Dr breached my confidentiality

[wishes1111]

Hello

I have a long history of being fed up with this doctor, since I was 16 and went to him with a bad cough and he told me I was depressed, I ended up in hospital that night with pleurisy.

I have depression and anxiety anyway and when I was 18, he accused me of buying diazepam off the internet (something I have never done). Growing up with addict parents, I am very careful and have never taken drugs that have not been prescribed to me.

After this, I requested that he didn't contact me again.

I put a request in last week online for some propanalol which I have on a repeat prescription and I gave the reason as "anxiety".

My regular dr gave me a call to check I didn't need anything stronger as I have been under the community mental health team. I said I was okay and just needed some more propanalol, she was happy with this and sent my prescription through as requested.

I went back onto my work calls and whilst I was working I had 4 missed calls from my DH. I called him back and he was panicking as he said the Dr (the one I had trouble) with called him whilst he was out at work and said "I can't get hold of (name) and she put a request in for anxiety medication". I hadn't spoken to DH about this as my anxiety wasn't severe and it was just my usual prescription request.

I am angry that he called DH, his number is not on my file as confirmed by a receptionist but he is listed underneath my address. There is no consent given for him to be contacted to discuss on my behalf and the receptionist said the Dr must have searched my surname and address to obtain his phone number.

Am I right to put a complaint in about this? I wouldn't know where to start. Is it a breach of my data protection? AIBU?

[Nonpayingdads]

Weird and plain wrong of him. Unfair to your DH as well. If you both complain it will be taken more seriously.

[Zazazaz]

Breach of client confidentiality disclosing your medical details to someone not on the surgery record as allowed by you.

Breach of your husband's data under GDPR for accessing his details in order to make the phone call for a reason unrelated to your husband's health.

Two breaches.

Complain big time.

(If you had a really good patient/GP relationship with this person then that might have come into play if you felt they were bending over backwards to look after you. But still wrong and plainly not the case).

[MaitlandGirl]

@MNWorldisCrazy the GP opened MILs file while we were there (and yes, I could see the screen and all the info) and confirms that she had written the referral letter. In our practice the GP types up the letter (it’s a field merge document) and then the admin staff send it off.

I really think we’ll need to change though - while we were talking to the GP about this she asked how DD2 is getting on and if she’d seen the specialist yet. DD2 is 20 years old (!) and I knew what the GP was talking about but it wasn’t appropriate.

@wishes1111 have you been able to come up with a plan of what you and your husband are going to do?

[ChipsCheeseAndBeans]

Contact the information commissioners office and make a formal complaint

ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

[Forwhatitsworth101]

Please complain!