To officially complain about this GP?

[Bunnyfuller]

A few weeks ago my husband found a lump in his right breast, about a cm above the nipple. I urged him to get to GP, expecting the 2w breast clinic referral. My husband came back from the appointment and said the doctor examined him, confirmed the lump and said he would ‘refer you for an ultrasound’.

Weeks went past and no appointment arrived. I suggested he chase with surgery as it seemed a bit long, and we haven’t been with this surgery long so didn’t know whether we’d missed something. The lady apologised and said ‘oh dear, he’s just put this as routine’ and made a call to get an immediate appointment. The letter for this arrived yesterday. It was still just for an ultrasound, not the breast clinic.

We called again, and quoted the NICE Guideline, which doesn’t just refer to women, and the person on the phone said she wasn’t sure why the doctor hadn’t made that referral, as it would be expected. She said she would check with the GP, and colleagues.

He told them he hadn’t felt a lump, so saw no need for an urgent referral. This is an outright lie, and I’m utterly gobsmacked. Apart from me and DH being worried about the delay (I’m trying to reassure him, the same as we do with women with lumps) but am still obviously worried. I’m also panicking about moving to the practice, I’m currently still under our one we had before moving house as I have ongoing treatment with a consultant in that county.

Who should I write to? I’m still shocked a GP would lie so blatantly to cover up his error.

Yeah. I’d complain. Problem is. It’s hard to prove.

Regardless though. I would write to the practice manager.

I meant it hard to prove what the de says

Even if there’s a prominent lump. The dr might say it wasn’t at the time of the appointment. Which is shit. But you could counter act that it means he didn’t look properly etc.

I’m so sorry. I complained about my dr once. They left my child screaming in agony after multiple mistakes.

It didn’t change much. But it helped me feel better.

Definitely complain. I've made an 9fficial complaint about a GP (just about her general manner and way of talking to patients than something as serious as this) and while nothing appeared to happen as a result of it I was told by a GP friend that it does rattle a GP to have a complaint made against them and is generally a rather unpleasant experience. What this doctor did cannot be undone and I very much hope that your husband is alright, but at the very least it might give the GP a kick up the arse, if nothing else appears to come from it. Best of luck.

But the GP will have made contemporaneous notes stating the findings of his examination when he first saw your DH. He can't change these. They will describe what he saw/felt and his management plan. There will also be the information he wrote on the referral form/letter.

It's not really a case of lying, it's just what he observed?