changing doctors surgeries

shannon_164 · April 7

hey🙂

i’m not entirely sure where to post this but i’m just wondering if anyone knows anything about changing doctors surgeries?

basically i have had such an awful experience with my current doctors and now i have had enough, i can’t take it anymore as they make things so so impossible!!! everyone’s been telling me for months now change doctors and im always like “awk no it’s ok” but yeah i have now had enough.

i finally have done my research tonight, i looked at 7 alternative doctors surgeries in the two towns near me (as i live in the countryside so just currently at my only, and closest gp surgery) however 6 of them only accept patients living within a 3 mile radius from their practice so that puts me out as i’m 12-15 miles from each of them. one of them accepts patients living within a 10 mile radius, however i am 12 miles away, so again, that puts me out.

basically that leaves me stuck. i can’t change to any alternative gp surgery as i am not in the radius for any of them. i genuinely cannot take it anymore with my current gp practice though:/

i’m sure its different here in northern ireland in comparison to mainland uk as everything tends to be different here lol so yeah i am in northern ireland !!

thank you

Azziman · April 9

Hey @shannon_164, I can hear your frustration with your current doctors' surgery, and that you've looked at alternative options but fall out of their catchment area. Would you be comfortable sharing a little more about your experience with your current practice? We're here to listen to you.

Is the issue with a particular doctor? If so, you may be able to ask them to change to another doctor at the practice. If it's with the practice, even if you fall outside the radius of some other practices, it might be worth contacting them to see if they'd still allow you to transfer in spite of that guidance. No guarantee that it'll work, but it might be worth a try if you really want to leave your current practice. Failing that, the next best option you might have is to raise a complaint about the experience.

I don't know NI rules as well as the mainland UK guidance, but that's what I was able to find. How do you feel about the above options?

shannon_164 · April 10

hey @Azziman 🙂

thank you for your reply, i appreciate it! i’ve just had several negative experiences and often find that they can be quite rude too:/ my top 3 examples out of many would be:

• i go to the doctors as my body is really weak and i feel in pain 24/7. after explaining how i feel, the doctor responds with “i dont mean to be dismissive or anything, but its all in your head, its just imaginary and the pain isn’t real”. i’m no doctor, but i know it isn’t imaginary and in my head. it is in fact real.

• i go to a doctor regarding how i feel and we really discussed anxiety, which i struggle with massively - i understand everyone in the world feels anxious about stuff throughout life, but it isn’t just the normal anxiety i feel - anyways, at the end of the appointment he says “i don’t think you have any diagnosable condition, i think you just like attention”. that hurt…

• i had been to the doctors 3-4 times in the space of 2 months because i needed help and i wasn’t being listened to, sometimes i was there because i was forced into going rather than through choice. it wasn’t my fault they didn’t listen or do anything. i then had an appointment where the doctor said to me “now i don’t want to see you making an appointment about this for at least 3 more months because you keep making appointments about the same issue”. that annoyed me so much because if they actually done something rather than dismiss and invalidate me, i wouldn’t need to make appointments then.

i have seen several different doctors at this gp surgery but haven’t found any to be helpful really, apart from one who was genuinely amazing but then turned out to be rather dismissive and invalidating too after so long:( i was going to call into the gp surgery that has a 10 mile radius and ask about it all though i also really struggle with change so the idea of being in an unfamiliar environment scared me i guess? i know the doctors i see at my current practice, i know the layout, i know the processes etc so the idea of that all changing scares me. i think im just being silly about it all to be honest, which is why i wouldn’t complain either as i feel like its all my own fault, im the issue not them.

thank you so much for your reply

Redemption · April 11

@shannon_164 Hey, I get why you’ve had enough it sounds really frustrating. Since you’re in Northern Ireland, maybe try contacting the Health and Social Care Board or your local Trust they can sometimes assign you to a different GP outside your area if there are exceptional circumstances. It’s worth explaining your situation to them. Hope things get better soon ❤️

Leyla · April 11

@Redemption I've never heard of that, but it sounds like a good suggestion, especially because you've (Shannon) had a lot of negative experiences with your GP regardless of who you speak to! And the fact that you've done your research into whether you could move to a different place, it seems like it would be unfair for them to not allow some exception circumstances because simply due to where you live! I hope it goes well Shannon if you do choose to give this a go

Redemption · April 11

Leyla wrote: »

@Redemption I've never heard of that, but it sounds like a good suggestion, especially because you've (Shannon) had a lot of negative experiences with your GP regardless of who you speak to! And the fact that you've done your research into whether you could move to a different place, it seems like it would be unfair for them to not allow some exception circumstances because simply due to where you live! I hope it goes well Shannon if you do choose to give this a go

@Leyla might be only for nothern island and I'm guessing you're in the UK hehe. Anyway good luck Shannon ❤️, I'm here if you need anything.

Redemption · April 11

Redemption wrote: »

Leyla wrote: »

@Redemption I've never heard of that, but it sounds like a good suggestion, especially because you've (Shannon) had a lot of negative experiences with your GP regardless of who you speak to! And the fact that you've done your research into whether you could move to a different place, it seems like it would be unfair for them to not allow some exception circumstances because simply due to where you live! I hope it goes well Shannon if you do choose to give this a go

@Leyla might be only for nothern island and I'm guessing you're in the UK hehe. Anyway good luck Shannon ❤️, I'm here if you need anything.

I meant England not the UK 💀

Sian321 · April 12

Hey @shannon_164 , I just came across your post, and it sounds like you've really reached a point with your GP practise where you have had enough of feeling dismissed and you want something to change. That is so, so valid, and it sounds like you are being very proactive in looking for alternatives here and ways to recieve better care.

I have found the following link which walks you through the complaints procedure for GP practises in Northern Ireland if helpful: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/how-complain-or-raise-concerns-about-health-services.

changing doctors surgeries

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