Complaint about an out of hours emergency doctor.

kammyk

Hello,

I have not been feeling well since Friday evening (4th April). I had a really sore throat, a headache and I suspected it was just the usual tonsillitis I get a few times a year, so I took some nurofen tablets which i usually do before i have the opportunity to visit my GP. On Saturday I was feeling a lot worst and could not swallow any food without it being too painful and my tonsils had swollen up like I had never seen them do before, my body temperature was up and down like a rollercoaster.

On Sunday morning I decided to give the local "out of hours" service a ring as I felt I needed the antibiotics that I usually got from my GP. So I managed to get an appointment with the out of hour’s doctor.

When I got there, I explained everything about how I had been suffering on and off from tonsillitis for the last 2/3 years. He told me to open my mouth wide and show him, which I did his response was "yuck, those are the mankiest tonsils I have ever seen" (that really did make me feel a lot better! ) he could have just said that must be really painful, instead of making me feel dirty.

So he said he would prescribe me penicillin tablets and I would need to take two, four times a day. He also said I should take 3 nurofen tablets 3 times a day which seemed to be a bit much as they are quite strong. He did not give me a prescription for the nurofen (guess he was trying to save the NHS some money!) but he did write the recommended dosage on the back of the prescription for the nurofen (3x3 a day).

I told him that I would prefer it if he would just give me what I usually got from my GP but he refused.

Sunday evening was probably one of the worst days of my life; I had taken the recommended dosage of both the nurofen and penicillin tablets. I was shivering like I was sat in a freezer one moment and the next; I was warm and sweating like a pig. I was dizzy and had a blackout after going to the toilet, I could have easily fallen down the stairs it wasn't for my family.

I was semiconscious during much of Sunday night/Monday morning and continued to take the recommended medicine (my mum gave it to me!)

Monday morning, I got my sister to call my GP and let him know what the situation was, he told her to inform me to immediately stop taking the penicillin and nurofen and to come and see him as soon as possible. So off I went still in a lot of discomfort to see him. He said that it could be glandular fever and he sent me off for a blood test (results are not back yet) and he gave me some antibiotic tablets. Once the nurofen and penicillin I had taken the previous day had worn off i was feeling much better.

My GP did not say that what the out of hours doctor prescribed was wrong but from my reaction to them + him telling me to immediately stop taking them, I am guessing the out of hours doctor got it wrong! The nurofen packet says do not take more than 6 per day and he was telling me to take 9 a day: S

What’s the procedure to make a formal complaint against a doctor? Is it possible to get financial compensation? Without exagerating, I think if I had been alone on Sunday night and not had anyone to get my water etc then I think I could quite easily be dead!

I look forward to everyone’s advice.

Thanks

ameliarate

I am sorry to hear you had such a bad time and hope you are feeling better.

No GP is infallable and whilst you may have glandular fever - yet to be confirmed it does sound as though you may have also had tonsillitis and with a history of tonsillitis clearly the GP prescribed for that.

I think I would have had more sympathy for you if you hadn't asked about financial compensation what exactly do you want financial compensation for?

If you wish to put in a complaint telephone your GPs surgery and they will explain exactly how to do it.

leet_first

Probably not what you want to hear, but I suggest you put this down to experience and move on. I recently felt just like you do now but decided just to get on with my life. Unfortunately doctors do make mistakes, they are human.

Basically I was suffering from high temperature (39c+) for three days and then had extreme chest pains whenever I breathed, out of hours doctor wouldn't even see me just told my partner over the phone that I had 'man flu - as men can't handle pain' and just to take paracetamol, luckily she didn't believe him and took me to a&e, where they quickly realised I had pneumonia and rushed me to intensive care, where I spent a week on a ventilator!
I felt like you and wanted to blame the doctor, but once i got over the shock of thinking that I could have died and never seen my family again, I just got on with living.

Hope this gives you some perspective

bloomin_freezing

Firstly I hope you're feeling better, but.......

(guess he was trying to save the NHS some money!)

I think buying these over the counter are cheaper than £6.95 (or whatever prescriptions are these days), he was probably saving you money.

What’s the procedure to make a formal complaint against a doctor?

Get in touch with the practice Manager

Is it possible to get financial compensation?

Are you serious? You are ok, you haven't been left severely disabled by this have you, you're not dead, make a complaint if you feel the need, but come on...:rolleyes:

In all honesty I think if you read the packet (which you clearly did), and it stated not to take more than 6 a day, and you were concerned that he advised you to take 9, then take 6 as advised on the packet. Simple.

findingmyownway

I agree, given a history of tonsilitis i think its highly likely your own GP would also have diagnosed it and prescribed penicillin. Its only when that hasn't worked that it can be ruled out.

I had the same thing last year and also visited out of hours docs. He said its impossible to tell the difference between tonsilitis and glandular fever without blood tests etc. So prescribed penicillin for tonsilitis and if it didnt improve in 48 hours i was to go back for gland fever test.

That sounds pretty much like whats happened to you.

I don't know about the nurofen thing, it does sound like a lot to take.

Errata

If you're unhappy with the diagnosis and treatment you've received speak to your GP's practice manager.
I'm not sure why when you state your were semi-conscious for much of Sunday night and Monday morning and at one point lost consciousness completely an ambulance wasn't called.

Woby_Tide

10 out of 10 for dramatic effect

either way, a doctor prescribed what they thought was best for you, if it doesn't work within 24 hours they can often re-think, they can't predict whether it will work or not. Also because the tablets have a maximum dosage, thats just a recomendation to the layman on the street, witness the kids medicine issue a fortnight ago because the general public won't adhere to advice. Taking too much ibuprofen is bad for you guaranteed. A qualified GP recommedning you take a larger dose to help you get over tonsillitis(that nearly had you dying remember) is perfectly within the limits of the drugs and the human body, but only on their advice.

liney

I assume you no longer have the perscription which shows the does your doctor told you take of the Nurofen? Perhaps you misheard, as 2 3x per day would be the norm.

You are not at liberty to request the kind of medication you would like from the Doctor; thats their job, and you have no reason to believe that penicillin would do you any harm, or was perscribed in error.

I find it very difficult to believe that a mother would deliberately over medicate their child with over the counter drugs whilst they were drifting in and out of conciousness, whether directed to by a doctor or not.

feelinggood_2

kammyk wrote: »

My GP did not say that what the out of hours doctor prescribed was wrong but from my reaction to them + him telling me to immediately stop taking them, I am guessing the out of hours doctor got it wrong! The nurofen packet says do not take more than 6 per day and he was telling me to take 9 a day:

The recommended dosage when you buy ibruprofen is lower than what doctors sometimes recommend you take, and 9 nurofen a day isn't an exception prescription - I know I've been prescribed that amount several times.

LondonDiva

Agree with pretty much the comments above.

If you want to complain to the out of hours service, you can write to their complaints manager (ring the GP practice for the providers contact details) and cc your PCT into the letter.

They will then respond to the issues you raised.

*prescriptions - Most people tend to be advised to buy basic drugs over the counter as they are cheaper than prescriptions and are often available in the home anyway.

Given the rise of superbugs, GPs are being advised not to prescribe antibiotics routinely, unless they beleive there is no alternative. As the GP signing the prescription is liable for any consequences, the fact that your usual GP aould give you the meds woudl cut no ice.

*dosage - seems high to me and you may want to ask questions for your peace of mind. However, I do wonder why you did not question the GP when he prescribed it or ring NHS direct for some advice later on?


*If you want compensation, you will need to contact a solicitor.

rufus79

600mg of ibuprofen (3 tablets) is not the highest it can be - 800mg upto 4 times a day is often prescribed, it was perfectly safe. I know its horrible when you are ill, but sadly its just one of those things. As for the antibiotics, I wonder what your reaction would have been had the dr said 'its just a virus' (which is all glandular fever is) and sent you away with nothing? I would just try to be pleased that its nothing more seripous, and concentrate on getting better soon.