I received an email from my surgery three weeks ago asking me to confirm my living arrangements. Someone had contacted the surgery saying I don't live in my house. For the last 20 years my work requires working away from home. I advised the surgery that the address they have is my only residential address and that work takes me away from home. I provided them with detailed proof of my residential status.
Yesterday (nearly three weeks after providing the doctor with detailed information) I received a letter from the practice manager saying that they had removed my wife and ,myself from the practice as it is their "understanding" that I don't physically live in my house all the time. They advised my to register with a local doctor.
I cannot register with another doctor as I work at different sites for periods of a few weeks at a time. I don't have another permanent or even semi permanent location. I am 62 years old and receive a lengthy monthly prescription for a serious heart condition. My wife's mental health is fragile and she is on anti depressant medication. We feel we have been cast aside because of malicious gossip. When does working away from home get you binned by your GP practice? I also spoke to another Lanarkshire GP practice who were taken aback that I was removed because I work away from home.
When our current prescription runs out, we will have no access to medication. The situation is a travesty. We have our own home within walking distance of the surgery. All our furniture and personal belongings are in the house. We even have a car in the driveway. Yet we are removed from the practice because we don't physically reside there all the time. I was not aware of a minimum residency requirement. I have been collecting our prescriptions from our local chemist. Despite only having one home, the surgery has removed us because I work away. We cannot register with another practice as I travel to various locations. I need medication to keep my heart working. If my wife cannot get anti-depressant medication her withdrawal could have serious ramifications. We have a home in Lanarkshire and have contributed all our lives to the NHS and now find ourselves without access to a GP because I work away from home. When our final prescription is finished I will have no access to my life saving heart medication and my wife will have no access to medication she has been taking for two and a half years. Without my heart medication, I will become ill and require hospital attention. By removing me from his practice, the doctor has consigned me to attending the A&E for treatment. Surely this cannot be right.
"Removed from GP Practice because I work away from home"
About: General practices in Lanarkshire General practices in Lanarkshire
Posted by Kirkmuirhill patient (as ),
Do you have a similar story to tell?
Tell your story & make a difference ››
Responses
See more responses from Lesley Mallon