Visiting your G.P. (doctor)

A guide for young people

What is a GP? A general practitioner or GP is a doctor whose job is to look after the general health and wellbeing of all the patients in their practice. A practice is a centre in the community where GPs work often a number of GPs work together in a practice. Most GPs do not specialise in one area of medicine. They know a bit about all sorts of medical problems so they can give advice, prescribe medicines and treatments or refer patients to someone who is a specialist in a particular type of care. Their job is to get their patients the help they need to be as well as they can be.

GPs can help with both physical and mental health problems. Problems such as feeling sad, angry or stressed can have an effect on your whole health. When you visit a GP they will ask questions about your health to try to find out what the problem is. If it is a physical problem they may take a look at it. They will then explain what is causing the problem and sug-gest any treatment or medicines you can take, give advice or refer you to another person with more specialist knowledge.

How do I find a GP?

You are probably already registered with a GP but if you are going away to University or you want to change you will need to find a new practice to register with. Look on the Services near you tool on the front page of NHS Choices website (www.nhs.uk) to find a GP practice near you. GP practices are also listed in a local telephone directory. You can change your GP if you want to.

What happens during a visit? You will usually

be given a 10 minute appointment. In that time the GP will try to find out what is wrong with you and suggest what can be done to treat your problems. If they ask lots of questions they are only trying to work out what might be wrong and what is the best way to treat it, so dont worry. Try to be honest the doctor is not there to judge you. They are used to finding out about peoples health problems and try-ing to find a way to help. Going to your GP may be the start to help-ing you to get better, rather than the place where you will find all the answers. Depending on your medical problem the GP may offer you advice or suggest other ways you can help yourself. They might prescribe you some medicine or treatment. Or they may refer you to a special-ist. They may also ask you to come back for another appointment so they can be sure that what they decided would be the best solution to improve the problem. They will probably make some notes on their computer system so that they can remember what the problem was and what they suggested would be the best thing to do about it.

Your rights Making an appointment You have a right to ask to see either a male or female doctor. You can also ask to see a doctor who you like or trust You have a right to book a double appointment (20 minutes rather than the usual 10) if you feel you need it You have a right to speak to the receptionist in private if you need to. You dont have to tell the receptionist why you are booking the appointment but it might help them make sure you get an appointment with the right person if you do tell them If you are aged 12 or over you can book the appointment without

having to tell your parent/carer. With the GP Your GP cannot tell your family/carer anything about your health

without your permission If you are over 16 you can consent to your own treatment. This

means you can decide what treatment you do or dont have. The doctor is not allowed to tell your parent/carer about your treatment unless you agree

If you are 12-16 you can make the same decisions if you can fully understand about the different options for treatment you have and can choose one, knowing what that treatment involves. This means you can refuse a treatment that you dont like and ask if there is something else.

Confidentiality Everything that is said at a GP practice is confidential. This means that reception staff and GPs are not allowed to tell oth-er people that you have been to see them. If your GP suggests that you talk to other people or asks permission to talk to them on your behalf you do not have to agree. They cannot contact anyone else without your permission. You can ask the doctor not to type notes on their computer about what was said during the appointment. But remember, it might be useful to the GP to remind

them of the problem and what you agreed to do to sort it out. The GP is not allowed to show the notes to anyone else if you do not agree first. The only time a doctor might contact someone without your permis-sion is if they feel you might be at risk of harm.

Getting ready for your Appointment It is a good idea to think about what you want to say before you go. Remember, a GP will use what you tell them to work out what is wrong with you so if you dont tell them enough they will find it hard to give you the right help. It might help to write notes about things you want to say and take the notes with you. Start the appointment by telling your GP what is wrong. When the GP asks you questions try to answer them honestly so that they can work out what is wrong and what to do to help. Dont be afraid to ask questions, especially if the GP says something you dont understand or they suggest something that you are not com-fortable with. If you are really worried about going to the GP on your own you can take a friend or family member with you. If necessary they can tell the GP what is wrong if you dont feel confident enough. It might be helpful to write down what was said so that you can remember when you leave. You can also ask if they have any information you can take away with you. If you are not sure that you have understood everything you can try repeating back to the GP what you think was said and asking them if you are right.

Concerns about your visit There may be many reasons why you have concerns about your visit. Some young people report that GPs dont listen to them, that they felt patronised, that they were dismissed or not taken seriously Things may not have been explained well to them or there may have been too many confusing words. If you arent happy with how the visit went you can tell the GP the next time you visit them or send them a letter explaining what was wrong. Remember, you have the right to ask for a different GP next time. You can speak to the receptionist about this in private if you want. You can also contact Healthwatch Milton Keynes for help and sup-port. This leaflet has been prepared using material from the DocReady website. Visit them at: www.docready.org

01908 698800 www.healthwatchmiltonkeynes.co.uk Milton Keynes CIO registered charity number: 1166148