Getting through to a doctor

If we can't get through before 10.30 we have to try again the next day. Its hell trying to get through.

Well done Mirren. As my daughter and son-in-law are GPs I do know about the stresses, particularly during this Covid crisis. Comments such as I don’t know what GPs are doing all day make me very sad. So many people simply have no idea about what has been going on. Last year I made a list of 15 different tasks on another thread that GPs are engaged in, and that was by no means comprehensive. The extra paper work and organisation they’ve been subjected to is mind boggling.

My daughter had a management role in the south eastern corridor, as well as her normal GP work. So if you live in the south eastern corridor then it’s in part thanks to my daughter that you were able to receive your vaccination in a safe and organised manner. But that is forgotten. How many health professionals have been involved in the vaccination centres? Those health professionals cannot be working in the Practice and working in the vaccination center.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned above, my daughter and son in law had enough, and decided to go to work in New Zealand for two years. The hugely increased workload informed this decision. And one reason my daughter listed was aggressive, demanding patients who shout at doctors and receptionists.

Ours is the same. I think online is just fkr repeat prescriptions however since the last sytem upgrade I have been locked out for some reason. I can only be reinstated if I present photo ID. I do not have photo ID, and didnt need it to sign up to the system in the first place! Ridiculous!!

I had to send photo ID and then allow myself to be videoed saying 4 numbers that they emailed me to see if I matched with the photo ID!!!!!! It was the only way I could get in, and I was desperate.

dragonfly46

Our doctors are amazing. You can always book an appointment online in the morning for that day and often with your preferred doctor. I spoke to mine a week ago and he offered to phone me this Friday to see how I am getting on. They will also see you face to face if necessary.

Wow!!!! Whereabouts in the country are you, Dragonfly ?

I completely sympathise, it's so frustrating. My Dr's don't offer any online appointments. I have to ring the surgery at 8am then you are in a callback queue, they ring you when you are near the front of the queue then you tell the receptionist your issue, then have to wait for a Dr to ring you, can't specify a time. I've also lost signal on my phone and missed the call and had to do it all over again the next day. I'm not expecting to be seen face to face unless it is necessary but do think they should be more easily contactable, be able to give you a time frame for a callback rather than being on tenterhooks all day and watching your phone. Even being able to book a telephone appointment would be helpful. I find it all really stressful.

have you tried emailing them .?

Is it any surprise that A&E departments are stacked out?

complete an econsult, has to be triaged and deal with in 48 hours. At my surgery, yes I am a dragon receptionist our lines open at 8 and the appointments for the whole day have gone by 8:30, people are still ringing till 9 getting more and more frustrated and pissed off at me. Our dr sees about 6-8 patients face to face a day, after speaking to them on the phone the day before, 90% of nurse appointments are face to face

Hasn’t it always been like that?getting past the reception is near impossible ?

My mother is 95 and housebound. Last October I phoned to ask when she would be getting the flu vaccination. I was told she was on the list of home visits and they would be round soon. Nearly in July now and she is still waiting.

My husband has been booked in for an asthma check by the nurse on the telephone!! How on earth can you have an asthma check by telephone? He would normally have to blow into some device and have his chest listened to - not really something that can be done remotely

I'm in a way pleased to see that I'm not alone with my difficulties. Our system is so ridiculous that we are given a telephone slot a fortnight ahead, to be triaged for a proper appointment, on the phone at which point the doctor will decide if a face to face appointment is required. All bad enough except I'm unable to communicate by phone!

I did dare to ask why I couldn't have a f2f appointment last month, and was informed that our doctors are in a particularly vulnerable group due to their ethnic group. Put it in to the context of them having both vaccines and in their late 30's and compare with me, having both doses of vaccine, being 60, & in the extremely vulnerable group who had been shielding, I would argue I was more vulnerable group.

In the end I lodged a complaint with the NHS trust, and magically I was offered an appointment which has led to 3 referrals to specialists.

I have had similar problems although my GP when I manage to speak to her is great .I have an issue with my hip . Not arthritis apparently ( x-Ray 18 months
ago!) so was referred to a physio by my GP and I had a assessment over the phone . I still cannot fathom how this can be done ! He decided I have damaged my abductor tendon, from groin going down the front of my thigh ,this being done all over the phone still . He sent me a YouTube exercise video to watch and told me to come back in 2 months if no better . That was it. It’s now 2 months and no better and I can’t get another appointment for 6 weeks . Very fed up and against all my principles have made a private appointment where I can apparently be seen face to face . So COVID-19 restrictions don’t apply privately ?

The simple reason is not that doctors are hiding or on the golf course, but that there are too few GPs and apparently they are leaving in droves, which of course makes the problem worse. My two have gone, as have many others. It’s difficult to recruit GPs aswell, possibly because General Practice is not seen as very glamorous. But as is clear from this thread, it’s crucial. What to do about it? Who knows? It seems patients resent them being paid more, so that’s probably not an answer.

We had a text message yesterday to say w in some instances we may be required to have a pcr test before being allowed to have a face to face appointment with a doctor! I have been to the dentist on several occasions and not required this. I think doctors are using Covid as an excuse

Gwyneth

Sorry to be ‘ignorant’ maddyone and apologies for not having your expertise in medical matters but this was information from a friend who is an experienced practice manager in a GP surgery. So I guess she got it wrong then.

My newly purpose built GP surgery is another one that has become a veritable Fort Knox and has been so since the beginning of lockdowns. I did get my flu jab there because of course they have quotas to meet to get the higher level of payment.

My grandson’s surgery saw him for an excema flare up and have remained open throughout the pandemic. We can’t change unfortunately as so many people locally are trying to escape from surgeries who have let them down so badly.

My guess is that when taking on new doctors birds of a feather flock together. Some become doctors to heal and care for the sick but too many now are in it for the £££.

Time doctors who train in the U.K. then work abroad, paid back on a pro rata basis with time worked in the NHS taken into account.

I worked in a GP surgery for ten years. Loved it at first but when two older GPs retired it changed totally. The new partners and locums wanted 9-5 jobs with minimal patient contact. Hated doing house calls. 10 weeks holiday and no on call duties at night or weekends. One young lady doctor was excellent. I wouldn’t leave my goldfish with some of the others!

Had to contact the surgery, via online system as blood pressure was too high as advised by home visit physio. Had a reply giving me an appointment to see the pharmacist, in the surgery. Excellent service with him, I had to return 4 times and needed blood tests before it was resolved. I was pleased with the service I received and blood pressure now back under control. I have a coarctation which makes life difficult for them and me.

Ear wax again.

My DH, very hard of hearing, had his ears checked by GP last week when he had an appt for a painful knee, both issues had been noted when booking.

Right ear totally blocked with dried ear wax, couldn’t see eardrum. Left ear not quite as bad, but still blocked.

Told to put olive oil in, they don’t syringe now as not recommended.

He is booked in to Specsavers next week to have his ears micro suctioned, £55, will see how he hears then.

Yes same problem with GP s here. Thank goodness for DR GOOGLE and Pharmacists

I used an EConsult link on the surgery webpage yesterday and was then phoned back within 3 hours by a GP. I understand that our local GPs are working hard BUT how do the non-technological in my village access this swift care? They don’t….

My husband has finally got a face to face consultation with one of our Drs tomorrow, the first since lockdown. We have had a couple of telehone appointments during this time. The nurses have been marvellous during lockdown, and don't know what we would have done without them. We are supposed to ring first thing for appointments, however when you have a disabled husband to get ready, and getting ready yourself to go to work, it isn't always practical to do this, especially if you end up being on the phone for over half an hour. We moved recently and our Drs only round the corner, so easier to call in for appointment!!!!

we used to be able to make appointment online this ability disappeared when first lock down happened never to reappear so trying to get an apointment is still impossible hanging on the phone to get cut off luckily we can still order our prescriptions online i had my annual copd revies over the phone nurse had no idea when and if we would ever be able to see a doctor in person again

Me and my husband both had our ears micro suctioned recently. This appears to have taken over from ear syringing which is no longer seen as the safest way to clear ears blocked with hard wax and I’m guessing GPs haven’t got the up to date equipment to do micro suctioning.
We don’t mind paying privately for the service as think it’s worth it for the prompt and professional service we have had. Ours cost £40 for one ear and £60 for both ears, although we weren’t happy with the person who was initially recommended by the GP surgery so found a better one. It can get expensive though as my husbands’s ears block up several times a year. When syringing was the method used we were always told to use olive oil or sodium bicarbonate ear drops to soften the wax but unfortunately this has never cleared our ears as we’ve gotten older and we have always had to have our ears syringed.
The second audiologist we now use advised us not to use anything before micro suctioning and that between visits to only use something like ‘Earol’ soaringly every two weeks.

Write or email the Practice Manager. They are responsible for the smooth running of the surgery. I am lucky in that we have a rural practice. Yesterday I woke up with cystitis and managed to speak to my GP an hour later. You need antibiotics quick with that!