"Making lifechanging decisions about my own body"

Denied treatment as a 32 year old with capacity - I cannot make lifechanging decisions about my own body

I was referred to gynaecology at NMGH by my GP after requesting sterilisation. My GP had acknowledged that as I had made the decision that I did not want biological children as a teenager, and was then 32 years old, that I was not likely to change my mind about this in the future.

In late 2019, I was seen by a registrar in the department, who said that they could not refer me for this surgery and that I would need to see a consultant first. I attended this second appointment, believing that it would be the final hurdle in what had been an 18-month wait for something I had dearly wanted for over a decade.

Unfortunately, it quickly became obvious that the consultant had decided before I even walked into the room to refuse me the procedure, I am sure this is purely due to my age - this person felt that someone in their 30s is too young to make a significant decision about their own body - and they made it clear that they were not interested in hearing from me why I felt that the procedure would improve my quality of life. Throughout the appointment, they spoke over me and shut me down, and when I became upset, they abruptly walked out of the room and left the Band 2 chaperone to provide comfort.

Worse still, upon receiving the discharge letter from the department, the letter was riddled with errors and omissions. I wrote to the doctor after receiving this letter, correcting the errors and expressing concern that they had made a decision about my future based on information that was either incorrect, or incorrectly documented; unfortunately, I received no reply, and when I spoke to PALS about my situation, I was informed that PALS do not get involved when care is refused.

As a healthcare professional myself, I found the standards of care, and patient choice, to be sub-zero (with exception of the wonderful chaperone in my second appointment; I can only hope that my compliments in my letter to the consultant and to PALS actually reached them.)