Staff training at our Doctors’ surgery.

Protected Learning Time is once a month and staff who don't work that particular day of the week come in for it and are paid or have time off in lieu. Everyone is expected to attend.

Not sure how our surgery could have meetings they all work parttime and no one overlaps !

Hobbs1

My GP surgery has a Practice Manager, an IT “ expert” and 6 admin/ reception staff. I don’t know how many GPs as I have never been lucky enough to get an appointment, only a telephone consultation during lockdown. the one and only time my telephone call has been answered by a receptionist and the GP called back, they no longer do repeat prescriptions over the counter, the patients have to request on line, all patient records are on the computer so very little filing or paperwork as it’s all instantly available so how do they spend their working hours I wonder………

Oh dear. I do despair. I really do.

Well Hobbs I have an answer for you. All the staff in GP surgeries are lazy people who sit drinking coffee and gossiping all day. That’s why you can’t get an appointment!

My GP surgery has a Practice Manager, an IT “ expert” and 6 admin/ reception staff. I don’t know how many GPs as I have never been lucky enough to get an appointment, only a telephone consultation during lockdown. the one and only time my telephone call has been answered by a receptionist and the GP called back, they no longer do repeat prescriptions over the counter, the patients have to request on line, all patient records are on the computer so very little filing or paperwork as it’s all instantly available so how do they spend their working hours I wonder………

Thank goodness for the accurate and reasonable answers from some posters who understand.

heaven knows what training goes on

I despair, I really do. I’m lost for words at this level of lack of understanding.

All public services have regular staff training. They have to in order to keep up with new developments and new IT installations, as well as Health and Safety and a whole lot of other stuff. Receptionists need to be trained in the latest procedures and protocols. Doctors and Nurses already do masses of reading in their own time and attend courses to keep up to date. Sometimes I really think people just expect things to carry on year after year without training. And to suggest that every week the staff are having a jolly tells me so much about the level of some people’s understanding.

GrannyGravy13

I appreciate they have to be up to date with the latest innovations, but closing completely, is this totally necessary.

When we have new computer systems, when we have product updates, issues relating to Health & Safety we do not close, but manage a rota system of updating/staff teaching.

So when would you rather they do it? In their own time?

Biddysue

Our surgery closes once a month on Wednesday afternoon as do all other surgeries in our local area. The advice is to ring 111 speak to a pharmacist ( if there still is one near to you) or dial 999 in a life threatening emergency . We call it half day closing day heaven’s knows what training goes on !

Read some of the responses on this thread, which will give you some idea what training goes on.

LizH13

Theexwife

How do hospitals cope with all the new information without closing for an afternoon?

All hospital staff have to complete regular mandatory training. As there are more of them it can be done on a rota basis, and nowadays much of it is done online. Just because they don’t close doesn’t mean it isn’t done.

Hospital clinical specialties also have a weekly training session. It’s not as obvious to patients because it isn’t the same session of the week for each specialty so the outpatients clinics, theatres etc. are still in use - just not on, say, a Thursday afternoon by Orthopaedics.
No service can operate without keeping staff up to date with clinical changes and developments, drug and medical equipment changes, changes to IT and recording systems, etc.etc.

Health and Safety, Manual Handling. Infection control,CPR, Diversity, Care of disabled, chaperoning,…..and this lot is just for starters….I used to work as a Practice Nurse.

grannyactivist

pinkquartz I agree and it is something that our surgery promotes, but patients then complain about being ‘fobbed off’ with a Pharmacist. I’ve had two very helpful consultations with a Pharmacist in the past month, but locally we’re struggling with access as there’s a national shortage of them.

I've just seen this (I was half way through my last post when I was interrupted) and hope I don't come across as thinking that pharmacists are in any way inferior - I don't. It's more that their skill set is different from that of a GP, and my posts on the matter have been more in the spirit of enquiry than complaint.

growstuff

Doodledog I would hope that dispensing pharmacists are trained to know when to refer to a doctor. I don't have any problem being seen by a pharmacist or nurse practitioner for minor ailments/injuries which benefit from being seen quickly and require simple medication.

Yes, I would hope so too. But if I get an appointment to see a pharmacist and then have to wait for another one to see a doctor, it's just another layer in an already stretched system.

As I said, if it's a verruca or earwax, I have no problem either, but - I'm not sure this is the best example, but the principle holds - if I had a stomach upset it might be something I'd eaten which can be sorted out with a couple of Immodium, or it might be something far more serious. Obviously a pharmacist isn't going to be mopping up an across the board range of appointments, but my point is that AFAIK, anyway, pharmacists are not trained in diagnosis but in treatment.

Our surgery closes once a month on Wednesday afternoon as do all other surgeries in our local area. The advice is to ring 111 speak to a pharmacist ( if there still is one near to you) or dial 999 in a life threatening emergency . We call it half day closing day heaven’s knows what training goes on !

Quite so Philippa111. Bloomin' government 😤

GP surgeries are now independent businesses. I suppose the staff are trained to save money where possible while still retaining a viable service to the customers.

My doctor's surgery closes on Wednesday afternoons. I think it is because they train in their specialism at the close-by teaching hospital. That's what I thought someone said anyway.

pinkquartz I agree and it is something that our surgery promotes, but patients then complain about being ‘fobbed off’ with a Pharmacist. I’ve had two very helpful consultations with a Pharmacist in the past month, but locally we’re struggling with access as there’s a national shortage of them.

Eazybees if you had rung for an ambulance they talk you through all you need to know you don’t need to go next door to a doctors surgery !!
It happened to me recently again a suspected possible heart attack the lady on the other end of the phone was constantly asking for updates, she gave me the code number for a close by defibulater which I got, After the lady came round and seemed a little better the 999 lady shut the call down but about every 20 minutes she re rang to see if there was any change and reassure us The ambulance arrived in just over an hour but at no time did I feel unsupported The lady was fine she spent about an hour in the ambulance having thorough obs taken it was decided she had low blood pressure and low sugar

I can’t say a bad thing about my surgery , the receptionists , the doctors or our local hospital they are all excellent, kind, caring and wonderful
I completely take my hat off mirren to doctors (I owe my life to a GP) and all NHS workers who do all they can under rules and regulations and the dreadful neglect of the Tory government
Thank you

My experience is that Pharmacists know far more about medications than GP's.
If you have side effects or want guidance to taper off of a long term drug talk to either the local Pharmacist or it might be that your Surgery has access to a Pharmacist you can connect with by telephone.

I was impressed by how much knowledge they have and are happy to help. They can make recommendations to your GP.

I was invited to join the PPG to represent disadvantaged people who are patients at my local surgery and it’s been a real eye opener. Doctors, receptionists, medical secretaries and nurses have left in droves in recent years because the working conditions are so dire; and ours is an excellent medical practice. The drain in other local surgeries is as bad, or even worse I understand.

Almost anything that improves the working conditions for staff gets my vote, including taking time out for cake and a catch up. In fact it was actually a recent suggestion of mine that staff birthdays should be celebrated this way. I thought it might go some way to offset the sheer nastiness that staff encounter every single day. (My initial suggestion was that staff were given a day off, for or in lieu of, their birthday.)

Honestly, if you think patient services are inadequate or could be improved I suggest you join your Patient Participation Group and you will then be able to inform your understanding of what is really happening and can try to effect positive change.

Our surgery also closes once month for staff training. They don't improve, but only because they are first class already and I don't see any way they could improve. Perhaps it's because they do have this frequent training becausse they are so good.

Doodledog I would hope that dispensing pharmacists are trained to know when to refer to a doctor. I don't have any problem being seen by a pharmacist or nurse practitioner for minor ailments/injuries which benefit from being seen quickly and require simple medication.

NotSpaghetti

Why not write to the manager and ask?
Think I might do if it bothered me.

... or join their Patient Participation Group, there should be one?

I am on ours, but then my surgery is one of the best in the UK, and I am very lucky ...

Mirren

As a GP ,I know that EVERY practice has to undertake this " Protected Time for Learning " every month. It's a government diktat and has been for many , many years.
Yes , Medicine is forever changing and evolving ( think of all the new medicines and illnesses that are forever being discovered...Covid for instance.
However, the training is for every practice member so that the admin and clerical staff are up to date with ever changing legislation and IT changes.
The world of medicine is a,difficult and complex beast !
However, the cynical side of me thinks these sessions are only there so that those of you who love to bash GPs can have another good old moan about us . It's very upsetting for those of us who work so very hard in a world of great difficulties!

Mirren I appreciate all doctors.. you are overworked and often get little thanks but lots of moaning.

Doctors are an amazing group of people! They sit all day and listen to all the ailments and meet many depressed and anxious people in their working day. It is not their fault if we can't get appointments.

It's a shame that people here are putting doctors and nurses down because really they should be looking to the government and their purposefully mismanaging and downgrading of the NHS.
Governments have an amazing knack of getting us to fight amongst ourselves to take the spotlight off their bad behaviours!