A cancer patient was shocked when his GP of 38 years dropped him because he moved just 300 yards down the road. Dan Lane, 38, felt like he was “kicked into the gutter” when he found out he was no longer on his GP’s patient list without any warning.
The technical advisor, who has a rare genetic condition, was told by his practice that his new home was no longer within their boundaries. He had moved from Canada Way to Oakville Close, both in Lower Wick, Worcester, four months ago.
Both places are less than two miles from Spring Gardens Group Medical Practice where Dan has been a patient all his life. Dan said the sudden change has caused him a lot of worry and stress, especially because of his health condition.
He said: “I can walk from my old house to my new house in about three minutes. I live on the same estate.”
He added: “I’m disgusted. I have been put on the shelf because other people are coming in front of me and I don’t understand how.
“I have been at the same practice for 38 years, my whole life. I feel like I have been kicked into the gutter.”
He emphasised the importance of continuity in care, saying: “The doctors at the practice have known me my whole life and as a cancer patient I think that is incredibly important.
“I am in recovery but I’m not out of the woods and GPs are often the people who are the first to pick up on red flags.”
“Any new practice will not have that background or knowledge.”
Dan has Lynch syndrome, a rare condition that makes him more likely to get bowel cancer.
His GP knew a lot about it and got Dan tested fast when he showed signs of being sick.
Because of this, Dan found out he had bowel cancer in 2020 and had surgery to remove the tumour before it could spread.
He shared: “The GPs were seeing people face-to-face during lockdown and as soon as I showed symptoms of bowel cancer the doctor ordered tests.
“He knew about my Lynch syndrome and that it meant I had a much higher chance of developing bowel cancer. His knowledge saved my life.”
Dan found out he couldn’t go to his old doctor anymore when he got a letter last Friday (8/3).
The practice manager wrote: “I understand that you have recently moved house.
“We are sorry however the practice has had a boundary change and therefore we are unable to maintain your registration at the practice.
“The boundary change is due to the increase in households within the city area which
Spring Gardens Group Medical Practice is one of only a number of practices able to accept registrations for.
“As a result we have seen our practice list size grow rapidly over the past two years, and indeed it has increased by a further 4 percent since January this year.”
A note on their website says: “We have recently had a change to our practice boundary to exclude patients from across the river. This mostly affects patients with the W2 area of the City.”
A person speaking for Spring Gardens mentioned: “Obviously we do fully understand Mr Lane’s concern and appreciate his desire to remain with Spring Gardens Medical Practice.”
They explained that city doctors’ offices often check where they cover to make sure everyone can get to their services.
The spokesperson also said: “This does sometimes mean some patients find themselves unable to remain with us when they move, which we do understand is disappointing, particularly for patients who have been with us for a long time.”
