"Appalling treatment of the vulnerable."

I signed up here after I moved 6 months ago. I’m very upset about how I’ve been treated over the last few months. I have chronic pain health condition that require control drugs; medications that have been prescribed by specialists that I currently see. I also have long standing mental health issues with all records dating back.

I have been made to feel like a drug addict by several doctors here but namely the regular I saw. Their attitude of contempt escalating with each visit I made and devolved into outright passive aggressive hostility by the last appointment.

This so called GP knew my health conditions, and that I have been having trouble in my new home and outside factors that were making my mental health worse and putting loads of stress on to me. I had become suicidal.

Over the course of the appointments (which are a nightmare to book and sometimes you have to wait 4 weeks) they treated me like I was a hypochondriac wasting their time, even though I have stacks of rheumatologist reports and pain clinic letters going back over a decade. Theu had also tried to apply pressure to get me off the pain medications (the only thing that works) even though I’m on a low dose to avoid addiction, which I agreed with the rheumatologist at the time. The last visit I left feeling judged, degraded and distressed after yet another battle for medications from this experience.

My partner has witnessed all these appointments with my GP’s because I struggle to go out on my own. My partner left angry and shocked. The gp even talked to my partner over me like I didn’t exist at one point.

In summary I feel I have been unfairly judged and patient profiled as a ‘unmentionable’ in their eyes. This is not professional at all! I feel that they have a personal bias against people with chronic illnesses who need to take control drugs to manage pain. Personal bias’s, religious beliefs, and social opinions of GP’s should be left at the door not applied to a vulnerable patient.

I drove back to my previous doctors surgery in tears that day and started the sign up process with them explaining the situation. I’d rather drive 4.4 miles to visit my competent childhood doctors than be treated like this!

I wouldn’t recommend this surgery to anyone who is younger and has non visible chronic illnesses or mental health problems. I won’t be stepping foot back in this surgery.