Hi all. Need a vent sorry.

[MrBen]

I have been type 1 for 39 yrs. I don't mind being diabetic. What I do mind is the treatment I receive from my GP practise.
I will summarise the latest incident-
I am out of work - I get a job offer from Ocado pending a medical form ( outlining duties - i.e driving lifting etc)to be signed by my GP.
My GP gives me appointment 2 weeks later.
In app she tells me she is not sure if she can sign it in case I have hypos at work. I explain to her that it am very well controlled, have been driving a van for 2 yrs prior, and lifting weights as described in letter. She says that she will sign when my blood test results are back if they are 53-59 for hba1c. My last was 50 (this one was back in afternoon and was 52). She signed form and emailed to me as requested. Turns out though that she did not circle YES/NO.
I phoned GPs to ask for this to be done. Now they are telling me they are not sure they can circle YES as they don't believe the doctor that signed it read it properly???? The receptionist asked me - are the DVLA aware you are diabetic? Yes they are, I have not been breaking the law for the last 15 yrs!!!! I have now been told that another doctor who has not met or spoken to me is concerned that I might not be able to safely do a job that I have been safely doing for the last 2 years. I feeling quite mad right now. Anyone know if I can seek some legal recourse for this situation??
Regards
Ben

 

[Freema]

I have been type 1 for 39 yrs. I don't mind being diabetic. What I do mind is the treatment I receive from my GP practise.
I will summarise the latest incident-
I am out of work - I get a job offer from Ocado pending a medical form ( outlining duties - i.e driving lifting etc)to be signed by my GP.
My GP gives me appointment 2 weeks later.
In app she tells me she is not sure if she can sign it in case I have hypos at work. I explain to her that it am very well controlled, have been driving a van for 2 yrs prior, and lifting weights as described in letter. She says that she will sign when my blood test results are back if they are 53-59 for hba1c. My last was 50 (this one was back in afternoon and was 52). She signed form and emailed to me as requested. Turns out though that she did not circle YES/NO.
I phoned GPs to ask for this to be done. Now they are telling me they are not sure they can circle YES as they don't believe the doctor that signed it read it properly???? The receptionist asked me - are the DVLA aware you are diabetic? Yes they are, I have not been breaking the law for the last 15 yrs!!!! I have now been told that another doctor who has not met or spoken to me is concerned that I might not be able to safely do a job that I have been safely doing for the last 2 years. I feeling quite mad right now. Anyone know if I can seek some legal recourse for this situation??
Regards
Ben

Oh so stupid they are , must be discouraging , cant you get a new GP

 

[NicoleC1971]

Hi. Seems bad service to me but have you tried Diabetes UK careline for the best way to resolve this?
How to contact us
Call: 0345 123 2399*, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm

Email: [email protected]

You still need a GP so it seems sensible to me to not use the nuclear option of legal action but to point out the potential discriminatory nature o f their decision which seems to assume that merely by being a well controlled diabetic you represent a risk if I am reading this right. This would have the effect of discrimination on the grounds of disability as they are denying you a service seemingly on mistaken grounds!

I hope that Ocado will hang on for this to be resolved.

 

[Deleted Account]

I sympathise.
A few years ago I wanted to skydive and discovered I needed a doctor's signature as I had diabetes.
The doctor would not do so unless I had an appointment.
It turned out the purpose of the appointment was to tell me he didn't want to take all the risk whilst I was having fun. I suggested he joined me so he could have some fun too.
My advice is not to make a joke out of it: he didn't find it amusing.
However, he did eventually sign the form and the skydiving was amazing.

 

[Jaylee]

I have been type 1 for 39 yrs. I don't mind being diabetic. What I do mind is the treatment I receive from my GP practise.
I will summarise the latest incident-
I am out of work - I get a job offer from Ocado pending a medical form ( outlining duties - i.e driving lifting etc)to be signed by my GP.
My GP gives me appointment 2 weeks later.
In app she tells me she is not sure if she can sign it in case I have hypos at work. I explain to her that it am very well controlled, have been driving a van for 2 yrs prior, and lifting weights as described in letter. She says that she will sign when my blood test results are back if they are 53-59 for hba1c. My last was 50 (this one was back in afternoon and was 52). She signed form and emailed to me as requested. Turns out though that she did not circle YES/NO.
I phoned GPs to ask for this to be done. Now they are telling me they are not sure they can circle YES as they don't believe the doctor that signed it read it properly???? The receptionist asked me - are the DVLA aware you are diabetic? Yes they are, I have not been breaking the law for the last 15 yrs!!!! I have now been told that another doctor who has not met or spoken to me is concerned that I might not be able to safely do a job that I have been safely doing for the last 2 years. I feeling quite mad right now. Anyone know if I can seek some legal recourse for this situation??
Regards
Ben

Hi Ben,

Sorry to hear this buddy.
Odd, the only "discrimination" i received years ago for a driving job was being asked if i would consider cutting my long hair (at the time.) in an interview? (similar position to to the position you applied for. they didn't go with the compromise of a hairnet.)
So long as i have a valid clean licence for the class of "commercial" driven in the duties. i've seriously had no issue with any other job role regarding driving in the tasks..

This is just my point of view, but if they can OK you for a DVLA licence renewal DIAB1 application form? (every 3 years?) I don't see the issue...

I don't mind the D neither.

 

[Bluey1]

You guys need to find better Drs. Mine allow me to Skydive (I hold a state title), I hold a Railway Safeworking certificate (Guard and Signalman), SCUBA Dive, drivers licence, they are waiting for me to come up with my next crazy idea. Life is to be lived not lockerd up in your bedroom. I get Drs letters for employment etc without visiting them.

I know my GP and Specialist are exceptional (both medically and bedside manner) and every visit is catching up with old friends, but there are a lot of Drs that are good, you need to find them. There is very little you can’t do and with today’s technology, control is so much easier than yesteryear (before my time, but using urine to guess BGL, having to eat at specific times and specific amounts as the insulin ‘clock’ was always ticking and great big syringes always having a hypo or hyper

 

[Fearless36]

Okay so this will involve jumping through hoops a bit, but its worth while doing. Firstly write to the Practice Manager. They have to respond in writing to your complaints, and if they do not then you can take things even further (and usually it works out costly for them not to do so). Most surgeries have a Formal Complaints Procedure – and you are entitled to request a copy on your next visit or just to phone and ask. Now the first time I requested one, I was informed that they did not have one. That was a huge mistake as in UK they are required by law to have one if they are a practising GP practice. So stick to your guns here, receptionists often will try to bluff you away with nonsense here. Don’t let them. If they inform you that you haven’t tell them you will be approaching the Ombudsman and raising a formal complaint (again that should add weight to your position). When you have their formal complaints procedure write a letter following the steps outlined. They have to follow that same procedure including lodging your complaint giving feedback within a specific time frame (thi s is one of the hoops – sometimes they can say they require a month to address those points – but if at the end of that month they don’t addresss these satisfactorily you can then proceed further. The Ombudsman is a great place to talk to, as they are governing a lot of GPs surgeries and can provide further help and support. I know its not easy and frustrating and it takes time, but its worthwhile doing. My former GP were just frankly ****. They were unprofessional. One time I requested a prescription for both fast and slow acting insulin, and went to collect and only the fast acting was there. When I queried where the slow acting one was, they firstly tried to tell me I didn’t order it (which I had the email with me and showed them. They then tried to say I had to see a doctor and the closest appointment they had was 4 weeks away (yep you can bet I stressed I had run out of insulin and so didn’t have 4 weeks left and didn’t know what to do). They were so unhelpful and so I made a formal complaint which they did respond to in writing, and then went to the Ombudsmen and got a pay out and they got a serious telling off. I moved GPs and I have been one hundred times happier since and not got anything like the **** service I previously had.

 

[porl69]

Hence why I do not see my GP about my diabetes. All done thru my endo or DSN!!!