Medical Advice For Blisters Today, Not Tomorrow

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When GPs Fail: A First-Hand Account of Complacency, Discrimination

When a simple request for care turns into a battle against bureaucracy, poor communication, and ableism. Accessing GP care should be straightforward, especially for disabled individuals who already navigate life with added barriers. But for some, even something as seemingly small as a blister becomes a fight for dignity, recognition, and medical attention. Here is a real-life story of how a painful chemical burn was met with indifference, poor process, and what appears to be a lack of duty of care.

A Chemical Blister and an Urgent Need for Support

On Monday morning, I accidentally sprayed Dettol antiseptic on my wrist, which caused a burning sensation later that day. The result? A painful blister that was visible and sore. As someone with OCD and health anxiety, chemical contact is especially alarming. I waited a few days to see if the blister would go down, although the redness had subsided, I decided to get medical advice today. I followed proper channels: emailed my GP with a full explanation and attached photos of the blister. I also informed them I would call to request a phone consultation due to my mental health difficulties with leaving the house.

The Runaround Begins

Despite my detailed email and clear indication that I could not attend a face-to-face consultation, I was asked to phone back in 30 minutes, apparently so the GP manager could “read the notes.” I did so, only to speak to a receptionist who did not fully understand me, asking repeatedly who told me to phone the GP, even though I had already explained it was advice from a pharmacist and an earlier phone call.

When I requested a call-back, I was told I must phone back at 8 a.m. the following day. So why could this information not be given to me in the email reply or on the first call to the surgery? I am now anxious because of their laid-back attitude and the dismissal of the urgency and my concerns about infection, and the possibility of not securing an appointment due to the first-come, first-served system, but I was told bluntly that nothing could be done. (Have pens and paper, diaries, or post-it notes become obsolete?).

Ignored Disabilities and Rising Frustration

The final straw came when the staff member with an Eastern European accent said I must attend in person, completely dismissing the mental health conditions on my record, including OCD and Anxiety of Public Places. This disregard for my disability rights left me angry, distressed, and close to tears.

I have since applied Sudocrem to the area, seeing as I have had little advice other than keeping it clean and not popping it. Why was there no clinical triage? No nurse call? No online consultation? Why was I, a disabled person, being asked to attend in person without consideration for reasonable adjustments?

The Legal Duty of GPs

Under the Equality Act 2010, GP practices are required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled patients. This includes offering phone or video consultations, home visits where appropriate, or ensuring communication is clear and accessible.

Failing to do so may constitute:

• Disability Discrimination
• Failure in Duty of Care
• Ableism and Neglect
• Potential Clinical Negligence

In addition, the NHS Constitution affirms every patient’s right to be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. That includes acknowledging a patient’s physical and mental limitations when offering care.

What Should Happen Instead? Reasonable Adjustments in Practice

• A GP should triage photo evidence of minor wounds like burns and blisters.
• A prescription for topical antibiotics or antiseptic cream can be issued based on a photographic assessment.
• Phone consultations must be available, especially where disabilities make travel or face-to-face interaction harmful.
• House calls should be considered where necessary, especially for those with mental health conditions or mobility issues.

Tutorial: What to Do If You Develop a Blister from a Chemical Burn

1. Rinse the skin thoroughly with cool (not cold) water for 10–20 minutes.
2. Do not burst the blister. Keep it clean and covered.
3. Apply a hydrocolloid dressing to promote healing and prevent infection.
4. Use Sudocrem or Savlon around the area, not directly on a popped blister.
5. Monitor for signs of infection: redness, pus, swelling, or increased pain.
6. Seek medical advice if there’s any sign of infection, fever, or worsening condition.

The Future of GP Access Without the Gatekeepers – www.GPAI.co.uk

Say goodbye to long waits, unhelpful receptionists, and the invasion of your privacy, and say hello to instant access to healthcare with GPAI.

A Vision for Smarter GP Access

The domain www.GPAI.co.uk is now available, and it holds the potential to revolutionise how patients access healthcare. Imagine an intelligent, AI-driven app that offers instant health triage, real-time answers, and direct doctor escalation, all without the long waits, judgmental questions, or frustrating phone queues.

In a time when GP surgeries are overwhelmed and patients are often left feeling dismissed or interrogated by reception staff, GPAI could be the solution that brings the NHS into the 21st century.

Why GPAI Is Needed Now More Than Ever

• No More 8am Call Madness: Every morning, thousands of people call their GP surgery at 8 a.m., only to be met with busy tones, long queues, or no appointments left by the time they get through.
• Disability Barriers Ignored: For those with mental health conditions, agoraphobia, or OCD, being forced into face-to-face consultations or constantly explaining their condition to non-medical staff is damaging and discriminatory.
• Receptionist Gatekeeping: Far too often, receptionists act as gatekeepers, demanding to know sensitive health information before you even get to speak with a doctor, eroding doctor-patient confidentiality in the process. (According to one doctor, now retired, said that all staff sign an NDA, but that will not stop people from talking, if they then tell their family and friends, and you are left with no proof who said anything, if you do not know the person who accessed your medical records.)
• Lack of Privacy: Your medical records, once confidential between you and your GP, are now accessed by administrative staff with no clinical training, something that many patients find deeply uncomfortable.

What GPAI Would Offer

• AI-Powered Symptom Checker: Instantly assess symptoms using advanced AI, trained on the latest clinical guidelines.
• Secure Patient Portal: Ask medical questions in a private, encrypted chat without having to explain yourself to non-clinicians.
• Smart Escalation: If the situation is complex or requires a prescription, a qualified GP is alerted and can respond promptly via video call, phone, or secure message.
• Data Privacy at the Core: Only licensed clinicians have access to sensitive information, not the entire admin team.
• Cost Savings to the NHS: Eliminate layers of bureaucracy, reduce phone staff, and speed up care, saving public money while improving service quality.

A Wake-Up Call for Traditional Practices

The current model of primary care is outdated. Patients are made to feel like burdens rather than humans. Staff with poor communication skills act as barriers instead of bridges. And despite technology advancing, GP surgeries are stuck in a 1990s workflow.

GPAI challenges this norm, not to replace doctors, but to empower them and the patients they serve. It can:

• Improve accessibility for disabled and housebound individuals,
• Restore dignity and privacy to healthcare,
• Drastically reduce waiting times,
• And cut unnecessary administrative overheads.

The Domain Is for Sale – And the Future Is Wide Open

Whether you’re a healthcare entrepreneur, AI developer, investor, or policy innovator, www.GPAI.co.uk is your blank canvas to reshape the future of primary care.

With the right backing, GPAI could be developed into a national health platform or licensed to the NHS and private clinics. The market is ready. The frustration is real. And the demand for innovation is urgent.

From Gatekeepers to Game-Changers

The current GP system fails to meet the needs of modern Britain, especially its most vulnerable citizens. It’s time to stop waiting, stop explaining ourselves to strangers, and stop being treated like problems instead of patients.

With GPAI, we could finally build a system that’s fast, fair, and fit for the future.

Conclusion: The System Must Change

When vulnerable individuals are met with dismissal, confusion, and inflexibility, something is deeply broken in the system. GP practices must do better. Patients should not have to beg for compassion, nor be punished for having a disability. This isn’t just about a blister; it’s about respect, rights, and being seen as a person, not a burden.

I have since spoken with my mentor lawyer, who specializes in human rights and disability discrimination, as I embark on starting my 2nd year of law studies, and this is what he said:

“You’re right to feel upset, Renata. You reached out responsibly, explained your condition, and even provided evidence, all anyone reasonable would need to triage and offer timely advice. Being told to “phone back tomorrow” is not only unhelpful, it’s dismissive, especially when the whole point of your message was about avoiding unnecessary distress due to your OCD and anxiety.

“You didn’t ask for much, just reassurance and appropriate care today, not tomorrow“.

They could have:

• Asked a nurse to review the photos,
• Passed the image to a GP for quick advice or a prescription,
• Scheduled a phone call as a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act.

You deserve better than being brushed off.

That response you received last time, “If you don’t like it, find another doctor”, was unacceptable and frankly intimidating. It’s a tactic some practices use to deter complaints, but it’s completely against NHS policy, which encourages feedback and complaints as a way to improve care. You should never be made to feel like you’re the problem just for asserting your rights. You’re right, switching GP practices is not an easy process, especially when you’re managing ongoing health conditions, mental health, and caring responsibilities. It shouldn’t come down to choosing between your safety and your stability.

Whatever happens next, I’m in your corner, and I completely understand the need to hold off for now. Prioritise your healing. We’ll take it one step at a time tomorrow.

Resources:

• Blisters – NHS
• p125-127blisters.indd
• Acid and chemical burns – NHS
• BBA-Burn-Blister-Management-Guideline-20.6.18.pdf
• Burns and scalds | Health topics A to Z | CKS | NICE
• Blister agent toxicity
• Burns: First aid – Mayo Clinic
• Toxic blister agents: Chemistry, mode of their action and effective treatment strategies – ScienceDirect
• Burn Blisters: What to Do and What Not to Do