"Very frustrating"

My experience of Beacon Medical Group has been very negative. I list a few recent examples below (I could give many more). The problems are long-running, but have worsened in the last year or two. A major problem is the lack of continuity. I have complex health needs and I badly need a regular GP. But I have been allocated 4 GPs in 18 months - and still no regular GP. I frequently see inexperienced registrars who do not know what to do. Communication is poor and sometimes I only find out important information about my health when I ask to be copied into correspondence with consultants. Some examples of Beacon’s failures:

1) There were numerous mistakes with my late husband’s medication. We were often given the wrong dose of Warfarin – in some cases this resulted in him being at risk of a blood clot and needing extra medication (Clexane).

2) On one occasion, I got a phone call at 5.50pm on a Friday afternoon telling me to go immediately to the Surgery to get Clexane (which would not have been needed if the Warfarin doses were right). I was very unwell and couldn’t drive, and I was reluctant to leave my husband. They told me to get a taxi. By the time I got there, they were closing, and they told me to go to Sainsbury’s! By the time I finally got back home, my husband was very confused and frightened.

3) My husband was 3 times put on an anti-allergy drug, but he didn’t have allergies, and that drug should not have been given under any circumstances to someone with heart or kidney disease (he had both).

4) Although in poor health myself, I was a full-time carer looking after my husband who was very ill - but no help was offered until I reached a point of desperation, when the Surgery finally intervened and arranged some support through social services.

5) After my husband sadly died in November last year, the Coroner’s Office was surprised to be told Beacon had no record of my husband, even though we’d been with the Surgery for 32 years!

6) I now have intolerable pain in my knees. The problems were diagnosed 12 years ago, but not followed up. Now, the knees have largely collapsed. This was shown by a recent X-ray. Beacon’s response: “No further action”! I had to pay to see an orthopaedic consultant privately.

If only Beacon Medical Group were easier to deal with, a lot of this could have been avoided. But there is no continuity of care, no regular GP. Receptionists are sometimes expected to provide information they do not understand (e.g. my husband’s Warfarin dose), because doctors are not available.

As I say, my health needs are challenging - and at times, doctors have been very kind and have tried to help in difficult circumstances. But Beacon’s management and their processes make this much harder than it should be. One recent positive: Beacon have put me in contact with their social prescriber to help me find support in the community. She is very good and this seems like an excellent initiative.