Will our GP talk to me about my wife?
Discussion
I have never seen our GP but my wife has many times.
I am very worried that the GP doesn't really know how she is. He only see her for a few minutes each time but I live with her and have done so for nearly 30 years.
I know her better than he does but will he listen to me - is he allowed to listen to me?
I am very worried that the GP doesn't really know how she is. He only see her for a few minutes each time but I live with her and have done so for nearly 30 years.
I know her better than he does but will he listen to me - is he allowed to listen to me?
I'm a student Paramedic at the moment.
One thing that has been drilled into me from day one, is 'patient confidentiality' and NHS 'information governance.'
We've been warned upon pain of death about how we treat patient notes and records, and about never discussing patients' health and medical information with anyone, including their families.
However, when we attend a patient in their house, there are usually family members there, and of course we discuss everything in front of them - there's no other way clearly! I have also managed to get important patient medical history from family members, crucial things that we need to know, when the patient is too ill to be able to coherently talk to us...
Same once in Hospital - we and the Hospital staff are chatting away about the patient, with them, and their family who are there too.
But if a patient is with us or in hospital, and someone bowls up at reception saying they're family, and asks about what's happening to the patient, we're not allowed to say...go figure.
So it's all a bit contradictory.
I would suggest that if you attend the surgery WITH your wife, then the GP has no option really other than to talk to both of you. I've been to the Doctors before with my girlfriend as the patient, and the Doc has usually just said to her 'is it ok to discuss this with your boyfriend here?' And as long as they say yes, then it's gonna be cool.
One thing that has been drilled into me from day one, is 'patient confidentiality' and NHS 'information governance.'
We've been warned upon pain of death about how we treat patient notes and records, and about never discussing patients' health and medical information with anyone, including their families.
However, when we attend a patient in their house, there are usually family members there, and of course we discuss everything in front of them - there's no other way clearly! I have also managed to get important patient medical history from family members, crucial things that we need to know, when the patient is too ill to be able to coherently talk to us...
Same once in Hospital - we and the Hospital staff are chatting away about the patient, with them, and their family who are there too.
But if a patient is with us or in hospital, and someone bowls up at reception saying they're family, and asks about what's happening to the patient, we're not allowed to say...go figure.
So it's all a bit contradictory.
I would suggest that if you attend the surgery WITH your wife, then the GP has no option really other than to talk to both of you. I've been to the Doctors before with my girlfriend as the patient, and the Doc has usually just said to her 'is it ok to discuss this with your boyfriend here?' And as long as they say yes, then it's gonna be cool.
You can talk to the GP and s/he can listen, but not give you any information back (other than, maybe, the assurance that s/he will give due consideration to what you've said etc).
If there's a serious reason to think that your wife doesn't have capacity to make her own healthcare decisions (eg acute mental illness, dementia etc heaven forfend) then there are ways that the GP then would be able to talk to you.
If there's a serious reason to think that your wife doesn't have capacity to make her own healthcare decisions (eg acute mental illness, dementia etc heaven forfend) then there are ways that the GP then would be able to talk to you.
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