I'm really angry. Should I complain?

fluffnutter

KxMx wrote: »

If you're going to be critical then get the facts correct:

The original post mentioned the nearest medical practice, hence I assumed it wasn't the OP's surgery. I can see that a later post says that it was actually their own surgery.

It's pretty irrelevant really. As I've said, a GP's role is not to treat a bleeding foot, baby or otherwise. That's something to treat at home, or to take to a minor injuries unit or an A&E department.

There is no excuse for panicking because your child has a cut foot. The responsible thing is to know some first aid and know where to take your child if you think treatment is beyond your skills precisely so you don't panic, flap about and end up getting irate with the medical profession.

fluffnutter

silly_moo wrote: »

It WAS MY medical practice. And it was the receptionist who went to speak to the DUTY DOCTOR (her words). She disappeared for a brief moment through the door where you can see other receptionists so I assumed the doctor was also there. And if the doctor was there then she/he was definitely without a patient.

Direct your outrage and energy into learning some first aid.

Person_one

silly_moo wrote: »

It WAS MY medical practice. And it was the receptionist who went to speak to the DUTY DOCTOR (her words). She disappeared for a brief moment through the door where you can see other receptionists so I assumed the doctor was also there. And if the doctor was there then she/he was definitely without a patient.

I wouldn't make that assumption, she could have gone through another internal door, or phoned from one office into another. Best not to dwell on things like that when you don't actually know what's happened.

KxMx

fluffnutter wrote: »

There is absolutely nothing in your quote to suggest the doctor was free. How did they know it was a 'duty doctor'? What does this even mean? It wasn't the OP's practice. I think it's presumptuous to assume that there's some doctor sat around waiting for random unregistered people to wander in with injured babies. It's not a minor injuries unit, or A&E. It was a medical practice. I wouldn't expect my own GP to look at my baby's bleeding foot, let alone someone else's GP.

I'm not presuming anything about Duty Drs, their job is to be on duty for anything that crops up during the day, that may be fitted in with patients, paperwork or churning out prescription requests but still they are there to deal with more urgent issues as and when they occur.

Obviously some think it's fine for them not to even glance at a bleeding baby to assess the situation better but i'm afraid I don't agree.

dizziblonde

I have to say - I would probably have gone down to my local GP as well... but they have signs up in the surgery specifically saying they have staff who can and will do minor wound stitching/gluing/sortingouting and to call there and see if they can save you a trip to A+E. If they were specifically promoting that aspect of their services - I wouldn't.

As for first aid - our local Sure Start regularly run children's first aid sessions on a very basic practical level via the Red Cross I think it is - might be worth asking them if they'd see if the demand was there to put one on at your local one (if it's survived the cuts - thankfully all of ours did).

tango

I think the OP has had some harsh replies, true if you post on here you should expect a mixture of responses ,but any posts she has made have been polite and honest. She can see it was an over reaction and it is one of life's many experiences ,that with the benefit of hindsight she may have done differently. I have acted like a right plonker with my children at times

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

The number of times I've been sat in a doctor's surgery to have someone else knock and ask that doctor for advice, I wouldn't be too certain that he didn't have an understanding patient in there already.

In fact, if there had been somebody clearly audible, which is what it sounds like here, I'd be half expecting it to happen if I were in the nearest office to the front desk.


I'm not picking on you at all. I've already said that I think you should have gone straight to A&E/minor injuries unit and not wasted your time at the doctors. It's a very common occurrence as your children get older to have bits broken, bleeding or in some way damaged and, quite frankly, by the time you have more than one child, your first thought on hearing a thud or a wail is more 'now what have they done?' more than panic.

It's OK to be worried, but you have to learn not to show it.

CH27

How did your son cut his foot so badly?

I think a first aid course is an excellent idea as knowing what to do will help you stay calm in future.

helphelphelphelp

I have done the same and gone to the doctors when my son stopped breathing. We were in the car and the doctors was closer than the hospital. The receptionist immediately got me seen by a doctor (in fact all of the nurses and doctors were working on my son). So I can understand the OP going to the surgery. However, since it was not a life threatening emergency, I also think the receptionist was correct in advising you that no one was able to see to you. The mind doesnt always behave rationally, but I dont feel a complaint it the way ahead.

Mojisola

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

It's a very common occurrence as your children get older to have bits broken, bleeding or in some way damaged and, quite frankly, by the time you have more than one child, your first thought on hearing a thud or a wail is more 'now what have they done?' more than panic.

It's OK to be worried, but you have to learn not to show it.

And just hope you're not the parent of the child who is greeted by the A&E staff with "Hello, James, are you here again? What have you done this time?" - it made all of us occasional visitors to A&E smile but I felt sorry for his Mum!