Using the equality act to ask for a reasonable adjustment to remain with my GP after a house move

Drausus

Hello, I am sorry if I am posting in the wrong place but I am in desperate need of help, I cannot stop having panic attack after learning from a receptionist that my GP practice does not cover the area I am being offered a move to, their coverage area end 2 roads away from mine, I was placed on the social housing list while I was under the care of the community mental health team, I had been discharged from them to go onto the therapy waiting list, due to my PTSD, social phobia, acrophobia, anxiety disorders and panic attacks, the reason for the house move is because I currently live in fear of violence from my deceased mothers husband, the housing list I was placed on from the community mental health team, it has taken 3 years to get offered a place.
I am thinking or email my GP with the following (sorry for my terrible gramma):

The reason I am asking for this reasonable adjustment under the equality act is because my disability's make it extremely difficult for me to trust people, and you are the only GP I have ever been able to trust fully, and I know you have my best interests at heart, I am also less fearful leaving my home to come and visit you for appointment's because I feel welcomed by you and have trust in you and you have a very kind personality that makes it easier for me to open up to you which is impossible for me to do to most other people even within my family, If I was to lose you as my GP I know my mental health would go downhill very fast, I know I still have to rebook my blood test appointment which I will do the week from the 22nd, and I also intend to reply to Jemma to have an appointment with her and she has offered in the meantime to talk to the CMHT and see if they are able to reinstate welfare calls for me. Since I have been with yourself for many years now, i feel if I was forced to have to start with a new GP, I would have to start from the beginning again (this would just destroy me because of my distrust in the NHS, I would just give up).

It has been a long enough journey with yourself and the Exeter CMHT to get to the point we are at now ready for therapy, your referral for the therapy that was suggested as the next best step for me, this therapy was said to be more beneficial to me If I was out of the difficult living conditions I am in now (documented by Emily P), and in my own place so it could have a much better change and giving me a new lease on life, which is the reason Emily got me onto the social housing list in the first place, the address I have been offered is confidential, which is in confidential. Since talking the reception at St. Leonards I have been in nonstop panic attack mode really fearing the I could possibly lose you, This is something I want to avoid at all cost to the point I would refuse the house offered to me just so I can remain under your care, which i think is unfair, given the troubles I have with day to day life and find it hard to do almost anything. 

Dr confidential I please beg you to allow me to remain under your care, I do not think anyone else would be able to help me to the extent that you have done so, If it was not for your support I would be in a much worse mental health state and more than likely would have just given up and commit suicide when I had felt suicidal in the past, Of Course I have no intentions of doing so while under your care and now also Jemma, because I know I now have Jemma and yourself pushing for the therapy and also Jemma with the welfare calls being reinstated, and being able to have appointments with her to explore other treatment options. 

Please would you mind contacting me back as soon as you are able to because the deadline, I have to get back to the housing team is 18th of May, as that is the day, they want me to attend a house viewing.

My question is am I able to make such a request under equality act, The mental health act and the public sector equality duty? if so would able body be able to help me word this email properly as I find it very hard doing these things, i have found it had enough just trying to get the courage to post here

forgoodnesssake

This is really interesting to me.  But first of all i want to just say how sorry i am that you have been put in this position; it sounds so stressful.

I am interested in the use of, or at least potential use of, the Equalities Act and reasonable adjustments for another GP related issue, and it's basically that my son needed to change GP for a number of reasons I won't go into, but he's a student in another area but also has CP and accesses a range of other services via the GP, all of which have had to be moved over to his new area, even though he has no permanent address in his university city and his home, that he has to return to every vacation is still here. 

He is also funded for his support needs by NHS Continuing Healthcare and from what I can gather, that should also move to the new health area, which entails, eventually a complete new full assessment and no guarantee of funding; which would be a disaster. 

One person in the relevant office told me they thought it shouldn't have to change since he is a student with a permanent home address still over here, so I'm holding her to that! 

But the other issue is that a) with full CHC funding you lose all access to local authority social care services and, without a permanent address in his uni city he cannot access adult social care over there anyway!

So I am very interested in the idea of using some aspect of the Equalities Act and reasonable adjustments to challenge any attempts to change his funding over to the other HA when they eventually catch up with their paperwork!

I hope you can get your issues sorted out.  Take care

Wibbles

@Drausus

I am with a GP Surgery in a different county to where I live - I was with the surgery 50 years ago, when I lived with my parents but after a 15 year break (when I lived 80 miles away),  I bought my own house 6 miles across the border and have managed to remain with the original surgery !!

The surgery is much MUCH better than any in my own town / county...

Cher_Alumni

Hello @Drausus and a warm welcome to our online community, apologies for the delay in catching up. I wanted to just check how you were and what response (if any) you'd had from the GP?

In your comment, you mentioned living in fear of violence from your deceased mother's husband, and I wondered if you could explain a little more about this, and if you feel safe currently? Remember to call 999 and ask for the police should you ever feel you're in any immediate danger.

Wishing you all the best, please keep us posted with how you are.

Drausus

sorry for a late reply, but I wanted to update this thread in case anyone else finds this useful, 
I was able to remain with my GP using the equality act

Rosie_Scope

Thanks for updating @Drausus, that's really good news. I hope things are going okay for you