say how frightening that sounds and I hope she’s ok and you’re ok.
How old is she?

TARSCOUT · 02/06/2020 10:45

I assume as you didn't think it was serious enough to either dial 999 or go straight to A&E that's where they took their lead from?

AJPTaylor · 02/06/2020 10:54

I would take it as a lesson to just go to a and e. People seem to think they need permission to go to a and e. They blinking don't.

differentnameforthis · 02/06/2020 11:16

You wasted time waiting for a call at home, driving to the doctors, waiting to be seen before and after she threw up...and you want to complain that they kept you waiting?

Surely you would have just taken her to A&E the minute she started going blue!!

MakeMineALarge1 · 02/06/2020 11:20

So, you feel guilty about the choice you made, and now you're wanting to complain to the GP about that decision.

Oddballz · 02/06/2020 11:25

Why would you complain to your doctor because you made the wrong decision? You know your child's history, you even said you think you should have taken her to A&E..

Get over it. You made the wrong decision it's nothing to do with the gp. Take her to A&E next time.

Pippa12 · 02/06/2020 11:35

It’s difficult to make good decisions when your stressed. Don’t feel guilty, you did what you saw fit at the time and hindsight is wonderful but totally useless.

Mark it up to a learning experience.

IMHO tho, there isn’t anything to complain about. You don’t know what caused the delay in getting you into the surgery (previous emergency, cleaning area, donning or doffing PPE... the list is endless) and 10 minutes to write referral letter and ring hospital, wait for them to answer and accept the patient in all honest isn’t bad at all.

IloveParmaViolets · 02/06/2020 11:36

I think you're not able to take responsibility for your own actions and are looking to blame somebody else for your mistake. Not a good thing to do OP. Acknowledge your mistake, remember what to do next time & move on. Don't blame an innocent person for your own short comings, not good.

Kazzyhoward · 02/06/2020 11:54

I would take it as a lesson to just go to a and e. People seem to think they need permission to go to a and e. They blinking don't.

Perhaps people are following the NHS own guidance that A&E is for people with - Chest Pains, heavy bleeding, severe burns or stroke.

They tell you to contact the GP for fever

to complain to doctor's surgery?
turnthebiglightoff · 02/06/2020 12:01

You should have taken her to A&E. a GP can give a diagnosis but if it's a diagnosis that your kid is very very obviously sick, then you skip that and go straight to hospital.

WoollyMammouth · 02/06/2020 12:02

You should have taken her to a&e, it’s not the GPS fault you didn’t.

TemoraryUsername · 02/06/2020 12:10

I'm sorry your daughter was so ill, what a scary experience.

There are a few points in your story that I thought you should have abandoned GP idea and gone straight to A&E. GP surgeries aren't for urgent care, and covid makes that especially so.

Now you have had the experience you'll do differently next time.

Don't make a complaint. If it hadn't been urgent nothing they did was wrong - it was urgent, she worsened, and you were simply at a place that wasn't the right place for urgent medical intervention, and that wasn't set up to triage quickly and effectively.

Gammeldragz · 02/06/2020 12:12

10 minutes to get the paperwork and contact Paeds is pretty good! It can take longer than that just to get through to the hospital. Referral forms and paperwork take time and they probably also had other people bothering them for things in the meantime, it sounds like they were busy.
I really wouldn't complain in this situation (not saying never complain, at all) as it sounds like they saw you quickly (for general practice and probably quicker than your wait in A&E would be in normal times!) and did the best they could.
I hope your DD recovers quickly.

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