Useless GP surgery

[StevieBoy]

I needs some advice - I am quite annoyed with my GP surgery.

I was diagnosed diabetic at the start of August with BG levels of 17.9. After a meeting with the nurse I was told I was diabetic, 'probably type 2', and instructed to go away and get my blood levels down before I came back 2 months later (last Wednesday to be exact) for a second blood test where they would decide what meds to put me on. I was also booked in for a 'routine' ECG that would server as a baseline reading should anything ever go wrong in that area in the future.

As a result of this ECG I got a strange call direct from my GP who told me I was being referred to a cardio specialist at the hospital due to some strange ECG readings (which was a worry). After 2 visits to the hospital including a cardio ultrasound, another ECG and finally an appointment with the specialist, I was told that there was no problem, had never been a problem and that my GP had misread the original ECG reading. Relief all round then..

So I bought a BG meter and have got my BG levels down to between 5.5 and 6.8 (happy days) and confidently returned for my blood test last week. Now, having not heard anything about the results a week later, I have had to phone the doctors surgery to find out if the results were back.

I was told by the receptionist that my results were back, they were 'fine' and I didn't need an appointment. I explained (calmly) that that wasn't enough information and I at the very least needed to know the figures involved as I had been diagnosed as a diabetic 2 months earlier. I was offered another nurses appointment....in 3 weeks time! I finally manged to argue down to a doctors appointment in a weeks time instead.

My question are these (now that my rant is over) -Should I be expecting better service and levels of response from my GP surgery or am I being tetchy? How easy is it to change surgery as this is not the first time this doctor/surgery has been the cause of my frustration (I was once prescribed 12 ibuprofen for a twisted knee -they laughed at me in the pharmacy)? Is there any way to complain about this surgery and would anything be done?

If anyone knows how these things work then please let me know.....

 

[anniep]

I agree this is not acceptible treatment. You are newly diagnosed you nay have all sorts of issues and worries and it is not up to a receptionist to tell you about your treatment. Many newly diagnosed diabetics go through all sorts of emotions and your doctor should be taking great care of you to begin with.


I have copied and pasted here Ken/sues advice abou the questions to ask as a newbie.

Here are a few questions you can ask.

What can I do to control it, diet,medication ??

Appointments to see dietician, podiatrist, retinal screening.

Test meter /strips.

Test results and what do they mean ? a print out of the results for your own records.

Who will I be seeing the nurse or GP ? I f I have problem can I see either of you ?

Are there any courses I can attend, DESMOND for Type 2, DAFNE for Type 1's ? Any other Diabetes Education classes available.

How often do I get blood tests, Hba1c/Cholesterol/full lipid panel.. Should be every 3 months initially till in control.

Take a notebook with you and write down what you are told. If the doctor/nurse says things that you do not understand then ask them to explain it so that you can write it down.

This is your condition, your diabetes, you should be encouraged to take part in the treatment that you will be getting, not dictated to.

If you find that the doctor/nurse is unsympathetic then we suggest you find out which doctor in the practice is good with diabetes. Some doctors have a special interest in certain subjects, it’s worth finding this out.

 

[Hobs]

It is an easy exercise to change your doctor .. simply ask the new one to accept you onto their books; but first ask around for other's opinion on your new choice or you could end up with another one that does not suit your needs.

My GP leaves a lot to be desired, but as there its the only practice for 10 miles around and he is the best of a bad bunch as well as head of practice, I'm stuck with him; but I have (out of necessity) become very assertive about my treatment and will not be fobbed off.

 

[StevieBoy]

Thanks glad it's not just me being over sensitive.
This forum has been much more help that my GP surgery to be honest. If only you guys could prescribe test strips too....

 

[anniep]

I am not totally happy with the way my GP's surgery overseas diabetic care. It is all left to the practise nurse, who is not a specialist she does everything from baby injections, to the no smoking clinic, to the asthma clinic.

There are times when I have known more about diabetes than her, and her insistence that I must not low carb and must eat the starchy carbs, sent me out of control. I have managed to get seen sometimes by my GP who does explain things better, ie does not treat me like a moron.

If it wasn't for the fact that I am due to move area soon I would have considered changing my doctor, but my first question when looking for new GP is going to be how do they organise the care of T2's

 

[Lemonie]

Thanks glad it's not just me being over sensitive.
This forum has been much more help that my GP surgery to be honest. If only you guys could prescribe test strips too....

I totally agree and know exactly what you mean.

 

[hanadr]

Whilst we still have a PCT system[ ours is set until March 2013} you can complain to them about the level of sevice. You may however get somewhere if you protest to the senior doctor or the practice manager and say that you don't think that receptionists should be making clinical decisions, such as what test results to give.
Certainly if you don't make a fuss, NOTHING will change.
and other people less able to stahnd up for themselves will suffer too.
Hana

 

[mrsmousemat]

I can only sympathise.

Moving round I've had three poor doctr's practices and two good ones.

The doctor who I have now is very anti glucose meters, so when my result came back - down to 6.1 - I said ' Thank heavens for my glucose meter, I'd never have done it otherwise', just for fun. But in truth as well.

He now prescribes the testers for me, so a step forward there.

As an ex-receptionist....

The way to get an appointment when ALL ELSE FAILS is to say that you feel very dizzy and ill and cannot get to the surgery. You will have to have the doctor OUT.

This is what they want to avoid at all costs... then say , a friend might be able to run me to the surgery. After checking with your 'friend', ring back and say the friend will save the doctor's call out and bring you to the surgery between say 5-6pm - say around one or two hours away or the time you want.. Have they got an appointment in this time?


Oddly enough they will almost always find one for you. Receptionists can put extra patients on the end of doctor's lists... They get told off by the doctors if they overbook, so don't do this often.

When you get to the surgery, you will be feeling a lot better won't you?


Hope this helps...

 

[calisto51]

I also had a very bad Doctors practice. I was registered for more than thirty years with them. After thet moved to new premises and the main stay doctor retired it all went to pot. So I upped and moved, looked around found a good practice and have never been happier. So hang in there Good Doctors exist

 

[gs2512]

I was diagnosed as a 'borderline' diabetic 20yrs ago, but the old practice didnt ever send me for blood tests or digital eye photography!! I had a fall a few weeks ago and was seen by new GP practice who sent me to the hospital for bloods and when they came back my bg was 18.6 and my cholesteral was also high. Was put on Metformin 500mg twice a day which was then increaseed to 3 times daily. Last Friday (8/10) they put me on 850mg Metformin twice a day and 80mg Gliclazide twice a day.

I was seen by the Consultant Opthalomgist as i have extra blood vessels growing behind my retina, and he has seen i should be testing my bg. My GP refueses to provide me with a monitor( as i am on benefits and cannot afford to buy one. Feel like a second class citizen!!) and refuses to refer me to the diabetic clinic at the hospital, as he says that 'he' can control it.

I dont know who to believe!! Help!!

 

[Pickwick]

Par for the course mate. If there is such a thing as a good GP, I've never encountered one in my 66 years. I've had T2 for 5 years now, and apart from my primary diagnosis, which took 20 minutes (and that only happened because I banged on my GP's desk), I've had very little since then apart from a bit of humming and hawing and painkillers when the pain gets out of hand. Took a year to get my feet inspected (they cut my nails, told me I was 'high risk' and handed me a nice leaflet), over 2 years to get a diabetic eye test (happily yearly since), and the sole dietary advice consisted of another leaflet - soon discarded. I see a practice nurse twice a year, but it's clear her main job is to make sure I don't bother HM the Doctor.

To be fair to everyone concerned, I've often found that a major problem with a lot of GPs is reception staff drunk with petty power. Don't worry what they think of you - just put your foot down.

So - get a few good books on your condition and hang around these Forums - plenty of advice available. You won't agree with all of it, but that's the whole point of the Forum - there's far more information here than that touted by the NHS 'party line'. You're suffering from (as far as the NHS is concerned) a self-inflicted condition which deserves little sympathy and less treatment. So accept - as I and others have had to - that you'll get little out of the NHS without making a thorough nuisance of yourself.

If you feel you need a monitor, check around for freebies from the manufacturers - I've had two that way. Then take it to your GP and demand a reasonable supply of strips on prescription. He'll probably refuse - but don't give up - involve your MP if necessary.

PS - it's coming up to the time for flu jabs. Whatever your age, you're now entitled to one - make sure you get it.

 

[StevieBoy]

Finally got to see the nurse at my surgery yesterday (who to be fair is very pleasant and as far as I can see is the best thing about the surgery) and got my results. The results were good news on the whole - Hba1c of 6.8 down from 17.9, so no meds for me yet! Hopefully I'll get it lower by next time, as I am told the threshold for meds is 7 so I just squeezed under.

I asked for some test strips on prescription expecting to be told that I had no chance, but to my surprise I was written a prescription for test strips and lancets and told just to let them know when I need more supplies. Although I pay for my prescriptions I was still well chuffed as £7.30 for 50 strips is far better than £25!

Still will look around for a better surgery though...

And thanks to everyone on this forum for all their help, advice and support as this is one of the main factors that has helped me get my levels down.

 

[anniep]

glad you got it sorted and well done

 

[oobuc5]

here you go this will make you feel better ,diagnosed 2months ago T2 gluco level 25 put on metformin 3x a day [500mg] plus a statin [aparently borderline colesterol] told i would go to DESMONDS ] after i checked it was a 6 week wait! asked for a diatician ended up with a the nurse and a common sence chat , asked for the diatician again and found out myself she was on a contract
and only came around once a month ,asked for a podiatrist ,and was told take a self application and fill it out your self ,i did this a month ago and still have not heard anything .
asked the doctor for a gluco meter and was told i dont need one ,as blood tests are done on the nhs [yes 6 WEEKS APART] asked the pct about this and explained that i was getting nowhere with this doctor they agreed to the meter and strips but did say it was down to the doctor as it was a [CLINICAL DISCISION] got a gluco test at asda gluco was 13.5 she phoned the doctors who said they would phone back waited 1 hour in the shop then went home waited another hour then phoned asda =the doctor had phoned to say take another pill
phoned the practice manageress only to be met with a very officiouse and legalistic atitude would not discuss the case [as it was of a clinical nature] went to the pct to see pals again ,best advice was[ to change doctor] checked with the appointments booking office DESMONDS is now oversubscribed until THE END OF JANUARY ] so i told them to scrub that,had a colesterol test at asda only to find out that on a count of 1 to 5 i was below 1 .

so i have no clinic no diatician no podiatrist ,bought my own meter and pay for my own strips ,i am disabled 2 spine opps/ 1 knee opp /and have rhurmatoid atritis on top of diabetes ,so if it was not for bad luck i would have no luck at all . this is what happens when you live in YEOVIL
And the pct/pals explanation for this ,[well there are just to many people in YEOVIL with diabetes !

Well i changed my doctor it remains to see if the new one is any different ,im at the same practice
im working on the idear that the manager has had so much greave with my complaints things might get a bit better for me with the new doctor .

In all of this, face with rearly c**p service from so called profeshonels paid vast sums of money plus bonuses,i just used common sence determination and the internet result from this = first thing in the morning reading of 4.7 =[lowest] fair average would be 7 /, 2 hours ater food 8/8.2/8.5 on average so dont worry if things get out of shape with the doctors just do your own reasearch and get a sensable diet and leave the chocolate eclairs alone :

 

[gs2512]

There seems to be one rule for one person and another for others. I know somebody who saw there practice nurse twice and was handed a monitor and a blue record book straight away!! This is the same PCT, different drs. Is it all to do with money and budgets??

Can anybody recommend any manufacturers that offer free monitors as i am struggling to find any!!

Thanks for your help!!

 

[cugila]

You are so right about treatment offered to newly diagnosed by GP' etc. Most of the time it is based on costs - not an ideal situation. I'm fortunate I that my GP / Practice Nurse / SDSN / Endo are all extremely supportive and don't stick to the guidelines but treat the Patient first without reference to the budget ! Might also have something to do with the way I speak to them ? Friendly persuasion rather than confrontation gets you many things in this life. As they say " its the way I tell 'em !" :wink:

As regards a meter I am surprised you are having difficulty getting one. Most of the manufacturers have helplines who are usually only too willing to provide you with a meter - providing of course you ask nicely ! There is a page on the main site here with details of the manufacturers and there is also a 'competition' here you could enter to get one. I have contacted various manufacturers in the recent past and got meters which I have passed on to others. So - get the phone No's and get dialling !

 

[gs2512]

Thanks for that!!

 

[tracyann1]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that has a useless docter. I have a Diabetes Nurse and a specialist docter at my surgery and when I went to see the speciallist (1st time in 4 years of being with them) I asked about seeing a dietician as I am 2 stone overwieght and find it hard to lose it which he said is because of the insulin, he told me all I have to do is cut my portion size, cut out bread at lunch time and have 2 apples and dont drink alcohol. Then I saw the nurse and asked about an appetite suppressent and chronium suppleaments and neither she or the doc had any idea, they both said best to look online if had any questions in future!!! She also told me as I'm on insulin I should have a blood test every 4 months and see somebody at the hospital but thats as far as its gone.
I am also on tablets for tendinitis which I found out makes me more sensitive to the insulin but I found that out online from a website called mediguard so now I've decided to go back to the doc and get an MOT so I know whats going on with my body as I have not had an Hba1 test for years.

As for blood moniters I got my first one from BDA when diagnosed but have since bought my own but in their favour I do get strips on script.

 

[a88ie]

And there was me thinking mine was rubbish also :lol:

I have so many examples of them being useless, and i called diabetes watch and they advised me to write a letter to the practice manager which i did, and ask them to refer me to the diabertes clinic as i had not attended one since my early 20s. I got a reply back yesterday asking me to come in and discuss with the nurse, why i should be referred. Going to be a long conversation when i go in next week.

when the humalog pen i was on was discontinued they did not tell me, just kept leaving it off the pescription so when i got to my last pen i call them to see why its been left off for weeks, and then i get told about the discontinuing of my insulin, he called me up and was not sure wht to do, so i said id heard about the novorapid and thats what i was given, then i went in fo my HB1ac results and he moaned at me for high level but i had to remind him i started on my new insulin and on his advice i underdosed for a bit till i got used to it lol

also another doctor in 1983 diagnosed my little sister who was 2 at the time with flu and sent her home, she died because she was diabetic and the doctor didnt check for anything else, my dad sued and won against the surgery so i cant go there in case they remember :roll: