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[honorsmum]

I have been with my GP surgery 14 years, but in the last 5 years have had some issues with the treatment I've received from a particular doctor, and more recently had a couple of issues with the reception staff.
Because of this, I have considered changing surgery, and a few weeks ago I posted on a Facebook community forum, asking for people's experiences of a different surgery, simply stating which surgery I am currently with and that I had had a few issues - no details or names mentioned.

I then received a private message from my surgery's medical Secretary, saying how sorry she was to read I'd had problems, asking what they were so that she could reassure me that they wouldn't happen again and hoping she could persuade me to reconsider. She assured me of absolute confidentiality.
So, I told her what my experience had been, and with which GP.

Last week, 3 weeks after this happened, I received a shirty letter from the GP concerned, informing me that my forum post and subsequent conversation with the Secretary had been brought to her attention, and that she was concerned that I "clearly had such a poor impression of the practice, and her in particular", and perhaps I'd like to attend a meeting to discuss it - she would be accompanied by the practice manager and I could bring a friend.

The tone of the letter is not pleasant. It feels very much like being called into the headmaster' s office.
I am extremely angry that a private, supposedly confidential conversation with a secretary has been shown to the person it was about.
I'd appreciate your thoughts about what I should do. Needless  say, I WILL be changing surgery.

[rosebud57]

Found this on NHS choices of how to make an official complaint.

Be careful though, I have heard of cases were patients were blacklisted by surrounding GP practices after making a complaint.  Might be better to just find another GP first.

http://www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Yourchoices/GPchoice/Pages/GPcomplaints.aspx

[dahliagirl]

I think this probably means that your decision to change surgeries was probably right!  I would move on.  I am not sure there is much to be gained from engaging with them, as they do not seem to be adopting a particularly caring tone.  Unless you are a person who likes a good battle to get your point across.

[CLKD]

Why use social media?  The first approach is always with the Practice concerned.  No one likes to be found 'wanting' and by going to social media you have probably put backs up.  A breach of confidentiality is a very grey area.  Rarely is it adhered to unless within a High Security work place …….. even if a Document has any form of 'confidentiality' agreement across the front/top/bottom it does depend on who has access to it and at what level.

The Medical Secretary may have stepped out of line herself or maybe the GP/s asked her to contact you directly.  I would want this cleared up in order to improve the practices within the Surgery for all, however, you may find it easier to move on after the initial meeting.  We should all have the opportunity to apologise.

let us know how you get on!

[honorsmum]

It's so tricky, isn't it? 
Part of me thinks, forget it and move on.
The other part thinks that the medical secretary should be answerable for her actions. She had no right to do what she did, and has caused an issue where there didn't need to be one.

However, I NEED a GP surgery to go to, so I don't want to be blacklisted.

CLKD, the community forum is extremely useful for getting recommendations for local services. I wanted to know what other surgeries are like before moving. I very much doubt the GP's saw my post and requested the secretary to contact me via social media! She did it off her own back, and then used the info she gleaned from me to cause trouble. I am shocked that supposed confidentiality is a grey area in the medical arena. So, if I had AIDS, it's ok for the GP/receptionist/cleaner to discuss that,naming me, to all and sundry?? Really?

[Limpy]

HM - It's all so difficult.

The secretary should not have done what she did. However, I can understand the GP wanting to clarify exactly what problems you had with her (the GP), to ensure it doesn't happen again. Are you going to meet up with them, it may be possible to sort matters out without the palaver of changing practice. Also, it may help the practice get their act  together and help the other patients on their list.

[honorsmum]

Limpy - unfortunately, the relationship I have with this particular GP and the tone of her letter doesn't make me feel confident that a meeting would go any good, and may actually do more harm.
I have lost faith in both her and the surgery - I had to ring the reception recently and it was clear from the way I was spoken to that this has all been discussed with the reception staff too. I suspect the damage has been done by the secretary's actions.

I don't want to find myself in a situation where I am struck off my current surgery for complaining, and then can't find a new surgery willing to take me on.
There is another surgery in the same building, which has been recommended, so maybe I should simply move over (husband and children will move at the same time).

[rosebud57]

Sounds like a good plan as does not sound like the relationship is repairable.

Let us know how you get on and good luck.

[CLKD]

As a Medical Secretary  ……. you are condemning this Secretary without discussion with her.  She may have had pressure put on her ……. she may have her own axe to grind ………..

Why do you think that GPs don't use the Social Media ………… are you so certain that they don't keep an eye on what is going on in the various Forums, after all they aren't patient-only are they ……….. 

I was in a situation in our Surgery in 2000 when front of house Staff were discussing results relative to a neighbour - I took the Practice Manager to 1 side and told her that this type of discussion should stop.  I was in the Surgery in the 1980s when the Receptionist was discussing results on the 'phone, "this has happened Mrs?, Mrs? you need to come in and discuss this with the GP" so everyone in the Waiting Room knew  - again I told my GP and again: patients could sit in the WR and hear discussions from the other side of the door so I told the GP and a radio was put into place ………. in a small village it doesn't take long for news to spread!

Do give this Secretary the chance to tell you what happened ……..

[bramble]

I am not sure how things could be sorted without the medical secretary reporting it to the practise Manager and them then discussing it with the GP concerned? That would seem the logical route to me. The GP should then have been in touch with you, as they did, in a bid to clarify matters. Do you think it should have been the practise manager that should have contacted you? I think they are at least showing willing to sort the matter out. I certainly would not have posted the name of the practise I was in on social media.
Bramble

[Dancinggirl]

honorsmum
I really sympathise with your situation.  I somehow doubt that a meeting would achieve very much and would certainly be very stressful for you.

Register with the new surgery - actions speak louder than words -  I'm sure that doctor will have ways of turning things round to make it seem you are the difficult patient.
As for confidentiality - when I worked as Learning Support in a primary school confidentiality was taken very, very seriously - it was made clear that we should not discuss anything about a child or their parents outside the school or even within the school except with the people concerned and with a teacher present.
It must be very hard in a surgery to keep things as confidential as possible but we all need to feel that private matters are respected.   If you were constantly complaining or changing GPs then that would be a different matter - from what you've mentioned in your posts it sounds to me as though you have some very good reasons for moving surgery - so I'd go and don't look back.
Good luck Dg x

[honorsmum]

I appreciate all your responses - thank you.

Just to make clear - I didn't use social media as platform to complain or rubbish the surgery or the GP. Without going into detail, my surgery shares a building with the surgery I intend to move to, and both surgeries have almost identical names (to the point that I have had consultant letters sent to the wrong surgery) - so I only clarified which surgery I was looking to leave when I had responses about my current surgery.

Nor did I ask the secretary to "deal with" my issues - the whole point was that I had chosen not to make a complaint, but simply to leave. When someone asks you what your issues are, while promising absolute confidentiality, you don't expect them to pass on that info. I only spoke to her because she promised confidentiality - if she had every made it clear that she would take what I said further, I would not have made any comment about my experiences.
In my opinion, she had no place to contact me, and no place to breach the confidentiality she assured me of. I don't for one minute think that the doctor concerned wants to sort things out - she wants to warn me off discussing my opinion of her with anyone else.

[honorsmum]

honorsmum
I really sympathise with your situation.  I somehow doubt that a meeting would achieve very much and would certainly be very stressful for you.

Register with the new surgery - actions speak louder than words -  I'm sure that doctor will have ways of turning things round to make it seem you are the difficult patient.
As for confidentiality - when I worked as Learning Support in a primary school confidentiality was taken very, very seriously - it was made clear that we should not discuss anything about a child or their parents outside the school or even within the school except with the people concerned and with a teacher present.
It must be very hard in a surgery to keep things as confidential as possible but we all need to feel that private matters are respected.   If you were constantly complaining or changing GPs then that would be a different matter - from what you've mentioned in your posts it sounds to me as though you have some very good reasons for moving surgery - so I'd go and don't look back.
Good luck Dg x

Thank you, DG.
I think you are right - changing surgeries without further comment may he the best way to deal with this.
I'm reassured that actually, confidentiality should be taken seriously. It would worry me hugely to think otherwise.

[CLKD]

Of course confidentiality should be taken seriously.  As a sufferer of many issues that I would not want anyone else to be aware of  , I value confidentiality as my 'right' to be heard, listened to and respected.  As a Medical Secretary I respect confidentiality not only of patients but of friends - issues long standing of 30+ years ago have still not been discussed with DH as the person involved asked me not to: then was surprised that I hadn't told him  'but you told me not to tell anyone' ……… so I didn't.

Bramble - I agree.

Honorsmum - let us know how you get on!

[honeybun]

Horrible situation, and given the fact you have not been feeling good, will not help at all.

I would send a polite letter to the GP.....after I had switched to the other surgery.....thanking her for her offer but saying you did not think anything would be resolved.
I don't think you would achieve anything by having this meeting except leave you feeling upset.

Unfortunately some doctors were absent on the day they were teaching bedside manner and they also thing they are one step down from God.

Hope you can get switched over very soon and just put this behind you.


Honeybun
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