"Long COVID and Bad Policies"

I am sharing this for anyone with a chronic illness or who might be developing a health condition that would require a referral from this GP. Penrhyn Surgery was my GP surgery when I first developed long COVID in 2022. They refused my requests for care so I eventually found a new GP near my work. I still have long COVID.

In 2022 and 2023 they had two policies that I eventually learned were not NHS complaint:

They claimed they could only write sick/fit notes for 2 weeks and after that your employer's Workplace Health/Occupational Health had to take over. My employer kept on refusing to do that since they rely on people's personal GPs to do that. Although I could barely walk or stay conscious for months, Penrhyn would not relent and I could not get the months off from work I needed to recover. At the time it would also take at least 2 weeks to book an appointment, so I was in an impossible position of trying to string together their 2 week fit/sick notes while bed-ridden.

They refused to refer me to a long COVID clinic. I asked for this and the GP flatly said they could not. Over a year later a friend looked into NHS policy that said this kind of referral request should be honoured. In the end, I had to find a new GP who then referred me to a long COVID clinic which has been seeing me for the last few years with neurologists, physical therapists, and other experts to support my recovery.

None of this would have happened if I stayed with Penrhyn so I am sharing this for the sake of anyone who has a chronic illness or who might be developing a health condition that would require a referral. I strongly believe that I am still struggling with long COVID because of this GP surgery's treatment during the severity of the first year I developed these health problems. I do not want anyone else's health to suffer like I have and I still do.