GP Stress / complaint feeling like can't trust them...

[Mharhi]

Hi- Feeling like I don't really trust the doctors now, after I had something in my past medical record that they didn't check, I then developed complications and had to go as emergency to hospital. Then due to lack of previous medical history the hospital didn't diagnose me properly and sent me home! Aargh. Was kind of sorted out in the end, needed a much bigger operation than would have done though. Have learned from now on to ask lots of questions, be really aware of what they tell me. However, when they first discovered this a few years ago I was told it was 'nothing to worry about' what a mess! I could have informed the hospital, well, if I'd been properly informed!

I'm really angry now about it, the GP's started being very careful giving me very conscientious care afterwards, possibly as i sent them an email about it, but that's a bit late now isn't it! For example asking me to come in on a weekly basis for a problem with scar tissue from the operation.

I just got a copy of my notes from the surgery and recently there are comments about they tried to ring me and i hadn't replied, that I hadn't turned up for appointments when I was rushed into hospital (twice) - Ok the latter might be system generated but you would think they'd take it into account the patient was at the hospital! Not very joined up!

When the hospital sent me home that time the discharge summary said GP monitor please but still they didn't pick up that, ring me or anything. Am discovering you have to be more demanding with them when ill, it;s hard though when you don't realise it's something serious and all around are reassuring you it's ok.

So, anyway after that experience a few months later I have problems with adhesions, causing small bowel obstruction, starts of with tummy pains, go to doc and they say it is gastritis, have omaprazole, next week end up again rushed to hospital with the small bowel obstruction.

Afterwards, the doctors keep saying, almost as an excuse, that what I had was very rare and I was extremely unlucky. I think I've been unlucky with them though, they didn't have to find out what it was as it was in my records! (I had a colon lipoma which is a common benign grown but unusual in that location).

I can't see how difficult it is to see that something growing in a confined space like that would cause problems! It is well documented they cause probs in 50% of people at 2cm, 75% at 4cm, these are serious, perforation, massive bleeding, intusussception (which I had)

I have been beating myself up thinking why didn't I find out more about this benign lesion the hospital told me was 'nothing to worry about, not causing any problems and we're not going to do anything about' (They didn't say lipoma or would have surely looked it up, but that is mentioned in a letter to the GP afterwards.)

I'm so upset by this, the complaint email I sent the GP was rubbish too, I just asked if maybe the information hadn't been send from my previous GP about the lipoma? Why they didn't refer me as an emergency when got to stage of vomiting bile, severe pain, bleeding from rectum? (says on notes 'no sign of acute abdomen' maybe that is why) And why they said I had gastritis when was start of small bowel obstruction (when that time I'd actually taken in a report about looped small bowel in a CT scan from my op to ask about but that was dismissed and told she could feel tenderness in my stomach)

The have not replied, over 6 weeks later. I got a letter from the practice manager saying one of the GP partners was investigating and that they would reply, then a letter saying the records of the lipoma were there and highlighted and available to the GP's.

So there we are. I want to change GP's but only been with this one about a year, as moved from the other. In fact I will change. It's mainly a walk in service where you can't request a GP just get who is there, and I can't risk certain ones again.

The most annoying thing for some reason is that I was starting to trust this new one I've been sort of taken over by, (there are 6 GPs in the practice) and sent him an email explaining all that had happened, hoping that night help and he could explain it for me, (there isn't time in the ten minutes to explain it all and he didn't seem to know the history as above...

On my notes he has written 'patient send an email with details of the history of their bowel problems over the last few years' as if I had just randomly sent this in!

I've just cancelled my next week's appointment and going to change on Monday, feeling a bit wary though after this. I have a hospital appointment the following week about the small bowel obstruction.

the new GP receptionist says you need a reason to say to join them but didn't think you had to do that, maybe it's in case your last GP has deregistered you?

Will the new one be informed about the complaint? I don't want to start off when they don't know me, thinking I've complained. Aargh! Just keep reminding myself, but they were rubbish I've got nothing to be guilty about, it wasn't my fault! I think I'm also stressing as have made a formal complaint about the hospital too, before finding out I'd need to go back there to sort out this scar tissue.

I feel your pain. And Anger. I made a complaint about a GP. Nothing as serious as yours, and mine did not go on for as long as your story.
I find the NHS, never admits any fault. The mentality , these days, of any organisation being so scared of being sued, prevents them for admitting any liabilty. When all I really wanted was just an apology and an aknowledgement.
Is that what you want? Because you may not get it, only because they are kind of unable to give it.
You said you sent an e-mail and they said they were investigating, so that atleast was something. Did you phrase it that you were making an official compalint?
The fact you even logged it is good enough. Do you actually want a huge long written response, or is what you have had good enough?
Where is there left to go with this?
Have you actually started the changing process over to the new surgery?

I'm very sorry, but I am a bit confused as to what questions you need me to answer. What is it that you want to achieve here?
I just wanted to post something supportive. I hope I have.

Yes that is useful It's hard isn't it. I want them to acknowledge it, to take some responsibility for it (have been beating myself up that I didn't find out more about it myelf and feeling bad for my family they had to go through so much too.

the ironic thing is if they did apologise and go through it, say how they would learn from it and assure my things would be different and not happen again in the future, I'd be able to move on. However that doesn't seem to be happening. it is then difficult to trust them for care in the future.

Hi OP - I'm not entirely sure if you are posting with a question or want to vent - FWIW, I have every sympathy with you, and your frustration at the way your current practice is dealing with you.

What you will most likely find is that no GP or anyone associated with the practice will actually apologise. This is because they worry this will be taken as an admission that they did something wrong (and it sounds like they were at the least, less than diligent in your case) - and this will leave them open to legal action.

It's a ridiculous situation. Patient associations and the Ombudsman have pointed out that in a lot of cases where patients feel let down, an apology and acknowledgement that things should have been better goes a LONG way. But you are very unlikely to get this.

You are wise to get a copy of your records. If you feel there is anything there which is false or misleading because it is partial information, then you might want to raise this as an actual complaint with whatever group exists locally for you (usually a Community Health Council - it varies from place to place). You can request a meeting with someone to discuss it and see if they can act as an advocate for you.

I am surprised to hear that your new practice is telling you you need to give them a reason as to why you want to move. Surely people move for all sorts of reasons? Moving house etc. People I know have moved from one practice to another because the appointments system suited them better. Can you just tell them you think it will be more convenient for you?

It is an unfortunate reality that a lot of patients who have entirely legitimate complaints about GPS (or indeed other aspects of the NHS) run the risk of being labelled as 'difficult' patients. Not many people know that GP practices can drop you as a patient whenever they like. This is supposed to be a practical measure designed to tackle the problem of persistently abusive or aggressive patients. However, it is also abused and used as a way of getting rid of 'complainers.' Who can then find it hard to register with another practice.

It's a very poor and unhelpful system.

I know a lady who is a clinical psychologist and she works in the area of patient and clinical safety, amongst others. She was telling me sometimes the facts only really come out when an independent party is involved. That a patient will find it hard to move on or trust the person who they have to turn to for care, unless they have resolved matters first.

I have actually discovered some practical admin mistakes in my record meaning that although i joined the GP in July info about my previous condition was only added on 14th November which is after I started having symptoms and had been referred for other, gyne tests. So that has adversely affected my care.

Before i got my notes i did ask if they had the past info, from my other docs (saying i found them conscientious and professional and wondered what caused them not to look it up). I got a letter back from the practice manager saying the info was there on the system at the time!

I guess he means by the time I was admitted as an emergency, but that's not really right is it?

I'm strangely scared of moving to another, maybe I will go see them and fill in the forms and have a chat, say i didn't like the walk in system at the old one (which is true) just want to make a fresh start really. Am also scared in case the records go missing or something! I don't have anything else obscure though! In fact have hardly any other things.