GP's withholding Consultants diagnosis!

[dumpton]

In a previous post I explained how my GP has a policy of concealing Consultants diagnosis from his patients, and I only discovered that had Emphysema, and Pulmonary Fibrosis last December by chance, when I sneaked a look at the COPD nurses computer! Since then I have made any amount of complaints first to the GP, who said he can't cope with the extra workload, and is only just about managing with locums! Then on to the East Kent Clinical Commissioning Group, who made me jump through 3 hoops (agencies) including NHS England, who dismissed it as "not uncommon for GP's to do so for clinical reasons" which it isn't! Then to the Care Quality Commission who investigated and said the Practice will "reflect" on it, Duurh! The Royal College of GP's also dismissed it, so did the General Medical Council, who said it was insufficient evidence to strike my GP off their Register. I said I don't want him struck off, only to stop concealing Consultants diagnosis from his patients: No answer! The Health Ombusdsman phoned me and we spent an hour and 20 minutes talking about it, but who said all they could do is "mediate between us", but they still haven't got back to me since last May! There's more like the Patients Association who passed me onto some Legal charity, who couldn't help either! As I seem to have come to the end of the road, the only conclusion I have come to is that GP's are Self Employed, and are not employed by the NHS, they just have contracts with it! So no one can take responsibility for this unprofessional conduct, and make my GP accountable ergo: Harold Shipman!

So how can I stop my GP from withholding Consultants diagnosis from his patients? I am reminded of a situation that occurred at the end of hostilities in Germany, when during the NAZI period, they had murdered tens of thousands of mentally and physically disabled children, in hospitals! I was married to a German woman, and we watched a TV documentary about this sometime in the 80's or 90's, during which they showed a hospital director in a small town called Aplerbeck, not far from where my wife had been born, after the war. Two weeks after the end of the war the Director approached the now British Military Governor of the town, and asked him if he wanted the hospital to continue gassing the children? You see, no one had ordered the Director to stop! A crude analogy perhaps, but the same principle applies with my GP, no one seems able to order him to stop concealing Consultants diagnosis from his patients! What more can I do? I am considering writing to all the various agencies mentioned previously, and relating the anecdote about the German Doctor asking if the British Military Governor wanted him to continue killing mentally and physically disabled children to them, and to ask them why they can't stop my GP concealing Consultants diagnosis from his patients, does everyone else agree, and if not, do they have any other suggestions?

[HungryHufflepuff]

I can feel your anger and frustration and I admire your courage. In the experience of my dad though, making a complaint will get you nowhere, and only leaves you exhausted and demoralised. My dad pursued his complaint, about his treatment not about witholding information. After months of being passed from pillar to post and getting no reply, he eventually got a crass condescending and utterly insulting letter from the head or whoever of the hospital. I often tell myself if I win the lottery (which is unlikely as I don't play the lottery) I'll sue the hospital to hell and back again. I know it only hurts me to carry this rage and bitterness inside me all the time. The whole thing made us feel totally powerless and helpless. I admire your determination to not just let this go and I hope you have the strength and courage to keep going with your fight.

[skischool]

Armed with all the facts and figures of your very detailed complaint i would be inclined to approach a national newspaper of some repute(perhaps not the daily mail)and OUT the Gp and the flunky's and quangos that are supporting him.if your case is strong enough and you have documentary evidence the publishers legal teams will decide if this is a viable route to air your grievances.nobody in any profession likes to see their reputation destroyed by the power of the press or any other media outlet.

good luck in your quest...Ski's and Scruff's x

[Fennella02 in reply to skischool]

I agree. My immediate thought was for some publicity.

[hypercat54]

Well we Brits still tend not to think in terms of lawyers and lawsuits and I think an American suggesting this brought out our natural cynicism! Don't forget BLF is a British site and the vast majority of us are Brits so you have to accept culteral differences on here. I am sure no one was 'attacking' you as such but I understand why you might have felt that way.

[hypercat54]

I just had a thought - you are entitled by law to have a copy of your notes so even though you will have to pay is it worth it to see them? x

[katieoxo60 in reply to hypercat54]

Hi there apparently now you are entitled to see your medical documents at no cost, not sure if it is fact or not.

[hypercat54 in reply to katieoxo60]

A fact as far as I'm aware. Not sure how it works though. I do know you can demand the doctor show you what they have written about you on the screen when you are having an appointment with them. x

[corriena]

Why dont you ask that all letters are cent to you at the same time as your gp my consultant dose it means i know as much as my doctor regarding whats going on with my health. I can ask for action to be taken if nesasery straight away rather than wait for a appontment to discuss the results

[pippan]

I've asked every consultant to copy me into letters sent to the GP and never been refused.

[2greys in reply to pippan]

Same here, I always get copied in with the letters. My body, my problems, my entitlement to know.

[Whitechinchilla]

Hi Dumpton. I was just reading through this problem which to me is beyond ridiculous. Your comments are great and I shall certainly try that in future. I didn’t even know one could do that, so, many thanks.

[Joe1946]

Medical Profession do as they like and there isn’t a lot that can be done about it until there is a change in Law that makes an independent Body to lodge a protest with .

[dumpton in reply to Joe1946]

It comes down to accountability, and being able to make informed consent in regard to our best treatment! Power has always detested being made accountable, but slowly over time this is happening, as in the Information Act. But how can we be expected to make informed choices if we are not kept informed, and ignorant of what is wrong with us! In my case the COPD nurse was supposed to treat me, without telling me what was wrong with me! I am also toying with the idea of bringing this up with the Parliamentary Health Committee, but hesitate because I think they are probably inundated with complaints!

[Katinka46]

I have only just picked up on your post. I soooo sympathise with you. I have gone down so many of those routes. I have posted in the past here about the problems I have had: the error that caused the damage to my lungs; the nightmare of trying to make a complaint; the difficulty in getting a diagnosis. I don’t want to repeat myself here but I am very keen to keep in touch. I am approaching journalists and one of my themes is that there are very many of us. I will private message you, if that is all right and we can compare notes. I have written my story up. You are welcome to read it.

All the best

Kate x

[dumpton in reply to Katinka46]

Hello Kate, so kind of you to contact me, and yes I would be interested in making this more widely known! I completed a Respiratory Rehabilitation 6 week course, twice a week earlier in the year, and membership varied, but never more than14 people at any one time. I asked several people what was their diagnosis, and all said COPD! They had not been informed what lung disease they had! I live in the Thanet, Kent area, but by all means contact me directly if you can. At the moment I am considering contacting the Parliamentary Select Committee for Health & Social Care, as I never got anywhere when I wrote to the Secretary of State!

[Hidden]

Where you went wrong is you did lot running around for nothing

You should of wrote to practice manager stating breach of data protection act

I.e concealing information as caused you harm and undue suffering.

After all under data protection act you have right to see ALL data

No if but or what if’s ... but all

[Hellodolly]

I agree with JeffAjax. Under both the Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act, you have a right to see your records. Write to the practice manager and request a copy of all your notes under those two Acts. Then in future make sure every consultant copies you into the letters. I have to say, mine always do as it is fairly standard good practice nowadsys.Good luck!

[katieoxo60]

Hi Dumpton, nice detailed post did no one tell you that your entitled to Consultants reports direct to yourself from the hospital if you so request. Your GP is obliged to tell you in his words the outcome if you ask. Only the patient is entitled to the details and a DR can withhold info if they feel it might harm you or a third party.Hence the reason why it cannot be made a general rule that GPs disclose Consultants responses or other departments. But they do have to say if they are withholding info for patient safety. I got one result from the practice manager when requested as the Gp gave me incorrect info. Hope this helps you.

[dumpton]

Hello to everyone who replied to my Post above, which has been most encouraging, if a little dispiriting at times! Yes, after I discovered by chance my Consultant had, quite properly emailed my Diagnosis to my GP, in answer to his Referral, I am now in direct contact with her. Consequently I have written to my GP and informed him that as he tried to conceal my diagnosis from me, I no longer have any faith, or confidence in him, and am Refusing Further Treatment from him, in respect to my lung diseases! I am looking at this as a retired professional myself, had I tried to conceal vital information from a client, then I would think that Client would have every right to take action against me for unprofessional conduct! Unfortunately that is not possible with a GP!

I am now considering contacting the Chair of the Health & Social Care Committee, Dr Sarah Wollaston, to ask her if the Committee think the withholding of Consultants Diagnosis by GP's is acceptable, and then provide all the written evidence I have accumulated to show that no health agency, including NHS England, can do anything about it! I would welcome any help, or views on this. Best Wishes to everyone.

[Ergendl]

I joined the surgery's Patient Participation Group or PPG (co-opted on as not many people are interested). A doctor from the practice always attends the meetings, though it's not always the same doctor. I've used these meetings to explain what happens in a patient's mind if they are given a lung diagnosis like COPD but no education, just some inhalers (if they're lucky) - so the patients visit Dr Google and think they're going to die in 5 years, and feel so hopeless they're suicidal. The doctors I told all did the tortoise bit with their heads down as I made the point, but hopefully it will have made they reflect and improve their manner when giving diagnoses. The conditions they diagnose may be common to them, but they're not common to each individual who's been diagnosed with such conditions.

[dumpton in reply to Ergendl]

Interestingly I attempted to join my Patient Participation Group, and was blocked by the Practice Manager! As I said to her my hopes were never very high in the first case of the PPG being any use, except as a talking shop 4 times a year, but the Practice must have been sufficiently worried that I would expose the Practice Policy of concealing Consultants diagnosis from patients, they wouldn't let me join the group! I am going to include this in my letter to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health & Social Care, but its chaired by Dr Sarah Wollaston, a GP so I'm not holding my breath (can't anyway!)

[Johnem]

Concealing a Consultant's information from a patient is outrageous. I am seen regularly by a respiratory specialist, a cardiac specialist and an oxygen specialist and all send me a copy of the resulting correspondence to my GP without me ever having had to request it. I can also obtain a copy of any part of my medical history at any time from my GP without cost. Something is badly wrong with the management of your practice and I would have asked myself at my first discovery of this if I wanted to remain a patient of such a practice or move to another, rather than suffer all the stress that is being caused by your shocking experience to date.

I sincerely hope that you finally prevail having gone through all this.

John.

[dumpton in reply to Johnem]

There are few other GP practices in Thanet! In fact they are closing at a rate of knots, and my Practice Manager said in a letter that it was impossible to copy Consultants diagnosis because they have 10,000 patients! They are also moving clinics to other hospitals, and this morning I was told to go for a lung function test at the Kent & Canterbury Hospital, instead of our Margate hospital. This will mean my taking 4 taxies there and back, and two train trips, plus a day out of my life! Where as I could get to Margate hospital easily by bus within 15 minutes! Its outrageous the Clinical Commissioning Group can move clinics so far away, that its impossible to access them!

[Johnem in reply to dumpton]

That is pretty shocking and so annoying that you are so restricted.

Regarding that Practice Manager's letter though, anyone would think that they are the only Practice with 10, 000 patients. Mine has that many and opens at 08.00 until 20.00 every day of the year including Christmas day. Maybe that Practice could do with a better management.

[dumpton in reply to Johnem]

My GP who is a senior partner at the practice says he can't get any GP's, and is only just about coping with locums!

[katieoxo60]

So did mine but it was only part of the record requested needed to pay a further £50 for the rest as it was stored at another hospital I was told.

[Johnem]

That surely doesn't excuse keeping patients uninformed about their illness. It also appears to be a popular excuse with some Practices nowadays that want a low wage bill, for putting profits before patients.

[dumpton in reply to Johnem]

He is a senior partner at the practice, but only works part time, and is eager to retire! Of course he is looking for another GP to buy him out, don't forget GP's work for themselves, and are self employed!