BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)

Subject: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: jacqui.c
Date: 25 May 06 - 03:32 PM

My elderly mother is in a nursing home following a severe stroke and has no hope of any real recovery. She cannot talk, is being fed through a tube and has very little movement.

My daughter has been trying to arrange to deal with her affairs, to have post redirected etc., but has run into real problems with my mother's GP who seems not to understand what is required in the way of documentation from her and to be almost deliberately obstructive. This even extends to not understanding that she needs to provide a certificate stating that my mother is incapable of handling her own affairs before we can get mail redirected by the Post Office to my daughter's address.

Right now I am considering making a complaint against the doctor but do not know to whom I should direct it. Has anyone had any experience of the process or know how we should go about it?

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 25 May 06 - 03:36 PM

The GMC Jacqui Try this link If I can help any more let me know.
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 25 May 06 - 03:41 PM

A solicitor is called for really Jacqui, what you need is Power of Attorney, in either your name or your daughter's.
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: fat B****rd
Date: 25 May 06 - 03:45 PM

I'm feeling bad for you Jacqui and hope things work out. Best regards from Charlie.

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: Divis Sweeney
Date: 25 May 06 - 04:12 PM

Jacqui, To go throught the complaints process can take forever, I know was health service myself.
Sorry to be realistic, but time is very important regarding this.
Make an appointment with her G.P. and make one final personal attempt to sort it wit him. Failing that ask his reasons and demand he puts them on paper. That will put the wind up him.
If that fails go see her social worker, there has to be one attached to the home. Get him or her to support your case.
Then go and seek legal advice. Your lawyer can and will request his reasons and seek another G.P. to assess the case.

I would not advise to go down the road of the G.M.C. As once you do this,everything at your end will stop as this is now a pending case under review. If she has been in hospital for any reason of late, get your solictor to request a report from the doctor who saw her.

Good luck with it.

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: GUEST
Date: 25 May 06 - 05:58 PM

A letter from your mother's MP wouldn't hurt either. Email him/her, just google, all mp's have their email addresses easy to find.

It's amazing how things move quickly when someone recieves a letter with the red threatening House of Commons logo on the top.

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: Rasener
Date: 25 May 06 - 09:56 PM

Sent PM jacqui. Had to go through similar process with my mother and father, 2 and a half years ago.

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 25 May 06 - 11:24 PM

Since she is already (it seems) without capacity you cannot now validly derive a power of attorney from her. You would have had to get an "enduring power of attorney" while she still had capacity.

You will neeed to make an application to the court of protection. The system is supposed to permit such applications without a solicitor.

I'll see if I can find the link.

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 25 May 06 - 11:28 PM

You need information about becoming a receiver.

Public Guardianship office

You can also google "court of protection" and you will find a lot of useful information.

If you qualify for legal aid ("community funding") try a solicitor. Otherwise, try it yourself.

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: Rasener
Date: 26 May 06 - 04:26 AM

My mother was very ill in a nursing home 2 and a half years ago Richard. I got a solicitor to the home and she spoke to my mother to determine if she was able to hand power of attorney over. She could not give a signature well, but was able to nod her head as a yes, and the solicitor from there drew up the Enduring power of attorney.
I think it is well worth getting a solicitor to go to the home and determine if she is capable.
I would not have been able to take my mother to the solicitors.
Its not very expensive, but may prove to be the best thing to do in the first instance

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: jacqui.c
Date: 26 May 06 - 04:58 AM

Unfortunately my mother cannot communicate at all now. My daughter has applied for an order of protection, which is moving through slowly but needs to get mother's mail redirected to her, rather than to her sheltered accomodation, as some of the mail seems to be misssing and we cannot, at the moment, arrange for the sender to change the address. The GP seems not to understand a simple request to provide a certificate in order that the Post Office will agree to redirect mail to my daughter.

My mother is in Bromley, Kent, my daughter is in Newark, Notts and my son, with whom I am staying right now, is in Shepperton, Surrey. Most of the time everything has to be dealt with by phone calls and the GP won't even return a call herself - everything goes via a secretary. This means that every 'misunderstanding' on the GP's part involves time and large numbers of phone calls. Right now we are all getting very frustrated by this problem at a time which is difficult for all concerned.

Living in the USA I am lucky to have a daughter who is proving to be extremely capable of working her way through the bureaucratic system and making use of the web to find out the info she needs. However, it is amazing what one spanner in the works - in this case the GP - can do to make a difficult situation nighon impossible.

GUEST 5.58pm - thanks for that idea. I think we may try that one as it does seem to make things move!

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 26 May 06 - 05:20 AM

Well Jacqui if it were me, I'd be outside the doctor's surgery post haste, and ask to speak to her personally. Face to face is the best way to sort these things out, and if everybody keeps cool it should get sorted out. Your only real problem is the secretary I think, sounds like one of those 'Guardian Dragon' type secretaries, that wants to vet everybody personally before they get near the Doc. I really think if you were there in person it might be easier.
Not that far round the M25 from Shepperton to Bromley!
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: jacqui.c
Date: 26 May 06 - 05:35 AM

We were there yesterday - takes a bit over an hour each way - but Sharon, who had asked for this to be done first thing yesterday morning first got a reply that my mother's prescriptions were all being handled by the same chemist and then a message, from the GP via the secretary, that she should get a letter from the nursing home re mother's condtion. We had already been told by the PO that this was not sufficient. It took about six hours for this info to filter through by which time we were most of the way back from Bromley.

Sharon says that the secretary seems to be very embarassed by having to give these replies so it seems that it is the GP who is the problem in this case. This GP also looks after my younger brother who is in a very fragile state himself and not capable, by anyone's standards of dealing with these matters. He admits that this is so himself and is quite glad that Sharon has taken up the reins. The GP, in spite of knowing his history, completed a form giving my brother authority to deal on mother's behalf.

We shall be back here after visiting Giok in Scotland and at that point, if the situation has not been resolved, I shall visit the surgery myself. I think this woman needs to a fire lit under her to concentrate her mind on what should be a relatively simple matter.

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: Rasener
Date: 26 May 06 - 06:11 AM

Telephone the number below for advice. I have sent PM. It may need a letter to the GP with a copy to ICAS asking why she won't give you the letter. A clear explanation of what the GPO need should also go with it.

Independent Complaints Advocacy Services South EastThis service covers:

Berkshire
Buckinghamshire
Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Kent (except Greater London)
Oxfordshire
Surrey (except Greater London)
Sussex

Tel: [phone]

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 26 May 06 - 07:58 AM

"certificate stating that my mother is incapable of handling her own affairs"

If that certificate can truthfully be given then regrettably the old lady has not got the capacity validly to confer a power of attorney.

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: nutty
Date: 26 May 06 - 08:48 AM

I've just been through all this in respect of my own Mother and know that the situation is not easy.

Unfortunately, unless your mother has already given Power of Attorney to your daughter, your daughter has no rights to do anything in your mother's name. It could be that the doctor is merely sticking to the letter if the law rather than being deliberately obstructive.

You need to follow the Public Guardianship Office link above and read about setting up a reciever (which could be your daughter) to handle your mother's affairs.

The customer information booklets and application forms can be downloaded, but unfortunately these things take time.

If your mother is in a Nursing home, how was she placed there? Either she is privately funded or had an assessment via a social worker. If a Social Worker is involved he/she may be able to help your daughter.

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: jacqui.c
Date: 26 May 06 - 12:04 PM

Many thanks for the advice - I'll take those points up with Sharon.

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 26 May 06 - 01:46 PM

And unless the existing power of attorney (if there were one) was an "enduring power of attorney" it is revoked by supervening incapacity - as a matter of UK law.

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: gnu
Date: 27 May 06 - 06:11 AM

Thoughts and prayers to you and your mum, jac.

Subject: RE: BS: Help - complaint against GP (UK)
From: GUEST
Date: 28 May 06 - 03:01 AM

You are in all our thoughts