When you’re feeling unwell or have injured yourself, it’s likely that your first port of call is your GP. In most cases, GP surgeries are well run and will do everything in their power to help you with your problem. However, there are some rare cases in which the care you deserve isn’t given to you due to carelessness on your Doctor’s behalf, or even one of their members of staff. If you feel like you’re not getting the right care it’s important to know what actions you can take to resolve the issue, so here’s a quick guide on what to do when you’re not getting the right care from your GP.
Change Doctor
First thing’s first, you should be looking into changing Doctor to receive care from. In many cases, malpractice is a total accident and your Doctor will do everything in their power to make it up to you. However, this is your life and your health and it’s important that you do everything in your power to stay fit and healthy. It’s likely that your surgery will have another Doctor that you can see when you’re in need of medical attention, and it might be an idea to change to an alternative Doctor from here on out.
It’s also understandable that after an incident like this that you may be feeling very let down by your Doctor’s surgery as a unit. It’s important to remember that not only is it your Doctor’s duty to care for you, but their staff right down to their medical secretary too. It’s a little-known fact that most referrals and information will go through the team underneath them first, so it may not be your GP’s fault entirely. Either way, if you’re feeling let down, consider changing practice to avoid this happening again.
Take legal action
As mentioned, your life is in the hands of your Doctor, and when you’ve been the victim of medical negligence, you have every right to take legal action. After all, your life was put in danger! No matter whether you’ve been misdiagnosed for something small like a broken bone or your Doctor has missed signs of cancer, you are well within your rights to take legal action. You should seek an injury lawyer to fight your case for you. Be sure to have as much evidence of medical malpractice as possible such as prescriptions that were wrongfully prescribed, any notes that your Doctor may have given you, and anything else you feel would help your case. An injury lawyer would request your medical notes from your GP too, but any evidence will help!
Know what treatment you’re after
When you’ve completed the above steps it’s important to establish what kind of treatment you’re after in regards to your health. While you’re not medically trained, there are often many forms of treatment for different ailments. Knowing this will help your next Doctor treat you properly and get you back to full health as soon as possible.
