Dr Philippa Kaye: I'm almost ashamed to say it, but your doctor could be gaslighting you. Here's how to tell... and what to do about it

Dr Philippa Kaye: I'm almost ashamed to say it, but your doctor could be gaslighting you. Here's how to tell..

. and what to do about it READ MORE: Women branded 'difficult', 'gaslit, dismissed & fobbed off' By Dr Philippa Kaye Published: 08:58, 13 July 2024 | Updated: 08:58, 13 July 2024 e-mail View comments Dr Philippa Kaye, GP with a particular interest in women's and sexual health 'Gaslighted, dismissed and fobbed off' — that's the reality for many patients raising concerns about their NHS care, especially women. England's Patient Safety Commissioner Dr Henrietta Hughes recently told the British Medical Journal how women seeking help have, in some cases, been patronised and had their legitimate concerns ignored.

Dr Hughes, once a GP like me, added that too often female patients who raised concerns were passed off as 'difficult women'. Her comments came after a seemingly never ending list of NHS care scandals, with multiple shocking inquiries into the state of maternity care. And they came as no surprise to me.

I've lost count of the number of times women have sat in my clinic and revealed a long history of frankly appalling care. Take Annie — not her real name — who told me she had suffered from bloating, abdominal pain and embarrassing digestive problems for a decade. She had seen various GPs and even been referred to a colorectal surgeon and urologist and repeatedly told her problem was irritable bowel syndrome.

Later, doctors suggested in fact her symptoms were be.