GP doesn't help, asks for money, how to complain?

[LindaTheMum]

Hi All,
Sorry I couldn't find any better forum so I'm trying in this forum.

I was lucky that I hadn't have to deal with crook GPs in the past so when it happened to me I was just god smacked.

Took my son to the local GP, he gave antibiotic and asked to come back after a week. Went to see him few days back and this all happened.

Firstly he didn't look at his symptoms at all and keep typing on his computer all the time.

Then he wrote that patient is getting better.

When I complained, he just kept murmuring something and didn't listen.

Then I asked to give me in writing that he is not feeling well so that I could show to his school but he refused to give me any notes and [B]asked for money[/B] instead.

Is it a practice to ask for money to give it in writing that patient is sick? Or did he ask for bribery?

Next I asked him to refer me to a specialist for which he said he will pass it to Nurse.

I called surgery to find out the progress with referral to specialist but after 3-4 calls no one gave me any definite answer on what is going on.

Went to Surgery again and they refused to refer to any specialist and they didn?t even bother to reply.

Having lost all hope I decided to visit A&E in nearest hospital, I wasn?t able to get any specialist to look at him but they gave him some medicine.

Even doctors at A&E were surprised at GP?s attitude. They even called the Surgery but no one picked up phone. They also informed that GP should not have asked for money to give a note to me stating that my son is sick.

At the end of all this I just feel like whacking this GP.

I checked out NHS complain system and it seems it is more incompetent that this GP. I read comment?s on NHS website itself and everyone said just stay away from the complain system as it will not help.

Tomorrow I?m going to see a specialist as private patient as I don?t have any insurance.

Could anyone one please let me know what to do with this evil GP? I?m not just going to sit idle and suffer.

At first I thought this was abroad!

Have your school requested the sick note? It's not normal for children.

for adults at work, you can self certificate for 7 days and then the GP can issue a sick note which shouldn't have a fee. If your employer requires a certificate before 7 days then yes, the GP can request a fee. No idea about the situation with kids though.

Sounds to me like you need to change your GP.

What did the GP say was wrong with your son & what did the hospital say?

GPs can charge to complete insurance forms etc so may well just be that as a note for a child is unnecessary he was charging you against an existing tarrif.

is the doc english?

Why do you feel your son needs to be referred to a specialist?

Why does he need a sick note?

Are you a NHS patient or seeing an NHS gp on a private/non-resident basis ? Resources are finite so they won't just refer on your say so, hence why you may have been asked to see the nurse for an assessment. Time taken for non-standard paperwork and healthcheck is often chargeable. You could complain to your local Primary Care Trust in the first instance.

It's not practice to ask for it in writing that a child is sick? Demanding non standard paperwork is chargeable.

It is practice for the GP to decide on a referral not the patient (otherwise specialists would be swamped)

What medicine did you get at A&E and what was the diagnosis?

it is normal for a GP to charge for writing a letter for school/holiday cancellation etc. Med 3 sick note for stautory sick pay is free (as long as you've been off more than 7 days), other notes are a private service

It's frankly ridiculous to expect a GP to write a note to a school saying 'Little Johnny feels a bit poorly.' How many little Johnnys do you think a GP sees in one day? They have 5 minutes, that's 5 minutes allocated for their entire consultation with each patient.

If your DS was improving, that's a good thing. A school doesn't need to know that Little Johnny is improving but still feels poorly. And, in fact, the GP can't write a note stating that Little Johnny feels poorly, only that Little Johnny reports that he is feeling poorly, because 'feeling poorly' is not something which can objectively be observed.

Additionally, should you require any letter for a school, the GP is entitled to charge you according to the published schedule of fees.

tbh you haven't described any evidence that the GP has been incompetent or crooked. You've expressed the fact that you did not like his manner and he wouldn't do what you told/wanted him to which is very different

I used to work in A&E and rather than alienate a difficult patient by suggesting they'd been unreasonable with their previous HCP, I'd say something like oh really? which could be taken as 'expressed surprise' when really it was... I'm not going there...

If the specialist finds evidence of the GP's failure to act/refer or other then I suggest you ask him if he's prepared to put that in writing if needed... and complain to the GMC.

Why did you ask for a note? It isnt NHS work, so the GP would need to charge you.

Do you have a specific reason for wanting to see a 'specialist'?

It is perfectly standard for a GP to charge for a private sick note when they feel that a sick note should not be required. Usually, this is within the first 7 days absence from work or school.

Basically, what Lougle says.

Also, GP's decide when a referral to a Consultant is appropriate. It is not usually done on patient demand.

Why do you think your son needs to see a Consultant?

OK, here we go.

GPs are not employed by the NHS. They are self-employed. The BMA suggests the typical fees that it considers are 'reasonable' for GPs to cover for non-nhs work. But, each GP decides their own fees. Just as a builder or plumber would set their own day rate, etc.

Here are the fee suggestions

More complex certificates - £27.00 to £57.00

-private sick note (incapacity certificate), required by patient for presentation to an employer (except those that the doctor is obliged to provide for statutory sick pay (SSP) purposes)

-accident or sickness insurance certificate - short certificate of incapacity without examination for patient to claim under accident or sickness insurance

-freedom from infection certificate, eg for school, travel or employment
-validation of private medical insurance (PMI) claim form, to support a claim for benefit in connection with private medical insurance, or completion of a ?pre-treatment? form
-school fees and holiday insurance certificates
-health club; brief written report to certify that a patient is fit for exercise

1. Work in surgery

a) Extract from records - £60.50 b) Report on a pro forma, no examination (eg 20 minutes) - £81.00 c) Written report without examination, providing a detailed opinion and statement on the condition of the patient (eg 30 minutes) - £121.00

Also your OP suggests that you made an appointment for your DS, then went on to ask for medical referral/opinion for yourself? Not on. You needed to make a back-to-back appointment for your DS and yourself. Not just piggy back on to your DS's appointment.

Tx all for the reply.
I got your point about the Sick note. I was simply not aware of that.

I'm NHS patient.

"PigletJohn
is the doc english?"

Good observation PJ. No doc is not English, he is neutralized Indian as you might have guessed.

"What did the GP say was wrong with your son & what did the hospital say?"

GP says patient is showing improvement, and he updated the medical record with the same.

Hospital says he needs "Immediate specialist attention". My son has toe nail ingrown problem and probably it might need surgical removal or something as it looks really bad. whole toe is almost doubled in size and swollen.

ToothbrushThief
"tbh you haven't described any evidence that the GP has been incompetent or crooked. You've expressed the fact that you did not like his manner and he wouldn't do what you told/wanted him to which is very different

I used to work in A&E and rather than alienate a difficult patient by suggesting they'd been unreasonable with their previous HCP, I'd say something like oh really? which could be taken as 'expressed surprise' when really it was... I'm not going there...

If the specialist finds evidence of the GP's failure to act/refer or other then I suggest you ask him if he's prepared to put that in writing if needed... and complain to the GMC."

tbh when you are dealing with a human personally you immediately come to know what kind of person he is. I've no personal enmity with him or any kind of dislike towards him even though is is not the same color as myself.

Many things happened when I visited last time and I didn't want to go in every details. But since you questioned it I would rather explain some.

1. He didn't even bother to look at my boy's toe and without seeing or listening he wrote note on his computer that patent is getting better.

2. I asked to refer to specialist as he is not getting better for which he said he will call me later to inform the same. He didn't call. I made 3 calls to the Surgery and at the end they didn't give any reference. I personally visited them and even then they refused to refer to specialist.

3. When I visited A&E the doctors were surprised why this GP didn't refer to specialist or too any other immediate action. They said he needs immediate treatment or else it will become worse.

So from above you can see that GP is incompetent, he neither treats patients nor does he refer to specialist.

What else do you call such GP if not Crook?

"Lougle Wed 14-Mar-12 22:43:17
Also your OP suggests that you made an appointment for your DS, then went on to ask for medical referral/opinion for yourself? Not on. You needed to make a back-to-back appointment for your DS and yourself. Not just piggy back on to your DS's appointment."

You missed the point. I went with my son and appointment was for my son not for myself. He is sick he needs medical attention. I've to be with him as he is minor. Makes sense? Or I missed something?

take him to a private chiropodist or podiatrist.

write to GP practice saying that he GP did not examine your DS properly, if that is what happened.

i think i would have taken DS sock off there and then and made sure toe wasexamined though...

"Next I asked him to refer me to a specialist for which he said he will pass it to Nurse." I tink it was this sentence that has caused confusion , were you asking for a referral fro your son or yourself ? Did you follow up a nurse's appointment or would you only accept seeing a specialist?

You lose all credibility for that comment about the GP being 'neutralized (sic) Indian, as you might have guessed'

It makes no sense but I know what you were trying to say

Have a

1. 'neutralized Indian' - word's fail me. I don't know whether I should be or . I really don't think you meant 'neutralized'.

1. I did not miss the point. You miscommunicated the point.

"Next I asked him to refer me to a specialist for which he said he will pass it to Nurse."

You stated that you asked the GP to refer you to the GP. If you had said

"Next I asked him to refer him to a specialist for which he said he will pass it to Nurse."

or even

"Next I asked him to refer DS to a specialist for which he said he will pass it to Nurse."

then I wouldn't have thought you meant 'me' when in fact you had said.....'me'

'me' implies, well...you. Giving the impression that you had combined the issues of two people in one appointment.

you mean naturalised

and this made me "I've no personal enmity with him or any kind of dislike towards him even though is is not the same color as myself. "

big whoop, you don't dislike him even though he's a different colour to you?!

I am sorry your son has a bad ingrown toe nail

can a chiropodist/podiatrist not deal with it?

color? hmmm are you British?

The GMC wouldn't look twice at this. They'd tell you to write to the practice or the PCT.

I didn't even get as far as that bit Lulumama. The OP had already shown herself to be an ignorant racist so I stopped reading once that was clear

what has his colour or nationality got to do with this? he is a GP providing NHS services. he isn't going to make up his won rules accroding to what they do in india is he?

and why on earth would you dislike him just because he has a different skin colour unless you are racist?

OP - your GP has my sympathy

So has the busy A&E department that you went to with an ingrown toenail. How is this an accident or emergency?

Take him to a chiropodist/podiatrist.