To complain about a GP calling me this?

[lolit]

He called me a good girl while examining me. Should I complain or am I overreacting?

You seem to think the GP will GAF. He's likely a partner i.e. owner. The practice manager will just write a response, tell him about it, he'll laugh, she'll laugh and if you're lucky it'll get stuck on a record that CQC will have a laugh at if they bother to even open the complaints log.

I am so sorry. Your GP should not be calling you offensive names. They should treating you with professionalism and dignity.

I hope you have changed practices at least, if you didn’t complain.

I work with a lot of peoples on very challenging circumstances - I have never addressed a colleague or client in any way which could cause offence. There is simply no excuse.

This 👆 A formal complaint is OTT for this. Think about the effect of the human being at the other end.

Pretty certain not, and in any case the OP obtusely isnt saying what the mysterious examination was. Could have been an ingrown toenail.

So have I. Doesn't mean this shouldn't be reported though. I'm glad the OP is going to say something.

The professionally offended strike again 🤦‍♀️

Which is why this probably wasn’t any kind of intimate examination.

@Catfox1 To me it reads as though the OP thought it was a sexual advance (may not be the right term but that’s how it’s coming across) in which case a complaint would be justified.

Yes, men in clubs and on dating apps always make sexual advances by starting the conversation with "good girl." It has a positive effect every time.

I'd have taken it as a reassuring, kind remark, especially if the examination was an uncomfortable one.
I don't spend my life looking to be offended. What a waste of your doctors surgery's time.

@Bellyblueboy I had a doctor outright call me "fat." Judging by the responses in this thread, some people would have collapsed on the floor if they heard that. But I have had a different upbringing, so my thought was "well yes, I am indeed fat, so what he's saying is correct."

The type of examination doesn't change the fact that the comment was at a minimum patronising/condescending and sexist. The exact context may make the comment worse, but there's no obligation on the Op to be specific about the exact type of examination.

She is suggesting it was said in a sexual way whilst being examined in a vulnerable position but won't say what. Not sure why the op even asked the question it is quite telling that the op was always going to complain.
I think people are getting fed up with people complaining about absolutely everything and getting offended by everything. At the end of the day Gp's are human too.

Really? You think a doctor doing a prostate examination or other intimate examination would call the man a good lad? I mean: doctor has his latex gloves on and his finger up the man's arse.... and calls him a good boy?

It's a completely different scenario to a football manager discussing the players. Obviously.

OP it's possible it was completely innocent, in which case the doctor would want to know he behaved inappropriately and made you uncomfortable. Or it wasn't, in which case a record of his behaviour needs to be kept. Please don't feel like it's too minor to complain about.

That is why it is important for the op to say where she was being examined but op is deliberately evading the question.

Please stop this absolte rubbish.
An older Doctor empathising with you & you've taking this as an insult. He sounds like a lovely GP

Practice managers may deal with complaints but it is the GP partners (or a higher health authority body in some cases) that is actually responsible for the content of the response. And professionally responsibly for any inadequacies or misconduct discovered. The practice manager is rarely a partner and usually an employed office manager basically. If not happy with the response the complaint can be taken to a higher level or to the General Medical Council. Edit: or both.

I am a mum to small kids and spend my life saying good girl / boy ! Occasionally it slips out of my mouth at work when talking to secondary age kids as a habit , I’ve only had to apologise once and thankfully the teen in question accepted my explanation that I have small kids and had said it a thousand times over the weekend with potty training and was quiet tired , so it just slipped out

could the doctor have small kids and be tired ?
personally I feel complaints should be saved for transgressions that are worth spoiling someone’s day over

@Totallymessed Really? You think a doctor doing a prostate examination or other intimate examination would call the man a good lad? I mean: doctor has his latex gloves on and his finger up the man's arse.... and calls him a good boy?

That's not how I'm reading OP's post. From what OP is saying, it sounds as if she has taken offence to the use of the word "girl" in and of itself, rather than the use of "girl" with specific timing in relation to a particular type of examination.

I dislike being called "lad" because I have a dislike for "lad culture," but I would not care if a doctor called me "good lad" (because there are more important things being discussed) and I would not submit a complaint because I have more serious battles to fight.

As with most things, context is important. Good girl in a creepy voice stroking a leg for example, yeah complain. OP has said she felt uncomfortable and in the absence of any detail I can only assume something similar happened.

What a dreadful thing to say- if someone doesn't say they are uncomfortable at the time they are in the wrong and possibly lying? Hope you are nowhere near any kind of safeguarding responsibilities.

Most medical professionals would use more precise terminology. But when I was obese I wouldn’t have been offended if my doctor called me fat. I would just be worried that they thought my vocabulary didn’t stretch to overweight or obese😊.

I have a brilliant GP - who I do t see very often but who is very direct and professional. He did tell me I was overweight when I was, and calculated my BMI. He didn’t say fat he said overweight and on the cusp
of obese. To me that was more frightening that slang.

I am surprised at the number of people saying to get over it. Making that comment during an examination, when you were in a vulnerable position, was very inappropriate. I absolutely think it justifies a complaint, even if it’s simply to make him aware of how his words and actions can affect his patients.

I'm sure you do have more important battles to fight. But the two scenarios are completely different.

Surely there’d be a female chaperone if it was a male gp? I’ve always had this if it’s been a male. For their protection as much as for the patient I assume.

Was there OP?

Was he really old? If he was, then you are being unreasonable .

ive called people lovely by mistake just because im so used to calling my kids jt(!) can’t say anything these days without someone taking offence(!)
are you middle aged by any chance?