Hannah X

Brief Outline:

Hannah X is 20/21. Her periods have always been painful. She became worried about the impact of these on school and exams, and was supported by her mum to go and see a GP. She was a little bit apprehensive about this, but found it helpful, and started the progestogen-only pill, because she had migraines, making this the best option for her. This removed her period pain. She stopped it after a couple of years, and her periods stayed manageable for some time, but then after her first year at University the pain became really difficult again, which made it sometimes hard for her to sit in lectures or to study. She went to the GPs again and restarted the same tablet. This time she had some problematic bleeding with it, and so changed to the injection, which so far is suiting her well. She has found negotiating access to GP and community services while being away at University tricky, because she has been de-registered when she tries to see a GP at home after registering at University and vice versa, and wishes this could be made easier for young people. She would like schools to teach young people about asking for help if their period pain is stopping them doing things.

Hannah X finds accessing GP care throughout the year difficult when moving between her hometown and university She thinks there should be a better system!

Yeah. Oh, that’s the other thing that’s been really difficult is accessing GPs between my home city and my university city: I’ve basically, when I moved to university, I got crossed off the register for my old GP, and because my... my college said that we had to sign up to a GP here, and so then when I went home, and I think... I can’t remember what I needed to access a GP for now, but I had to re-sign up to my GP at home, which—

Mm, and then you got thrown off the list here.

Yeah, kicked me off here. And it’s... it’s really difficult and annoying because each time I sign up... Well, when I signed up to my one at home, I asked to be signed up as a temporary like user, or something, so it wouldn’t kick me off the one at uni. And they didn’t. I... I filled out a specific form to become a temporary patient, or whatever, and they still signed me up as a full patient, which meant I... I’m now not signed up with a GP at university.

Yeah. And I think that’s a really important thing as well.

Yeah, it’s... [sighs] I just don’t even understand how there’s not a better system for that.

Yeah.  It... it took me... so when I wanted to access the GP at home, it took me... well, I had to go in and get the forms, had to bring the forms back, so that took a few days, and then after that it took them over a week to sign me up. And then like they thank... it’s quite a good GP, so they managed to get me an appointment within a few days, but I think if that had been other GPs, it would have taken like two weeks to get an appointment and then it’s I’ve been almost a month just to get one doctor’s appointment.