Have I just been thrown out of GP Practice?

[Madmay25]

Long story short. Transferred ( no choice) to new GP Practice when my previous Practice closed. I had been very happy there.
The new Practice was very disappointing in several ways which led me to make several written complaints about GPs, Nurses, etc. The Practice did respond in writing to these complaints.

However, my latest complaint led to me now being advised that the Practice can arrange for me to move to a different Practice. This move would not otherwise be possible due to local GP pressures.

Is this the same as being kicked out? Should I agree to move elsewhere ? Worried it might be worse!
Do you think I am being unreasonable...complaining / expecting too much?
😕

This is my favourite MN comment of all time.

@Madmay25 Are you NHS Tayside by any chance ? I know that one of our practices closed down a year ago and patients were transferred to other GPs. Regardless NHS Scotland currently have a blanket ban on transferring to other practices especially if you don’t live in the postcode area.

It is not actually compulsory to be registered with a GP.

Is it just possible OPs old practice made arrangements to accommodate OPs requirements which other practices cannot or not prepared to do ?

Yeah, sounds like you're a pain in the arse

It would be best if not happy to move to another practice.

I'm 73 and been with the same GP practice since I was 4! I've seen all the changes and can honestly say I am extremely happy with them. They started with one GP using his own home, and moved twice, finally to a purpose-built surgery now with around 4/5 full-time doctors and ten part-time, plus a whole raft of nurses and support staff. One GP travelled 20 miles to deliver my DD in hospital and to me he was the best GP I could have had (my dad agreed) but some others were less keen on his brusque attitude. Several of them live locally and its nice to see them out and about in the town. The practice also gets involved in training new GPs and the nurses are mostly long-term there. Says a lot. They also get good or excellent gradings from the professional inspectors.

Yes, things have changed a lot in that time. There have been spells when new systems were put in place and didn't quite work - so they changed them. There are a very few staff who have been not quite my cup of tea, but that's life. There is even one senior GP with whom I have had a few "run-ins". I believe he was under a lot of stress cos when I mentioned his attitude (in a helpful manner, I hope) I was immediately seen by another GP who appeared to be aware of the issue and almost bent over backwards to be supportive of me. Yet another elderly friend thinks that GP is superb.

So yes, I'm very happy with my lot there, despite some issues now and again. People are people, not all perfect in every way (including me!) so nobody is going to suit everybody. Maybe I've just been lucky.

OP, like others, I think it's time to move on and try to be a tad less complaining with your next practice - give them a chance!

That.

when it doesn’t work…

Yeh, you are being booted out and good on 'em.

I was also told that by a gp that they could help find another practice. However when I spoke to a more senior partner the following week, and called their bluff he was very annoyed that she had said that it was impossible gp practices have no way of doing that.

Just another thought OP (if you are still here!) but someone made the suggestion of writing down your complaints/criticisms before sending them. I actually do this a lot. It "gets it off my chest" and on re-reading it makes me realise it is OTT, so I either modify the tone or never send it - but it makes me feel a whole lot better!

We used to do this in the bank in a round about way. If someone made X amount of complaints within a certain period of time, we would eventually close their account. The complaints team would send them a letter that said please switch away from us within the next 90 days. If they can’t provide the level of service you are after then maybe a switch will be good.

I am in the middle of a medical problem. Medical people are the worst for covering for each other and not talking to each other and thinking they are right and if you don’t do what they say that’s it. I am the devil incarnate for refusing an operation that previous consultants who knew me better told me to never have. I am now refused treatment.

Complaints take up an inordinate amount of time and stress. They have to be responded to as per NHS guidelines so investigated and a written response. Even the ridiculous ones. The majority are purely vexatious, ridiculous, out of our control etc etc. They take away from clinical and management time and are at best annoying and at worst incredibly stressful. If there is a genuine issue we absolutely take it on board, discuss reflect and change. I'm afraid we don't tar and feather or whip anyone. Complaints have skyrocketed and not because we are any worse. But because people have become entitled and demanding. It's become ridiculous. Even the ombudsman who is notoriously anti GP has started telling people they are being ridiculous. I never understand why serial complainers stay. Unless you are very rural there is usually another practice or more you can move to.

People say this all the time like it's fact. I have been a doctor for over 30 years and have never seen this in hospital or primary care. All I have seen is medical staff upset and stressed wondering if they did anything wrong. Discussed always informally and formally (SEA) and often agonised over. That's why the rate of alcohol, drugs, suicide are so high in medics. The old boys club hasn't existed in a very long time.

How has this gone to 9 pages of replies?
From what you told us, you have been offered the chance to move to another practice. Not forced, offered.

With the obvious subtext - "we don't seem able to do anything right, perhaps you'd be happier elsewhere".

It’s impossible to say without knowing, how often and why you complained. Having worked in gp surgeries, I would say that your complaints must have been pretty unreasonable for them to want to move you.

I have proved it.

I used to be a complainer, but it got me pretty much no where and worse, at work, I got a reputation as negative and basically get overlooked.

Now I keep my own counsel and save complaints for absolutely life threatening issues and even then I am careful to couch it as an improvement issue..
I don't comment on group messages, and I generally keep my head down..

Your complaints were most likely justified, but right now, no one has your back. Move on..

If the practice is kicking you out…I’d like to hear their share of the story too.
A new patient making multiple written complaints? Is it because you were not treated the same way as you were at the older practice? Perhaps because it is run different?

My mums GP practice was conveniently local to her but went downhill in terms of the service and how they treated her. I didnt realise how bad they were to her until I was dealing with them on her behalf. I was in the process of changing her GP practice when she died. She was end of life during the pandemic and the GP wouldnt come out to her and the awful receptionists gatekept access to services when she was dying - refusing to give me access to a GP or nurse and passing me on to other services who also wouldnt help... until the time ran out and she had died. I spent her last remaining hours calling around being passed from pillar to post until it was too late. I made a complaint and reported them to CQC. The GP practice investigated and apologised. I accessed her GP records to evidence my complaint and I was shocked at their attitude towards her which was evident from how the records were written. There is no way I would stay with a GP practice who were awful. My advice is that if you are being treated badly by a practice then move on to aother practice who treats you better - before you really need them and they are too awful to help.

I wou;dn't bother wasting your energy with the ombudsman - they generally side with the health services. Look up the rate of success and you will see it is a very low number of cases that the complaints are upheld. You could report your concerns to the regulator - CQC in England. I think it is the care inspectorate in scotland. Consider how you spend your energy and what might be the best and worst case outcome. Complaining has its merits and is an important process. But to complain is draining and is a negative use of energy which could be spent on better things. I wish you the best of luck with your move to a better GP practice.

I am under quite a few specialists at my local hospital and have always been treated exceptionally well. After my first appointment with each of them, I always send a compliment into PALS as it then goes on their respective records which helps with their annual assessments. It's also good for staff morale. I also do this for the nurses, admin staff etc.

At Christmas, my GP gets a bottle of wine, and the reception/admin staff get a tub of chocolates. They are always very appreciative.

My DM used to say that people are very quick to complain, but very slow to compliment.

How can things have resulted in so many complaints in such a short time?
Who has defined you as 'vulnerable'?
Agree with others that it reads like you were used to a type/level of service from previous gp that new one doesn't?
Such as home visits/appts on demand/you control/self prescribe meds?
It's actually reminding me of a recent thread where the OP was incandescent at gp who wouldn't prescribe what dr Google had said without seeing her as she knew better than gp!

I doubt that. Until the OP stops missing what she has been used to, I doubt she will settle anywhere.

You have to come to terms with change, and that is very hard to do when you have been with the same surgery for a very long time.

I think she should give it a longer try.

GP practices are a private business. While subject to local policy and guidance from health board normally have their own policies around 'reasonable service and expectations' to individual patients. A complaint can take several hours of the practice teams time to manage. Several complaints may constitute an 'unreasonable service expection' and likely would constitute cause to discharge a patient.
Please be aware that the practice is funded to approx 2 contacts (read as 10 or 15 min appointments) annually. If you use far more than this and also have multiple complaints you are likely considered to expect an unreasonable level of use and can be discharged.
Your rights/expectations do not override the practices continuity or those of other patients.
Move somewhere you would be happier