u/Prudent-Bet1281

I’m a year into my NQP, never had any concerns raised professionally or personally. Genuinely try my best for all patients regardless of if they’e ‘minor’ or ‘major’ and I do find I perform better in the ‘major’ category of patients albeit few and far between.

However, spent a few shifts with an extremely arrogant new band 6 (just finished their 2 years of NQP) who is one of those people that will always take over every job. I don’t mind this, I’m too long in the tooth to argue and happily tap away at the paperwork. However, they then make loads of arsey comments about my assessment skills being poor, change all my paperwork and even got to the point of saying that I ‘don’t discharge enough people’. No by no means do I take everyone in, but as I have to call for a second opinion I’m fairly good at knowing what they’ll say no to. That being said, never had a discharge turned down. They called me incompetent and then decided to quiz me in front of a patient as if I were a student. Oh, and also told me I know nothing about a sport I’ve played for 15 years at various levels because they’re friend said they’d be good at it, but they’ve never done it however they know more about it than me. They’re that kind of arrogant.

Usually, I just let it ride over me, I’m at work to work not be everyone’s pals. This happened last week, on top of all the other stuff on have going on with family in hospital etc I basically took very last minute leave with an excuse of family issues because I couldn’t face work. It’s really affected me, I’ve asked multiple people who are much more experienced if they think I’m incompetent and they’ve all said I’m fine and I’ve got nothing to worry about. Despite this, I really feel flat, it’s on my mind all the time and the thought of heading back to work in a few days is a little much and I’m tempted to pull a sicky.

Any advice on what to do or how to get back on it?

UK based. My dad has HFrEF at 50% on last echo. Diagnosed in 2023 and had a 3 week hospital stay while they offloaded him. Been fine since on his meds, we’ve had a 4 week heatwave and it really affected him. His oedema is up to his sacrum, SOBOE after 3-4 steps, sleeping in the chair.

I’m a paramedic, so see this with a lot of patients. I live an hour away and drove to my parents after work, took one look and loaded him into the car and off the ED. Full wanker mode enabled as I didn’t even have a chance to get changed, so was in my uniform. Fully expected him to be admitted. Left him at midnight (I started work at 5am and was falling asleep standing up). Phone call at 6 - discharged, call GP, can you pick me up? Astounded. FY1 doctor decided he didn’t actually have HF and it was just swelling due to the heat. Unaware first year doctors can discharge independently but hey ho.

Took him to GP that afternoon, GP also equally astounded they discharged him. Updated meds, added spironolactone, furosemide > bumetanide. He’s already on dapagliflozin and bisoprolol. Book appt for 2 weeks and here’s some blood forms have those taken in a week.

Improved all week, legs went down, stopped weeping, up and about more. Spoke to cardiologist for his yearly check up on the phone. Cardiologist decided GP was meddling, removed spiro and cut bumetanide to one a day. Back to where he was prior to GP intervention.

Went back to GP as arranged today, again astounded. Has put in snotty letter to consultant and requested urgent face to face.

Not sure where to go, I see this condition often, I know things can get better and the GP and I are doing our best but the hospital don’t seem to want to know, cardiologist is battling GP and dad’s just fading away in the background of it all. Well, he’s actually doing okay but just suffering with the fluid in his legs. But it’s getting him down, especially as my uncle recently died and he had HF, CKD etc.

Any advice? How can I push this? I can purchase IV furosemide as its part of my drug formulary but I feel that doing this and administering it is a step too far.

Emotionally I’m in a bad position, I see this at work, I see the end stages, the people drowning at 2am and can cope, but when it’s my own dad and no one seems to give a damn and the GP is doing there best but being slapped down by the consultant who doesn’t give a damn… it makes me want to go mad at someone.