Urgent advice appreciated: GP isn't helping.

I'd greatly appreciate any advice or references that anyone can think of. Thank you.

I'll try to explain this as best and quickly as I can as it could get rather long otherwise.

I am 32 years old and am in the Support Group of ESA. I have a number of ongoing health issues gradually worsening for many years. Digestive problems, heavy (leaks) double incontinence of undetermined cause, severely underweight and weak, mobility problems, back problems with abnormal lordosis of the spine, visual focusing problems, tinnitus/hearing problems, poor balance, difficulty using hands, some cognitive dysfunction and extreme tiredness. Currently experiencing waves of extreme urinary/groin pain since August which is causing even worse incontinence than usual. Other things as well.

I've been having problems with my GP. Originally I was under another GP whom was always very good at issuing referrals for medical problems, providing supporting evidence for claims etc but he has since retired at which point I was placed under this different GP.

To save some time, it is now at the stage where basically my current GP has categorically stated that it is not his (or as he phrases it: 'the surgery' – its a husband and wife team and I think the other Drs are just locums) responsibility to do… well anything. Referrals for tests for possible treatment/support, providing evidence, even just acknowledging my symptoms including the serious ones. He ignored the severe groin pain and blood he found in my urine; just told me to take buscopan. He knows I am currently experiencing waves of extreme groin pain; doesn't care. Knows I am nearly always housebound and cannot attend the surgery; mocks me for it. Knows I am doubly and heavily incontinent at the ripe old age of just 32; lies to me saying there is 'no evidence' – I am sitting in the evidence! And as he won't permit tests or examinations to discover the cause… well he's not even looking for evidence. He ignores that I am severely underweight and thus weak which will have been visually evident to him even if I hadn't mentioned how badly my weight was dropping which I have. I had to find out from an A+E doctor when I ended up there via ambulance last week that I should have been referred to a Dietician for investigation and support, GP never even mentioned this as an option. He has also repeatedly mislead me to believe there was nothing to be done for me and has selectively omitted information eg from past test results years ago. He is manipulative, evasive and self contradictory.

The situation has gotten so bad that I was advised by HealthWatch to directly email the Practice Manager explaining all of GP's failings. Still waiting for her to get back to me.

I'm trying to find a new Surgery but everywhere I've called thus far say I'm either out of catchment area or they cannot accept any new patients who already have a GP. I've asked several people about getting help with my health (I am particularly worried about my weight and think I will likely need some nutritional support at this rate esp if the sporadic nausea and vomiting continue, my BMI is currently just over 15) but they all say I have to go through my GP.

A few months ago I had received an ESA re-assessment form, I'd sent it back. Also sent a letter explaining I would require a home visit as I was becoming increasingly housebound and for assessment to be recorded if I was required to have a face-to-face. Waited. Some days ago received a letter to attend a face-to-face assessment at an assessment center. Worse still, the assessment center does not even have its own toilet! It says there is a toilet in the building next door (job center) but that you must go and also ask the staff to use this. So I rang up and explained the situation, that I was very ill, housebound etc as well as heavily doubly incontinent. Explained that taxis could likely refuse to take me in this state (mess, smell) and anyway they do not like to do pick-ups from here (rough area unfortunately) and often require you to walk to a nearby address or area. Also the obvious: that if I was in a room full of unwell strangers soiling myself for any length of waiting time that this would not be appropriate for either me or them, and that I couldn't leave center to go clean up (if jobcenter toilet even has cleaning facilities?!) whilst waiting for my name to be called for fear of being put down as failure to attend.

They told me that based on what I'd said on the form, they'd already sent another form to my GP for more information. I don't know what he has said on this but I'm thinking whatever it was perhaps insufficient (maybe even damaging?) because they have asked me to attend a face-to-face. They said on the form there was a box to be ticked asking if the person could attend an assessment center and he has ticked 'Yes'. I thought this very peculiar given out previous consultations, more peculiar still that he had made no attempt to contact me to check on the state of my health.

I called GP (whilst suffering extreme waves of pain, no compassion whatsoever -quite the opposite in fact he was exceptionally cruel throughout the call) he initially claimed he couldn't do a letter asking for home visit due to medical confidentially but when I pointed out he could send the letter to me the patient which I could choose to send to them, well no surprise he still refused. Said he could send a letter stating 'this person claims they cannot attend the assessment center' which I'm sure he knows is less than useless. And even this has failed to materialize.

In the meantime, Center for Health and Disability assessments (think it must be Maximus?) have put my case on hold to allow me time to get evidence before 14th December. They told me it could be from another health professional but obviously this is the catch 22: due to the lack of referrals I have not been receiving the help and support I need and thus have no one else. GP has kept me isolated under him.

Does anyone have any experience with an issue like this or know anything I can do? Agencies that can help? I feel like I'm really hitting a brick wall and the stress is making me so much worse.

Thank you.

Thanks Gordon.

I haven't been able to get out to the surgery for a few weeks. When I needed the ambulance 999 at first refused on account of it being an ongoing health issue that they said my GP should be dealing with, called the surgery at that time and they told me the locums won't do home visits and the only other full GP there (who is my usual GPs wife) would not do home visits to my area (for the same reason as taxis don't like it: rough area). Initially this female GP wouldn't even talk to me got the receptionist to ring me back to say nothing she could do basically. Then my calls went back and fourth various departments and eventually she spoke to me and quoted things her husband said from our previous conversation but eventually reluctantly agreed to arrange the ambulance. That's about as far as I've got with the other docs at surgery.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the practice manager regarding my complaint. Health Watch mentioned we can take it to the PCT after she replies if necessary. Hope she replies soon as I'm going to need access to some kind of health care sooner rather than later the way things are going.

Yes thank you for that info, I think contacting my MP way well be necessary because I don't have much time left before the deadline they've given me and whilst I've never dealt with Maximus before I feel it is unlikely they would give me an extension on the time, besides which it will presumably be even more difficult to get these issues addressed over the December pre-Christmas/Christmas period.

Can that still be done if an appointment has been cancelled then case put on hold? The original appointment was for 5th December but they cancelled it to put case on hold and allow me time to send evidence after which they say it will go back into appointment system.

Thank you.