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Original poster

Letter from the doctors surgery ending our relationship!

24 replies

DayLillie · 22/07/2015 15:06

It would appear I have been unceremoniously dumped by my doctor after 26+ years, out of the blue, because I am 'out of area'.

What can I do?

OP posts:

LIZS · 22/07/2015 15:07

Find a new surgery? They may be prepared to keep you if you said you would be happy not to have home visits.

Floggingmolly · 22/07/2015 15:09

They don't do home visits anymore, do they?

Sparklingbrook · 22/07/2015 15:09

I thought it was normal to have catchment areas for Doctors?

But are you 'out of area'?

Sparklingbrook · 22/07/2015 15:10

The GPs around here do Home Visits. (Worcestershire)

OhYouBadBadKitten · 22/07/2015 15:12

Catchments areas are contracting in many places where housing density is increasing. It's a rubbish way to treat existing patients but its because often the infrastructure isn't being put in place along with the new housing.
We have the ridiculous situation here where one gp surgery objects to proposals to build new surgeries in new housing developments, leaving us increasingly short of places.

BiddyPop · 22/07/2015 15:12

Write back and ask what has changed, what practice have they re-registered you at IN your catchment area, and which GP in that practice they have passed on your records to?

(Naïve about the UK GO system, I will admit....)

northcoastmum · 22/07/2015 15:12

This is really normal, have you moved recently? If not, perhaps the surgery has had to redraw their catchment area due to change in population, or because they now have fewer doctors. House calls do still happen, often after morning/afternoon surgeries are finished, so if a GP has to drive an extra 5 mins each way to do 1 house call it all adds up.

northcoastmum · 22/07/2015 15:14

Also, your old surgery probably won't have passed on your details to another practice - it'll be up to you to choose a new surgery.

TheMoa · 22/07/2015 15:15

I'm expecting a letter like that soon.

We are on the boundaries of the catchment area for our surgery.

The others are rubbish, I'm wondering about just paying ad hoc for private appointments from now on, or hoping to find a walk in centre locally.

Original poster

DayLillie · 22/07/2015 15:16

The local surgery has always been ropey - they only have two doctors and these are constantly changing. At the moment, there is only one full time, one part time who is ill with cancer, and a vacancy filled with locums because the partner retired early as a protest to the latest changes.

I have always preferred to stay there because there are plenty women doctors and they have always been ok.

The ones in the nearest big town are hopeless - I knew their practice manager who walked out

I will have to stock up on hrt then I will be doctorless in 30days.

OP posts:

Sbear22 · 22/07/2015 15:18

Hold your horses, hasn't the rule on this changed?
Not sure how to do links sorry but...

www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/doctors/Pages/patient-choice-GP-practices.aspx

Maybe I've misunderstood

Original poster

DayLillie · 22/07/2015 15:19

I moved 24 years ago, and was told the catchment went as far as the next big town

I have never had a home visit - only the OOH who would be the same whichever doctor I was registered with.

OP posts:

ggirl · 22/07/2015 15:24

Home visits still happen if someone is housebound. I'm a community nurse and its a pita when we have to see patients who the GP has agreed to keep on their books yrs ago even though they aren't in catchment .

Original poster

DayLillie · 22/07/2015 15:24

Thank you Shear22 - that is helpful. I will give it a read and see if I can find a way of staying at the same practice.

What happens if they do this and your local practice is full? You could end up further away to find someone to take you.

I have probably been out of catchment for some years, but it has not bothered them

OP posts:

Toughasoldboots · 22/07/2015 15:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 22/07/2015 16:01

My surgery has a sign up saying that, even though the rules have changed, a patient still has to live in their catchment area. I think it's because they have to cover a massive area and couldn't cope with extra patients.

Sparklingbrook · 22/07/2015 16:25

I would imagine if you moved to an area and couldn't get a place at a local GP because they had a lot of patients on their list out of catchment you would be a bit.

Original poster

DayLillie · 22/07/2015 16:44

It would be worse to find your local practice does not have room, having been dumped by your (once local) practice, which is not beyond possiblility.

OP posts:

Sparklingbrook · 22/07/2015 16:46

Your may find your local one is full of people out of catchment because their rules are more slack.

Bit of a nightmare.

SophiePendragon · 22/07/2015 16:51

Bit of a shock OP. I can sort of understand why they do it but it is pants for you.

I had to write in asking to stay at ours when we moved 6 months ago. They said it's Ok as long as you don't want a home visit any time.

TBH it is difficult getting there and I avoid going unless necessary but I have no idea what the local surgeries are like and was told they are very oversubscribed in any case.

I want to move back home

Original poster

DayLillie · 22/07/2015 17:07

But I haven't moved anywhere! They just keep moving their catchment around. The only inconvenience is to me, as I have to drive there (buses are rubbish) as it is 4miles away. If I register at the one nearby, it will be moving to a new estate in a few years (planning process permitting) and I will have to drive there too. Off to consult a fellow patient who has been there 60+ years.

OP posts:

Musicaltheatremum · 22/07/2015 18:17

The whole of general practice are is in crisis. When GPs are retiring or getting ill we cannot get replacements. We were very very lucky this year when one of our partners moved in that we got 2 applicants. (5 years ago we had 50 + applicants for one job)We actually took them both on because one of my colleagues is reducing his hours next year so one of the new girls will take up the slack.
Some practices have had no applicants at all. If that is the case we have to reduce the number of patients we can look after or it becomes unsafe and guess what, you can't get an appointment.
We are having a housing development built across the road from us and this will have 600+ new people moving in. We are going to have to move our practice boundaries and hence some patients to take the closer ones on. This is being done with full support of the health board as it is the only way we can cope.

So before moaning at the surgery (and I know in England the rules are different to scotland) moan to your MP, moan to Jeremy Hunt who is squeezing and squeezing the health service in this country refusing to listen to those of us at the grass roots who know what is going on)

Groovee · 22/07/2015 18:19

I was dumped by my surgery in 1998. Was gutted as I'd been there since birth. Have been with my current surgery since then. The only reason I got in was because I married dh.

ggirl · 22/07/2015 19:28

No applicants applied for full time post at ours recently ..masses of new homes and retirement homes being built in the town bringing new patients ..its worrying.

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