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GP Failings

Sacha1994
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Hi everyone, I'm looking for some advice.

My Father attempted to get several GP appointments in May as he found a lump under his arm pit. He was told he could not have an appointment as they were not offering appointments due to covid. My father finally got a telephone consultation with his GP and she advised him to send a picture of his armpit to the surgery's email address. My father did this and heard nothing back. In the mean time the lump was growing and was becoming increasingly painful. My father attended a walk in centre who advised him that his GP needed to see him urgently. He still couldn't get an appointment and so he went to our local A&E department. Following his presentation at A&E the doctor send a letter to the GP surgery stating that he needed an urgent ultrasound scan. He contacted the surgery several times and they stated they hadn't received a letter. After over 2 weeks passed by my Father contacted the surgery and was told that he was put forward for a routine scan with a waiting time of approximately 6 months. My father finally saw a different GP within the surgery who has been great. But wasted over 2 months trying to see his original GP. 

My fathers lump was the size of an egg when he first tried to get an appointment with his GP and it is now over 15cm- it cannot be removed due to the size. His oncologist has told us that if he was given appropriate care from day 1 it is extremely likely that they could have removed the tumour via surgery. 

He has now been diagnosed with advanced melanoma which has ulcerated and he is in an incredible amount of pain. He has just started targeted therapy as he is BRAF+. 
Please can anybody advise me on how to complain properly so that this GP cannot ruin anybody else's lives. We're now lucky if my father is going to live for a couple of years. He is going to miss on watching his first grandchild grow and it is all because of the failings of his GP 

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    Hi Sacha,

    I'm so sorry to hear about your father's awful experience with his GP surgery. 

    I can only suggest that he starts the ball rolling by asking for a meeting with the Practice Manager before considering whether to take his complaint further. 

    With regard to his melanoma, the drug treatment for advanced patients is showing great promise and, as a BRAF + patient, he also has the option of immunotherapy should it be required, so try not to despair just yet. More melanoma patients are now living longer with the disease than are dying from it.

    I will send you a friend request so that, should you accept it, we can talk more about your dad's melanoma and how to go down the complaint route.

    Good luck,

    Angie (Stage 3 melanoma patient since 2009)

     

  • Offline in reply to AngieT

    GP appointments.

    This has got to be my number pet hates.  I understand the reasoning for phone consultations for the last year.  I even had one GP tell me during a phone consultation they will refuse house calls at all costs. We now have an automated message which last just short of 6 minutes. one saying on the automated message is think 1, 2, 3 before you ring your GP.  They then go through every scenario which eliminates anything that people have. or you can make an appointment at a walk in centre. I have been pushed from pillar to post, the doctors say ring the hospital, or the hospital then come back with you need to ring your GP.

    If the GP's had seen my wife, instead of giving advice over the phone. she started off taking stong pain killers. was not working so they told her to take codine at the same time. My wife was taking 18 pain killers in one day, this went on until she passed away in July 2020 had they done face to face appointment they would have seen how my wife was. Because I have liver cancer and have been experiencing severe pain in my abdomin. I'm told to ring the cancer unit , the cancer unit then said I need to see my GP first and foremost. By the time I finally get onto the switch board I'm in queue position 19. I know by the time its reach 8.30am there are no appointment available.

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