To expect a GP to be good-mannered?

What's the difference between God and a doctor? God knows she's God.

(well, the old ones are sometimes the best ones!)

Some doctors still think they are gods. There is absolutely no excuse EVER for GPs (or their receptionists) to be rude, arrogant or off hand and failing in their duties to examine patients. Things in GP surgeries have improved and for the last 25 years that I lived in England, I had two wonderful GPs, excellent locums or other partners if my own was not available and superb receptionist.

However this was not always the case. I had one highly qualified, mysogenist GP years ago who told me as I lay in bed 8 months pregnant, with high temperature and bronchitis that I enjoyed ill health!! I complained to the senior partner and said GP without telling me struck me off his list and sent our paperwork back to the central location! I had two small children and no doctor! Shortly after I moved to another part of England and found my first wonderful GP, he diagnosed all sorts of minor things that should have been sorted months earlier.

In more recent years I moved my elderly mother to a residential home near me, which was wonderful, and the GP practice to which she was assigned was unbelievable. Arrogant, uninformative despite the fact my mother had the attention span of about 1 minute and a snooty receptionist who asked if it was the ten minute car journey that made me change to another practice. No I said, it's your attitude. I took my mother to my own wonderful practice where they said I know you want your mother where you know you will all be loved! Magic! and the medical attention was fantastic.

I have now lived in France for ten years and my GP could not be more attentive or more than well-mannered, arrogance does not enter his vocabulary - so much for dissing the French male. And all the other consultants that I have seen over these years have been amazing and I have never once come up against arrogance and disinterest. Despite excellent emergency and serious illness care in the NHS I would now not trust my body to any health service except the French.

The purpose of this rant is to say that many years ago I worked at the Royal College of Physicians. Here top doctors, who worked in the NHS, private practice, had students, set exam papers and gave their valuable time for free to the running of the RCP, never ever were arrogant, impolite and always thanked us non medical employees profusely. The President at the time, Lord Rosenheim, would greet everyone he met in the corridors and chat, including the waitresses. So any arrogant GP that I meet is regaled with this homily and goes away with a flea in their ear.

Some doctors should wake up and smell the copy. We no longer regard them as demi gods as our parents did.

Being rude is inexcusable (though we all have our off days), particularly as it puts people off going to see their GP, when there may be something which needs an urgent diagnosis, but you were very fortunate to have been referred for an MRI scan. I hope your problems are resolved soon. Your symptons sound horrendous.

A Doctor said to me: you don't like Doctors much, do you? I said, no I don't, why do you ask? He said, you don't come here much.

I guess we can only judge on our own experiences. My doc seems to get it right, though I do try to trouble him as little as possible.

I've always thought it best to stay away from doctors if at all possible. But that does get a bit harder as we get older.

Agree happy nan I thanked the young lady gp who saw tuesday as she is being so thorough over my chest pain due to my father dying massive coronary at my,age, just doing her job but doing it well.

Still wants further tests after ECG reassuring.

Sadly they not all like that. Some can't wait get you out door and barely glance up. The ten minute rule puts me on edge.

I feel younger ones take more trouble, but not always can't generalise.

A bit off track but I'll add it. I saw my GP last week and she was very helpful, as I was leaving I thanked her for looking after me and DD and her family so well. With a tired smile she said how lovely it was to be thanked as so very few people do so. Yes, I know they are 'just doing their job for which they are paid' , however I still think a sincere heartfelt thank you brightens the day.
Obviously very different to the gp you saw Luckygirl. Can't imagine anyone thanking him, hope you feel better soon.

Just as an aside, my GP had to really push to get me a scan, his first approach for a CT scan was refused, because I am under 60. He then insisted, I got the CT scan and consultants appointment, and am now scheduled for an MRI.

Jingl, after I had my aortic dissection, I had to go to see my GP. He said he was surprised to see me. I asked him what he knew about aortic dissections, so he told me that doctors knew a lot about everything so what did I want to know. He told me his father had had an aortic aneurysm, so I asked what was the difference between an aneurysm and a dissection, and he said not a lot.
This was the doctor who called my husband greedy for getting a brain tumour.
Needless to say, I have never seen him since, and have not even agreed to a phone appointment with him.
Whenever I have had tests since and had to talk to someone who is not my normal GP now, I have been sent for further tests at the local hospital which were quite unnecessary.
I think some doctors underestimate the patients' intelligence.

You can see why I will not use the machine, NotTooOld.

durhamjen - he-he! That does rather defeat the purpose, doesn't it? I wonder what they are afraid of?

I think we under estimate just what doctors know. Yes, you should be able to expect kindness, but different people do have different personalities. Maybe he is actually good at healing patients. Who knows?

It might seem like "Oh, a brain scan, that's getting something done anyway" but if it is not appropriate for your problem it is as much good as if he just told you to p**s off.

This doctor could be making serious mistakes by not listening and/or not investigating or even thinking properly.

Nottooold, in my surgery there is a machine to go on and say what you think about your treatment. However, as it can be seen from the desk and by any other patients waiting, I have never seen anyone use it!

LG, if this surly GP was aware of your recent problems, all the more reason why he should have given you a decent and empathic hearing, though come to think of it, empathy probably isn't in his vocabulary.

Thanks for your kind words NotTooOld. I am a bit vulnerable at present after the depression and other family problems and illnesses - this GP is aware of these things and it is sad that he was not humane enough to act accordingly - but there we are.

Wilma - you did not hijack the thread; you added some useful contributions, and thank you for that.

It's upsetting when ANYONE is rude to you, isn't it? I suppose GPs are entitled to off days in the same way as anyone else but I agree with those above who say you should complain. Most surgeries seem to have a Patient Forum these days. In fact, I believe they are obliged to have one, so perhaps you could find out about that and make your complaint to the chairperson of the Forum. Otherwise, I would say the Practice Manager is the one you should complain to. Good luck - and don't take this to heart; it may have been nothing personal at all, just a doctor having an off day.

PS I like "suppurating wound on the backside of the medical profession" - very apt!!

Phoenix - people have complained; I have no idea why he is still there. In some ways I feel sorry for him - he is burnt out and clearly not happy in what he is doing - but he is probably hanging on for his pension. Very sad all round.

Its always seemed to me that in every GP practice I've been to that there's an unpopular Dr who no one wants to have an appt with. Because of this its always them who you get the emergency appt with. I like getting the GP trainee as they always try so hard.

rosequartz - it is a shame that you feel like that about seeing the new GPs - it would be so good if we could have confidence in receiving a helpful consultation.

My OH is an ex-GP and so many patients came up to me afterwards and said how sad they were that he was going as he was their doctor of choice when making an appointment as he always took their problems seriously and was clear with them. That is what we have a right to expect I think.

Did anyone watch the programme GPs Behind Closed Doors? - they all seemed a bit too good to be true - perhaps cameras might be the thing!

I may be missing something here, but if this miserable excuse for a doctor person is known to be a supercilious arsehole rather disagreeable chap, with somewhat limited bloody non-existent social/personal skills, then why haven't hordes of pissed off people, who have probably paid to put this prat through medical school, and are still paying for his "services" via NI contributions some people stormed the surgery with flaming torches, a bit like that bit in Frankenstein, where the people are baying for his blood, even though deep down the poor old monster wasn't actually a bad bloke, unlike this suppurating wound on the backside of the medical profession put in some sort of complaint?

I think it is reasonable to expect politeness and good manners and a better examination; it could be a trapped nerve somewhere, side effects from medication or any number of reasons which may require further examination. Perhaps it is a good thing he is sending you for a scan, even if it was just 'to get you out of the door'.

Some GPs can be abrupt to the point of rudeness and one wonders why they entered the profession in the first place.

The two oldest GPs in our practice have retired and the next oldest is due to retire soon and I am not looking forward to going to see any of the newer GPs in the practice.

I was not expecting special treatment jingl, but thought that it might be embarrassing for him to be rude to me, given the connections. I would like him to treat everyone well.

I realise that the symptoms might potentially be caused by anxiety - I am not completely brainless! - but that should have been what the discussion was about - not rudeness.

I too was surprised that he referred me for a brain scan - particularly as he did not say why he thought that was appropriate. But it is an MRI and harmless - only harm is a waste of NHS money if it is not appropriate.

The heart clinic appointment was very helpful thank you, and isolated the problem as an electrical one, rather than a structural one. I was given appropriate treatment and have just tailed it off as advised - and so far, so good! The rhythm does still go haywire sometimes, but nothing serious and I now know how to stop it; and also what to do if it does not stop.

Did you get an all-clear from the heart clinic you attended a while back?

I usually avoid seeing him - I would use the drop-in centre at our nearest Asda if it was an emergency and only he was available at the surgery. But because the problems are complex, I thought it would be better to go to the surgery where my history is known.

I am not blind to the fact that it is very hard to diagnose these sorts of problems, especially in someone who has recently suffered from depression, but these symptoms are making my life very difficult and I would welcome a sensible discussion about it. My problems are generally thought to be migraine - but it is far too continuous for that to be a reasonable diagnosis in my opinion; and migraine treatments have not solved the problem.