Three and a bit years ago we made the move to a new town 60 kilometres away. As one does when moving we got the feel for the town and the businesses that we would frequent. That is apart from two businesses we just couldn’t leave – our GP and our car mechanic. While a 120-kilometre round trip is a decent drive, we considered it well worthwhile to “keep” these as our own.

Our mechanic still does a fine job of keeping our car tip top however the situation with our GP is now a little different.

As a disabled man who endures chronic pain and a variety of mental and physical chronic illnesses, it seemed to be prudent to remain with the same GP we had had for 12 years, however, the time had come where, after serving my wife and I for 12 years, our lovely Indian GP retired. 

Having an appointment with her was more like a social occasion; we discussed everything from her forgetful husband to our grandchildren and we even managed to get in the odd bit of medical stuff. She was a fabulous advocate for me and was instrumental in my successful application for the Disability Support Pension which is not at all easy to be approved for.    

So the search began... Of course, when the bombshell hit that she was retiring, we asked her opinion as to which GP we should see at the practice and she gave us ‘the rundown’ on each of the doctors in the practice, as well as some information about the GP replacing her and from this, we made our decision.. but life can throw us a curve ball from time to time and we were getting a doozy! So the search begins – 4 doctors to ‘choose’ from.

We had decided to go with the GP replacing our wonderful doctor so turned up for our first appointment to be advised he doesn’t bulk bill! 4 days before Christmas, existing on a government pension and it was going to cost us out of pocket $92 for the two of us. Needless to say, this appointment was cancelled immediately and one made for 2 days for me. 1 down, 3 to go!

We asked about the only female GP at the practice – I’ve usually found that females are better communicators and more understanding. Unfortunately, I was not the only patient with these thoughts as she had a full schedule and was not taking any more patients – 2 down, 2 to go!

I attended the appointment as scheduled two days later with GP number 3 and came out of that appointment feeling disgusted and lost. Not only had he commenced the appointment with all the ‘Bad’ things opiates do (forget their pain-relieving properties) but he accused me of Dr shopping as his computer would not allow him to prescribe one of my painkillers (the fact is I have only been to one other practice once in the past 12 years and that was several years ago for the flu while visiting our daughter in Canberra). As a very nice friend on X put it – he’s the blame and shame Dr. 

I requested to see GP number 4 in January however he was on vacation so it’s back to Dr Blame and Shame.

This entire episode has left both my wife and I upset and we have decided to make an appointment with a local GP clinic – but which one? There are several attributes we’re looking for in a new GP – understanding, empathy, knowledge of disabilities and chronic illness and an interest in mental health would be a great start BUT how do we find such a GP? 

Word of mouth is a terrific indicator but only if the referrer has some similar physical and/or mental issues as us. Our daughter with 2 young children cannot advise us as our situations are different so tracking down someone with similar health issues for advice seems a good idea if you can find such a person.   

While searching the internet, I’ve noticed a lot of GPs these days have a write-up about their particular specialties or interests so this can give us an indication of their ‘fit’ with us though you really can’t beat sitting down and talking to the doctor. 

If you are currently searching for a new GP, I wish you the best of luck, and unfortunately, it seems luck has a lot to do with it. 

ABOUT ME

Bill is a husband, father and grandfather who lives in the central Queensland town of Maryborough. Bill is an ambulant wheelchair user following two failed surgeries. He is very passionate about disability rights and is a member of the Fraser Coast Council’s Inclusive Access Advisory Committee. Bill enjoys wheelchair basketball, photography, woodwork and spending time with his family. You can find Bill on X/Twitter @bilfulaAU