Health

Can I complain about my doctor?

If you feel you have been poorly treated or misdiagnosed, you can complain about your GP. If you are not fit enough to do this, you can nominate someone else to do it for you. If you decide to make a complaint, it is best to do it as soon as possible as there are time limits within which you must act.

The first step is to go to your GP and ask for a copy of their complaints procedure - they should all have one. Follow the guidelines for complaining and return it to the appropriate person and wait for a reply.

If you are not satisfied with the response from your initial complaint, the matter can be put to your health authority or trust for a second independent review. They can arrange for conciliation with the GP or for a further investigation if they feel that your complaint deserves it. (In Wales, your community health council can help with making a complaint about your GP - they can advise and help with the forms.)

If you still feel that your complaint has not been dealt with in a satisfactory way, you can refer it on to the health service ombudsman. There are separate ombudsmen for England and Wales.

Can I change my doctor?

Anyone can change their GP without giving a reason. On the other hand, if you moved out of the GP’s usual area, there is no need to change unless the GP says that treatment and home visits can not be continued.

If you decide to change GPs, you will need to inform your health authority. The health authority can provide information on how to change doctors. They can also give you details of other GPs in your area. When you have found another doctor who will accept you as a patient, give your medical card to the surgery for registration. This simply means filling in ‘Part A’ on the card. It is then sent to the health authority, who will send you a new card. If you have lost your medical card, the surgery will have a form which can be sent instead.

If you want to change doctors because you have been removed from a doctor’s list, the procedure is similar to changing through choice. However, if you can’t find a GP who will accept you, the health authority can allocate a GP in your area.

Can my GP remove me from his register?

A GP may be able to remove you from the patient register in some situations, for example, because you move out of the practice area or are physically or verbally abusive to people at the practice. In most cases, the GP must have given you a warning, and provided you with the reasons for your removal from the register. The GP will inform the Primary Care Trust (PCT) who then notifies you. The removal from the register takes effect from the eighth day after the PCT receives the GP’s notice, or from the date that you are included on another register if this is sooner. You are entitled to emergency treatment, or the continuation of treatment which is occurring more than once a week, until you are accepted by another GP.

If you have been violent, or have threatened to be violent, towards your GP or practice staff, and the police have been informed, you can be removed immediately from the GP’s list. You will only be accepted for emergency treatment by the GP who has removed you if the GP is satisfied that it is clinically necessary.

Can I refuse medical treatment?

You have the right to refuse medical treatment unless you have a notifiable disease or you have been detained for psychiatric reasons (usually called being sectioned). In fact, your consent is needed for most medical matters, but simply going to see a doctor can be regarded as implied consent for an examination or treatment. If you are concerned about a specific type of treatment, the doctor is obliged to describe other forms of treatment that are available. Forcing treatment on a patient who has refused can be considered assault.

Refusing medical treatment for a child is different. If, as a parent, you have refused treatment for your child, the doctor is obliged to treat the child if it is considered necessary.

You have a right to refuse or stop treatment at any time, even if this means you may die. It is illegal for a doctor to actively cause death, for example massively increasing dosages of drugs which may bring about an earlier death. If you are concerned that you will be unable to make your wishes known at a later stage in an illness, it may be wise to tell the doctor at what stage you want to stop treatment. This is called making an advance decision.

I am coming to the UK from abroad, can I get free NHS treatment?

Free treatment is available, but not automatically for every person who enters the UK from abroad. Emergency, compulsory psychiatric, and contagious or infectious disease treatments are free. HIV diagnosis is free but treatment may not be.

As with UK residents, some NHS treatments have to be paid for (such as dentists and opticians), although help is available if you can not afford to pay. People living or working in the UK are entitled to free treatment, but so are people who may be taken ill whilst in the UK for a short stay. Some countries have an arrangement where UK residents can get free medical treatment, and residents of that country can get the same in the UK - this is called a reciprocal agreement.

If you cannot pay for NHS treatment, urgent treatment will still be carried out on the NHS, but you will have to return home for continued treatment. If the need is not urgent, NHS treatment may be offered, but not for free.

Unless you have come to the UK specifically for medical reasons, this entitlement for free treatment extends to GP services, community nurses, midwifery and ambulances, although a GP may require proof of how long you intend to stay in the UK.

How can I find an NHS dentist?

Many people have difficulty in finding a dentist who provides NHS treatment.

If you want NHS dental treatment, you will first need to find out which dentists in your area provide NHS treatment, and then find one who is prepared to accept you for a course of treatment as an NHS patient.

Some dentists do not provide NHS treatment, or only provide treatment to certain groups of people, for example children, or people getting benefits or tax credits.

Not all dentists who provide NHS treatment have to take you on as an NHS patient. If they are unable to take you on, they should tell you that you can go to another dentist.

You don't have to register with a dentist in order to get NHS treatment, but your dentist may keep a list of regular patients and provide ongoing treatment and care.

Under certain circumstances, your dentist may discontinue a course of treatment. This could happen, for example, if you don't cooperate with treatment or if you fail to turn up for lots of appointments. Where violence, or the threat of violence occurs, your dentist could discontinue treatment straight away, without any advance warning.

I think my partner's going deaf – what help can we get?

There is a free hearing check that your partner can take – call 0845 600 5555. Or try and persuade him to go to his GP. The GP will probably refer him to a specialist at the local hospital. They'll test his hearing and decide whether he needs a hearing aid.

NHS hearing aids are provided free of charge on loan for as long as they are needed. Hearing aid batteries, repairs and replacements are free of charge.

For more information about hearing aids, and how you can best support your partner, go to the RNID website at: www.rnid.org.uk. Or go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau. They will be able to give you lots more information about the support available for people who are disabled because of deafness.