Published on 12, July, 2020
Hey guys,
I have a diagnosis of asperges (high functioning). I'm 27, intelligent, capable, pretty good at most things. I hate the label but do have associated traits.
Anyway my GP practice are terrible. They know me by name and hang up on me. My medical records are largely inaccurate with the incorrect diagnosis on majority of pages. They continously break the Data Protection Act but my experience was the information commissioner doesn't want to know (both government departments). They actually almost killed me as a child. They kept telling me I was fine & that I I worry unnecessarily because I have asperges but privately they found a hernia on the first scan and fixed it. So I'm not delusional but this is how I am treated by the doctor.
I bought a car and taxed it with the new keeper supplement. Because the seller didn't send the v5 off I got no tax reminder and car was on the road. I got a sticker on the car saying no tax so I called Dvla. They said it's not my fault, just pay £20 for new logbook and tax it. Anyway I taxed it but still got taken to court and charged. (pleaded guilty by post with mitigating circumstances, explaining I did not intend to not pay tax and would of had I been reminded, explaining seller didn't transfer my details. Anyway I got charged guilty and fined
Then at the PIP assessment recently (it's at tribunal). The pip assessor didn't type what I said. It was substantially minimised. There are pages with answers that I don't remember being asked and the answers are not mine (I like chatting on the phone etc, i really don't) Then the decision maker states my pip decision was made by looking at the evidence such as the the muscle-skeleton assessment but when I refer to the assessment it says clearly 'not assessed'
I'm basically fed up this treatment. I find people are nice but the government isn't and I'm really struggling. My parents are old and when they go I don't think I'll manage. I just get pushed around by government.... Everyone else doesn't do this... Only people who have access to my files or I've already said I have asperges.. Is anyone else treated this way?
I've never had any problems, I have Asperger's (or higher functioning autism under the reclassification) and I've never been treated differently because of my diagnosis.
I've never tried to claim PIP, but to be fair there is no basis that my Asperger's could be used as justification for it. Now I think that the current PIP assessments are a joke, they are badly designed and even worse in their implementation, but I don't meet any of the scoring criteria and they should not be redesigned so that I do. They should however be redesigned so that they work properly for those in genuine need.
The issue with your car tax is that you broke the law, sure the other person didn't send off their part and you didn't get the reminder but the old adage "ignorance is no excuse", holds true. You are legally required to tax your vehicle or declare it SORN, the £20 for the new documentation was to allow you to do this but you also should have known when your tax expired, you can check online if you are unsure and you didn't do what you were legally obliged to so you were prosecuted and fined. You may feel the law is unfair but it applies to us all equally, it has to because applying to all equally is the very nature of fairness.
The problem with your GP seems difficult, I've never known the ICO not be bothered about data breaches but I've only ever dealt with them in a corporate environment. I'm not however sure it's totally within their remit as it could well come under professional standards, medical confidentiality is I believe governed by the GMC. If your medical records are inaccurate you can write and ask for them to be amended, they will then either be amended or you should get a letter back explaining why they believe they are accurate and telling you how to take the matter further if you disagree. You can't however have things removed from them on a whim, so if you disagree with a diagnosis that's not enough, you have to challenge the diagnosis and show that the original was incorrect rather than just say you don't want it on the record.
If the GP practice are hanging up on you as soon as they hear you then you need to submit a formal complaint. If this is a genuine issue without good reason (eg they are entitled to hang up if you are rude or abusive) then Citizens Advice will be able to help, they will probably also advise changing your GP.
MattBucks you are a legend for your answer! I signed up on here in a really emotional state but your response has given me clarity where there was none! Thank you for explaining and giving me a process to follow. I'm glad you are treated well, it's extremely reassuring that my experience isn't common & I agree with the PIP assessment points. I've never personally wanted to claim it but my parents have been ultra pushy.... With the car tax problem you have explained that clearly. Just two questions........ I was told verbally that it wasn't my fault by the DVLA prior to DVLA taking me to court; does that make any difference? Also, to be precise the paperwork trail shows that the vehicle became mine legally on the 28th of April 2017. I taxed the vehicle on the 28th of April 2017 and the fine is for, 28th of April 2017 so technically being picky the vehicle was taxed the day I offended (& prior because the tax is for the month).I think it is very different with the ICO dealing with another public body, certainly they were not interested. With the GP practice I've been collecting evidence for some time. It is very clear and obvious. I'll move to another and speak to the Citizens Advice as you've recommended.Thank you for your support! I've felt lost and stuck for so long that it's really destroyed me. I can't say how much this clarity has helped.