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Complaining about a GP - WWYD?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
My current GP is not very good and the last couple of times I've been he's given bad advice (about both me and the little one), so I want to switch us to a different practice. He's the only GP there, so there's no option to see someone else. I've spoken to my health visitor about it, and not only did she not sound surprised (always a good sign!), in not so many words she told me it would be a good idea to move.

I'm fine with this, there's a practice a similar distance from us with 5 or 6 GPs, so I'm going to go register us there instead.

Only thing is that Mr Kaff has a bit of a bee in his bonnet about it, and he thinks that the advice we got from the doctor wasn't just bad, it bordered on dangerous, and that I should make a complaint about him. I'm not sure if he's overreacting or not. How serious do things have to be before you consider making a complaint?

Opinions would be fab :heart:

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What kind of advice are we talking? Is Mr Kaff saying it's dangerous because he's being an over-protective daddy or because it really is dangerous?

    I think if it's got to the point where you're changing practices, though, I think a complaint is not too big of a step up from that.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    does your doctor have a seperate practice manager? Do you know anyone who knows about the medical profession, friend who is a nurse etc that you could discuss this with? It might help to get another medical person's opinion on whether it was bad advice or dangerous coz they would have a more informed view?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The two main ones that he's up in arms about is when the doc told me it was perfectly safe to take codeine while you're breastfeeding (it isn't), and when I went to ask about a possible milk allergy in Superbaby, he told me just to avoid all milk, and give her off the shelf soy milk when I stop breastfeeding (soon), whereas the health visitor said she should be referred to paediatrics to make sure it is definitely milk she's reacting to, then on to a dietician because cutting dairy out of an infant diet has pretty big implications on the whole calcium front. And on the soy milk front she said that it's equivalent in fat and calories to skimmed milk, which you shouldn't give to kids under 2 at all, and is definitely not suitable as a main food source for a 6 month old who barely eats solids. Not to mention that apparently a lot of babies who are allergic to cow's milk are also allergic to soy, which he never mentioned.

    Happily I ignored him on both fronts and did my own research, not to mention that although my health visitor is a bit of a battleaxe, she does know her stuff.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'd complain about him, in that case :yes:.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    does your doctor have a seperate practice manager? Do you know anyone who knows about the medical profession, friend who is a nurse etc that you could discuss this with? It might help to get another medical person's opinion on whether it was bad advice or dangerous coz they would have a more informed view?

    That's why I asked the HV about it, cause she has a lot of experience and used to be a paediatric nurse back in the day. She told me that she wasn't allowed to tell me what to do with regards switching practices, but that the advice he gave was bad, and that 'it's not for me to say, but maybe a practice with more GPs would be helpful if you were ever to need a second opinion...if you know what I mean'.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i would complain.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    id complain too, and change doctors ASAP
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    that sort of advice, if taken by a less savvy mother, could have given baby malnutrition and been fatal
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    that sort of advice, if taken by a less savvy mother, could have given baby malnutrition and been fatal

    this indeed. I'm angry for you and it's not anything to do with me. Plus obviously fatality is worst case scenario but doesn't it have implications in terms of long term health, brain function and ability to thrive too?

    And the codeine thing? what are the implications for that?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'd definitely complain.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    To change doctor I think all you need to do is turn up at a new surgery and tell them you want to register, and they send your details from the old practice. This is the nhs info on complaints procedure, and this is TS's page about it. I think you should definately complain! :mad: for you. As suzy said, if you weren't so on the ball, the LO could have been really hurt, and there's nothing to say that the next mother that comes along will be so savvy. A lot of people, especially older folks take the doctor's word as gospel so I think you have a responsibility to make sure the relevant authorities know he's got some pretty important gaps in his medical knowledge
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If in doubt complain. If it isn't a significant complaint it will be filed accordingly, no harm done, on the other hand if there is a problem this will help the FPC spot it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Evenstar wrote: »
    To change doctor I think all you need to do is turn up at a new surgery and tell them you want to register, and they send your details from the old practice. This is the nhs info on complaints procedure, and this is TS's page about it. I think you should definately complain! :mad: for you. As suzy said, if you weren't so on the ball, the LO could have been really hurt, and there's nothing to say that the next mother that comes along will be so savvy. A lot of people, especially older folks take the doctor's word as gospel so I think you have a responsibility to make sure the relevant authorities know he's got some pretty important gaps in his medical knowledge

    :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thanks everyone :)

    I thought it was pretty bad, but I didn't know how much of that was blind inexperienced-mum worry about anything and everything. It's a very good point that someone else would have just followed the advice without questioning it, and I suppose that's the main reason to complain.
    And the codeine thing? what are the implications for that?

    Some people metabolise codeine in a way that means a relatively high dose makes it into the milk, and babies essentially overdose which is obviously not good. There has actually been at least one case of a baby dying as a result, although I don't know what dosage the mother was on in that case. Anyhoo, not something you want to use unecessarily, and considering I would have only been using if for simple back pain, probably a crapton of safe alternatives.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Evenstar wrote: »
    To change doctor I think all you need to do is turn up at a new surgery and tell them you want to register, and they send your details from the old practice.

    I've changed GPs as I've moved. This was all I did. And (maybe because I was there before) I was able to make an appointment before they got my medical records.

    If baby is lactose intolerant, would she be allowed rice milk or goats milk? (no idea if there's a minimum age on either)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The registering is no problem, I'm off to do it tomorrow. Just need to dig out our NHS numbers cause putting them on the forms seems to make the process quicker.
    Melian wrote: »
    If baby is lactose intolerant, would she be allowed rice milk or goats milk? (no idea if there's a minimum age on either)

    I've been giving her rice milk in her cereal (cause I have it in mine, so we always have a stock in), but she shouldn't have it as a drink while she's so young cause it's not nutritious enough. Goat milk is contentious if it is an allergy, cause if she's allergic to cow's milk there's a fair chance she'll be allergic to other animal milks.

    At her age she still needs either boob milk or formula as a main source of food, so if I want to stop breastfeeding any time soon I need to find a formula that agrees with her, which I was hoping the doctor would help me with!

    Hopefully won't be too long before we'll be able to see a doctor at the new place, anyway. I wonder if they'd make an exception for her and be able to see her before the records come in cause she's so young? Her medical records are pretty much 'was born', so they're not missing much :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You can usually get an appointment before records come through if you need one, just not for routine stuff.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You can usually get an appointment before records come through if you need one, just not for routine stuff.

    *nod* they'll ask you a few more questions than normal as they haven't got a history but otherwise it's no problem
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kaff wrote: »
    My current GP is not very good and the last couple of times I've been he's given bad advice (about both me and the little one), so I want to switch us to a different practice. He's the only GP there, so there's no option to see someone else. I've spoken to my health visitor about it, and not only did she not sound surprised (always a good sign!), in not so many words she told me it would be a good idea to move.

    I'm fine with this, there's a practice a similar distance from us with 5 or 6 GPs, so I'm going to go register us there instead.

    Only thing is that Mr Kaff has a bit of a bee in his bonnet about it, and he thinks that the advice we got from the doctor wasn't just bad, it bordered on dangerous, and that I should make a complaint about him. I'm not sure if he's overreacting or not. How serious do things have to be before you consider making a complaint?

    Opinions would be fab :heart:

    I would complain about him but once you have registered with the new surgery, as from my experaince they like to makes things hard for people once complained. and it can be a tiring and stressful thing to go through.

    I had a doctor that treated me very badly, from neglect to shouting at me, withdrawing my meds from me which were antiobiotics, wrong diagnosis and giving out wrong medications, and breeching confidanltity rules. this docotr was so bad that he mad my health worse through the neglect and stress and had me in tears everytime i came out the surgery. I first compalined to practise manager, and eventually had to take it ot health ombudsam and still not even got a apolagy, despite me doing nothing wrong and patients have the right to compalin, they threw it back in my face and took me of thier list.

    I have now changed surgries and after seeing a few hopeless doctors i have now have one that listens and helps with my complicated health issues.

    I would say defo complain, just be aware that it can be stressful as they like to cover thier own backs and make out like they did nothing wrong and i hope to get more with yours then did with mine
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i was thinking about this. would you be able to get a copy of both your files first so that you have physical evidence of what was said to you rather than get into a he said she said situation and they can change your file to cover their backs?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kaff wrote: »
    Goat milk is contentious if it is an allergy, cause if she's allergic to cow's milk there's a fair chance she'll be allergic to other animal milks.

    I've been lactose intolerant about 4 times since I was about 1. I've never had any problems with other animal or soya milk.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I used to be lactose intolerant, and had goat's milk instead and was fine.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kaff wrote: »
    I've been giving her rice milk in her cereal (cause I have it in mine, so we always have a stock in), but she shouldn't have it as a drink while she's so young cause it's not nutritious enough. Goat milk is contentious if it is an allergy, cause if she's allergic to cow's milk there's a fair chance she'll be allergic to other animal milks.

    Not necessarily true. Youngest was intolerant and so we used Aptimil for a while. She has no problems anymore, apparently it's pretty common when they are so young and they can grow out of it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Melian wrote: »
    I've been lactose intolerant about 4 times since I was about 1. I've never had any problems with other animal or soya milk.

    Intolerances and allergies are different beasts. Intolerances are an inability to digest certain foods, while allergies are an immune response to them. Cause of the rashy wheezy-ness, we suspect she is allergic rather than intolerant.
    MoK wrote:
    Not necessarily true. Youngest was intolerant and so we used Aptimil for a while. She has no problems anymore, apparently it's pretty common when they are so young and they can grow out of it.

    Aptamil was the cause of the rashy/floppy/wheezy incident that made me go :shocking: !

    Her second cousin was off-the-scale allergic to dairy (her whole head swelled up when she had a lick of an ice-cream - yowsers!) when she was a baby, and she's 4 now and steadily growing out of it, so I'm hoping it'd be the same with Titch. She seems to have a much less severe reaction than her cousin to start with, so signs are good. HV says that they can grow out of it as early as 2 :)

    Anyhoo, I'm returning my registration forms to new doctors tomorrow and they said she can be seen before the notes are transferred, so hopefully we should have her sorted soon!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If anyone is interested in what happened next, we switched doctors (new practice is SO much better), little one is not intolerant and most probably not allergic (unless it's a very mild allergy) but is a little sensitive to dairy, which we are introducing gradually under new doc's guidance and she is starting to tolerate it. He diagnosed her with ezcema (hence the rashyness), and said there's a fair chance she'll develop asthma too (she's a wheezy baby), but otherwise is well and should eventually be able to eat milk without any problems.

    So we can add misdiagnosis to former GP's bad advice. Now Superbaby is sorted we are looking at how to make a complaint.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kaff wrote: »
    If anyone is interested in what happened next, we switched doctors (new practice is SO much better), little one is not intolerant and most probably not allergic (unless it's a very mild allergy) but is a little sensitive to dairy, which we are introducing gradually under new doc's guidance and she is starting to tolerate it. He diagnosed her with ezcema (hence the rashyness), and said there's a fair chance she'll develop asthma too (she's a wheezy baby), but otherwise is well and should eventually be able to eat milk without any problems.

    So we can add misdiagnosis to former GP's bad advice. Now Superbaby is sorted we are looking at how to make a complaint.

    :thumb:

    This link to PALS may help - Patient Advice and Liaison Service, they can help and advice you about making a complaint. :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kaff wrote: »
    Only thing is that Mr Kaff has a bit of a bee in his bonnet about it, and he thinks that the advice we got from the doctor wasn't just bad, it bordered on dangerous, and that I should make a complaint about him. I'm not sure if he's overreacting or not. How serious do things have to be before you consider making a complaint?
    I think that if you are concerned you should complain. It's not frivolous, you don't appear to have a personal grudge against him, etc.

    He will have an opportunity to respond before anything else happens, so there's no chance of this arbitrarily destroying his career, but if Mr. Kaff is right then he'll be found out and other people won't have to listen to dangerous advice in future.

    I know it's un-British to complain but you've nothing to lose.
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