My doctor doesn't "do female problems"

[Polkadotbikinininii]

Phoned to book a Dr's appointment for my daughter about her periods. After going through triage with the receptionist (for literally 10mins) I was told that the Dr who is on this week "doesn't do female problems" and I need to phone back next week to make an appointment with a different doctor. I can't book that appointment today though.

Can you imagine a female dr deciding she doesn't want to deal with problems potentially affecting half the population?!

On the other hand, at least he won't be dismissive or try to mansplain

Either way I thought it was interesting that someone with a lot of experience of suffering and treatment was advocating for exactly what the OP is complaining about.

Personally I welcome seeing a doctor who has specialist knowledge and interest in the area where I have a problem.

My old GP was hopeless about my underactive thyroid, went strictly by the published guidance on levels in blood tests regardless of how I felt. I now have a GP who is much more flexible, will always say this is a bit low/bit high but how are you feeling? Shall we try to adjust that or do you want to continue with current prescription? As she's said she's been dealing with thyroid problems for so many years she knows it can be more subtle than just reading a number. I think she is coming up to retirement so I am dreading just being thrown back into seeing a doctor without her understanding, experience and knowledge.

No they were not recommending that women should have to queue up on the availability of the only doctor in the general practice who would see women. They were recommending that every practice should have at least one doctor with the additional expertise in obs/gynae and knowledge of current issues for women in the NHS. This is hardly radical and frankly not going to be enough to improve the situation for women - its a first step at most.

This is a two doctor general practice and the OP was being told that one of the doctors simply doesn't "do" women. That is piss poor and a world away from the OP being told "doctor B has additional expertise in obs/gynae if you wish to wait". The first doctor should at least be able to triage the issues for further referral.

I'd also be complaining about untrained minimum wage admin staff being misused as cheap triage. Its unprofessional and innapropriate and I can't think of any other profession which uses low paid admin staff to assess their customer's needs. Most GP practices manage to avoid this, using qualified staff to triage.

Oh right, so we have doctors who specialise in a certain area but we don't avail ourselves of their expertise because, not sure why but I'm sure it is making an important point to insist on seeing the other doctor.

Please read what I am REPEATEDLY saying.

I have no, zero, nada evidence that the dr next week has a special interest.

At no point have I or the receptionist said this. The receptionist simply said this week's Dr doesn't deal with that issue. Full stop. It might be that the Dr next week is world leader in "female problems" but she didn't say that and I have no evidence to believe that.

It was very, very much this Dr doesn't do that. It was NOT next weeks Dr would be better at that. It was not presented as a choice (although I would have made sure we got an appointment if it was urgent).

I also have no idea whether the GP next week is female.

All these people telling me that I should be grateful to have a female specialist Dr are making huge assumptions that this is the case when there is no evidence to support that.

Also surely if it was to do with a specialised doctor they would say “we will book you next week with the GP who specialises in uterine issues” as opposed to “The available doctor doesn’t deal with female issues.”

The two are very different statements. You have no obligation to feel grateful to be left waiting longer for care because the responding GP has seen fit to pass any female specific care to a different GP.

Thats a general practitioner who should be available as a first point of call for all base medical issues. Who can then decide if a specialist is required, based on their own expansive hard earned medical knowledge.

Well next weeks doctor obviously does deal with "female problems" so for that surgery they clearly are the expert/more experienced doctor.

I don't think it has to be a female doctor, at my surgery when I was pregnant the GP who did all the antenatal care was a man. He was brilliant.

Since when does one doctor opting out make another doctor an expert? That isn't how it works.

I don't like making sandwiches so my husband does them. He makes rubbish sandwiches. He is not a sandwich making expert just because that role has defaulted to him.

I could make sandwiches just as well as him. I just don't want to. If he didn't at least attempt to make sandwiches we'd have no lunch. So he does it be cause he had to, not because he's good at it.

That’s not how expertise works. Old mate just doesn’t do women problems, doesn’t make the next available dude better. It's just the next available GP who IS prepared to see women.

i still reckon old mate is on some sort of restriction - perhaps required to have a chaperon or something when dealing with women issues.

The one who does it will have more experience than the one who doesn't.

Maybe he doesn't want to do intimate examinations without a chaperone to protect himself which is perfectly reasonable even if he hasn't got some sort of restrictions. If there isn't a nurse or HCA to do that it makes it impossible doesn't it. I think there should be a chaperone to protect both parties, I speak as someone who was sexually assaulted by a GP when I was a teenager.

Either way what's the point of pushing to see a doctor who either isn't allowed to see women for female problems, doesn't want to see them or doesn't feel competent to see them.

Oh well if you equate getting medical help for your daughter with making a sandwich there isn't much point continuing to respond to you. Your poor daughter.

What?!!! It’s an analogy to illustrate. Did you mean to come across as condescending?

@TheignT

Either way what's the point of pushing to see a doctor who either isn't allowed to see women for female problems, doesn't want to see them or doesn't feel competent to see them.

I'd see it rather what's the point in being a GP if you're going to discount yourself from dealing with more than 50% of your patients. Want, competence or being allowed, all reasons that the person that is being paid to be a General Practitioner shouldn't be.

Call the practice manager and ask them WTAF is going on

🤣🤣🤣 silly goose

Yes, I think I'd rather know than have to see a doctor that was going to be crap with women

I get it OP and I'm amazed so many people on here don't. This is about a male GP who has been trained to see ALL patients about their medical problems regardless of what the problem is (he's a GENERAL Practitioners after all). No GP should be picking and choosing what they deal with. GPs are our gateway to the NHS and if we have some GPs saying "I don't deal with N problems" then the people with those types of problems will be disadvantaged in accessing timely treatment - in fact, they will be discriminated against. Imagine if all male GPs refused to deal with gynae problems (if one can get away with it, then they all can). This is why I think you need to report this to your practice manager and PALS - to nip it in the bud and stop this attitude potentially spreading.

Imagine you owned a Car Garage, in the business of diagnosing and repairing cars. You refer them on to a specialist for anything out of the ordinary, but you're a good general mechanics for the run of the mill car issues.

You have a couple of mechanics who you allocate jobs to, but one of them won't look under the bonnet of any German cars. Let's pretend that German cars are 50% of the UK car market (I don't know the exact figure, it doesn't matter.) Are your customers going to think you're fucking nuts for employing a general mechanic who won't get involved with the workings of a German car? Good afternoon Jones General Mechanics, oh no the mechanic that's on won't go near anything German. You'll have to wait til next week when the other mechanic has space.

It would not be reasonable to apply for a job as a general mechanic that refused/was banned from/was incompetent to deal with German cars.

This is no different. It's ridiculous. Just like a GP that refused to deal witih anything Male would be. If you are a general practitioner, you have a skill issue if you are incapable of dealing with women, or a more systemic issue if it's a case of you don't want to. And while this nonsense is in place women are at yet another disadvantate. It's systemic, the misogyny in the medical arena is just outrageous, and it's being propped up by all the women here who can't see it's an issue. Happy International Women's Day weekend.

I wonder if he actually refused or if the practice simply operates on the basis that, if the issue isn't urgent, it's better to direct patients to the doctors who will deal best with their issues?

In my field of work, there is one particular type of issue which comes up quite regularly which I like dealing with and consequently know a lot about. Others in the organisation could deal with if necessary but they find it a bit nerdy and have strengths in other areas. Therefore mostly that sort of issue gets referred to me, and if my colleagues take on a case involving it they often end up checking back with me anyway. We're not discriminating against people who do not have the issue in question, we're simply playing to people's strengths.

I would complain. Even move practice if you can.

A response of 'the best doctor would be to see Dr x, I can book an appointment now for next week (or later)' would have been reasonable.

Just come across this thread - on my GP website it says which specialisms each GP are responsible for - so there’s a GP specifically for women’s health, one for men’s health etc. Is yours not the same?
FWIW, I had to take my DD for a similar reason several years ago and she would have been mortified to talk to a bloke about her periods.
Perhaps there was some miscommunication from the receptionist but I’d say going in all guns blazing is a bit heavy handed. Hope your DD is ok though.

Doctors can refuse (other than in an emergency) to perform procedures or prescribe treatments if they have a religious or conscientious objection eg prescribing contraception, terminations, circumcision, signing cremation forms etc. It is up to their employer whether their conscientious objections mean that they cannot fulfil their contractual duties or their employer can accommodate them. Here are the guidelines:

Personal beliefs and medical practice

As a PP said, it is also possible that the GP has restrictions. You can look up a doctor’s fitness to practice history since 2005 and whether they have any restrictions/conditions on the GMC website, OP (eg this screenshot)

GMC register

The whole point is it’s a GP and the G stands for General. You are not asking about a tropical disease nobody’s heard of!

I would have taken the appointment as what right does the Receptionist have? Does the person on the phone have medical training?

Sent too soon! Maybe the GP isn’t a specialist but what they can do is order a full suite of blood tests so these results are available when you next see a doctor. This will save you so much time as this is what doc will likely do first

I am a hospital consultant. I am appalled at this.

Why are people blaming the receptionist? I have no doubt that it is the doctor that used those words.

Yes, there are sometimes GPs with a special interest in certain areas. But to have an initial discussion about periods with a woman should be absolutely basic skills for a GP. It is a GP’s job to clarify a diagnosis and think about next steps. They should not be passing the buck without even speaking to the patient.

I would let the CQC know asap that this is happening. It is completely unacceptable. There is no way on earth I would accept a young girl not even being offered a consultation because the GP cannot handle it.If this doctor cannot cope with this common presentation, they need training as soon as possible in the menstrual cycle and what can go wrong.

I left medical school a million years ago and am not in gynae. But I think I could certainly get a decent menstrual history and a rough differential diagnosis for this young woman. I am appalled.

This is not good enough. Let’s not blame the receptionist for her wording or think the practice is about to offer up a competent GP specialising in gynae. I would put money on this being a shit doctor. They exist in all disciplines.