Unhelpful GP

My caree having a lot of problems with their health, the doctor has said need to see them regarding test results, so she made an appointment.
My caree is not well, mobility problems but has to go out in the freezing cold , the doctor won’t visit.
She has phoned this morning to find that the appointment has changed venue, the doctors have combined surgerys, so 4 premises are all connected together.
The appointment has been moved to the surgery furthest away with no parking.

My caree asked for a telephone appointment, was informed we haven’t got any, theres about 30 doctors but no telephone appointments available.

Then the helpful remark, can’t you take a taxi? a taxi would be about £30 altogether just for a 10 minute appointment.

I am taking her but no parking, she suffers from anxiety and likes it if I go in with her, also she does not really take in what the doctor says. So I need to be there at the appointment.
But I will have to drop off park down the road, have to pay then dash back to go in with my caree, then dash back to get the car.

A lot of stress that myself and my caree don’t need.

And the doctors just aren’t managing my carees conditions at all, her blood sugar is up and down and all over the place, I am helping a lot and but unpaid caring is nothing to do with the GP.
Social Services aren’t going to deal with diabetes 2, its a complex medical condition, tablets, insulin, blood sugar checking with a little meter, you have to look after yourself as well, eat properly, missing medication my caree could end up seriously ill, end up in hospital.
The doctors just dole out the medication and no support for my caree and me the unpaid carer who is making sure my caree is taking her medication and eating properly, not to mention all the other help needed.

I think that it varies from town to town. My little brother’s current lot of doctors* are all brilliant. Whenever I need some advice or have a urgent question to ask them about any aspect of his care, I know I can trust them.

*I too had to change specialists in the past. Long story cut short- unprofessional doctors vs me.

Can you find another practice or not? Our GP practice is simply amazing. Not only can I pick a suitable appointment time I actually get to talk to them. I always feel I have support, and that me and my caree’s needs are also met as much as possible too after every appointment. What could be better? Of course I find that using fairly strong words does make a difference. I always remind them politely I am his main carer and I am not prepared to mess around either.

A doctor’s surgery with no disabled parking!!!??!! Clearly they don’t expect to have any poorly patients - or is that a deliberate policy??

Most surgery’s have an online form …

Leave a message stating what you have already shared here.

Most of the staff read the message/s. It does usual say on the web site. Please don’t leave confidential information.

Leave a message directly to the G.P.

There are more surgery everyday joining together. My doctors is one of five and has one surgery without there own parking.

Tell them if it’s not life or death you want to telephone slot.

My Mum has the same problem. She has very limited mobility. The surgery shares a carpark with the local shops - but there are no disabled spaces outside the doctors due to building contractors. The surgery wanted Mum to go in for a health check, review of meds etc, they wouldn’t visit her either because she can still drive. However, that doesn’t solve her problem of getting from the car to the surgery. They too told her she could get a taxi - do they not realise how much taxis cost?!

Melly1

I can’t believe the GP won’t visit! As usual its a postcode lottery. My Mums GP has been out see Mum twice and on two other occasions alternative GP’s have been out on the same day to see Mum when she had swollen feet and back pain.

They have a duty to visit poorly clients. You really need to get firm and insist they visit…

I would agree about being insistent on a home visit.
It does not sound workable you dropping her off and trying to find somewhere to park down the road- what if you cant find somewhere, and your caree is just left there waiting. I can just imagine the stress.

The surgery must surely do home visits. I expect they are trying to reduce them.

I would contact the Practice Manager by email or telephone if you feel you can get the point across diplomatically.

Either that or ask them to reserve two parking spaces for you so you CAN park!

Ask them to get some cones and a sign if they want you to come to surgery with your caree they need to make it accessible.

Explain to them that her anxiety is bad and you need to be able to come into the surgery with her.

I’m feeling bolshy on your behalf just thinking about this unfair situation.

Good luck.

I know this doctors surgery well I have been a member almost 27 years now, its my doctors as well as my carees but there is no recognition of me as a carer.
There has been a massive dispute about all this, my previous caree now deceased, elderly, disabled from birth, multiple health issues but no home visits.
So every time me and him would have to struggle down in the cold and wet, one doctor had some sense visited him at home and actually had a few flu jabs in her bag one winter but that’s only because his carer rang up giving them what for.
They do home visits but you have to phone up before 8am, but that’s if its urgent , a chat about test results not deemed urgent.
They do telephone calls but full up none available.

There are parking places at the surgery but staff only, there are disabled spaces down the road but these are for anyone to use and they do, 90 per cent of the time those spaces are full up, shopping etc.
So they could convert these spaces for the disabled but haven’t , where would the doctors park, on the street like thousands of other people.

I spoke to the pals team but they didn’t do anything about the parking.

There is a new surgery been built, another one 4 surgerys gone into one with all modern new facilitys and yes parking there but people park there and go to town so still not much better.

As I say I gave up with the gp’s months ago just don’t bother trying to explain no one understands.

I need advocacy to approach the surgery manager, put my point across but they don’t care, they run things the way they want and that’s it, old boys club or something.

My caree was referred back to the diabetes clinic, well there’s a surprise, they could have done that automatically, but yes my caree very nervous didn’t like sitting in the waiting room, was going to walk out but needs her diabetes sorting.

I feel for you, Londonbound. Experiencing a very similar thing with of my carees.

She’s housebound, severely disabled, with a litany of health issues, including mental health problems with anxiety and agoraphobia (developed due to the lack of care funding/services to support her getting out of the house and into the community for the past six years). She has a wheelchair which is useless, and can only be transported in a large (expensive) taxi and getting ready to go out causes her a lot of frustration and distress which all has a knock on effect to her main health condition for weeks following any trip out.

Due to the pain and distress its caused her, she now just will not make any steps to go out. The mention of going out puts her in a terrible mood and it’s such a battle for everyone involved. Her GP just does not seem to care about how it’s practically impossible to get her out of the house now. They act like she’s being over dramatic, or deliberately difficult but it’s clear her distress is real and severe.

She currently needs some investigations due to some symptoms she’s been having, investigations which could be done at home fairly simply, but the doctor refuses to consider it. Says there are “ways” to get someone into the surgery, but then fails to actually take any steps to put us in touch with these miracle workers. Best of all, the surgery isn’t even equip to deal with wheelchair bound patients. They don’t have height adjustable tables or anything there, so how exactly is she even expected to transfer?

Best part of all, when I’ve said “she has severe anxiety/agoraphobia and is extremely distressed by the thought of going out, nevermind the actual action”…they have essentially told me to tell her to get over herself.

They did the exact same thing to my sister, who has terrible crippling anxiety and PTSD due to an attack she was a victim of some years back. She doesn’t drive anymore and can’t use public transport because of her issues. She’s very confident on the phone and in emails but not so much in person, so she appears completely “normal” to those she deals with.

Pre-pandemic, she blatantly had a raging infection and needed antibiotics, the doctor wouldn’t consider it unless she came into the surgery. She wasn’t able to get there, as everyone who could give her a lift/support works during opening hours. She explained that she can’t do public transport due to her anxiety, but the GP’s response was “well, you need to get here, it’s for your health.”

Needless to say, she couldn’t, and ended up calling out of hours 111 who were brilliant and bought her antibiotics to her door, but she shouldn’t have been driven to that point because the GP wouldn’t take her mental health battle seriously.

I think it’s outrageous how doctors fail to made adjustments to support people who struggle to leave the house. I wish I could say these were isolated incidents, but in my experience housebound patients with physical issues have it hard enough trying to get the GP to acknowledge their struggles or for services to provide at home care, and people with mental health issues have no chance.

It’s amazing to me how doctors/society are all like “we need to support people with mental health problems better”, doing campaigns and what not to raise awareness, and then the second one of those people needs help that causes them/the services an inconvenience of any kind their response is “get over it!”.

Did you complain to the Practice Manager? To the CCCG?