Staff training at our Doctors’ surgery.

Pharmacies have this but 100x worse, they will all shut down if things go the way they are.

That's interesting. Our surgery is trying to persuade patients to use pharmacists instead of doctors. As well as notices on the website and in the surgery recommending that people visit a pharmacist in a shop, there is one on the team at the surgery, who reviews medication and can be seen by about minor ailments by appointment.

I'm not sure what I think about that, to be honest. I am 100% fine about medication reviews and follow-ups being done by support staff, but unsure about diagnosis by staff other than GPs. I'm not sure what sort of appointments pharmacist will take. If it's something like verrucas or ear wax it seems fair enough, but if someone goes in with what seems to be a minor ailment and it is actually serious there could be terrible consequences. Are pharmacists appropriately trained for this? Absolutely no offence is meant, incidentally. I know that pharmacists do a lot of training, but it's for a different role, isn't it?

Thank you, Jellybeanpopper and Miren.

Most staff are working unpaid evenings and weekends to keep up with everything. I really wish people could see what it was like from the inside

Although you have evocatively described how GP surgeries are run, many still won't believe you!

I have had an occasion when I was ill and couldn't access my surgery so I do know how it feels from the patient's view however, I also know from a GP's mother's point of view just how hard they work.

I have written before that every so often a profession takes a 'bashing' from the media. In the past it has been teachers (they only work 9 - 3.00 p.m.), policemen (can't be bothered to respond to a call), social workers (do not do their job thoroughly) etc.

At the moment it is doctors, particularly GPs, despite the fact that there are fewer of them, they are undertaking work that was previously done in hospitals and, oh, there has been that pesky pandemic.

Closing one afternoon a week is probably not enough! My daughter has to spend four weekends each year with colleagues, completely away from her family, so they can catch up on surgery matters (as her evenings and much of the weekends are taken up with more work).

If only people knew.

GPs are not paid for each consultation. They are paid for the number of patients registered with the practice. The amount of inaccurate information on these threads is huge

Think maybe my local surgery could do to close for training, perhaps we'd get better service eventually!

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.

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

It’s similar with teachers and support staff, Mirren. Schools have to have so many training days per year, formerly known as Baker days. Some parents seem to think it is just an extra day off for teachers to have “a bit of a jolly, what do they do”, etc, etc. Similar to you, they have to keep up with new initiatives introduced by the govt, discuss pupil progress, dissect statistics, implement changes to the curriculum and so on. These things are impossible to be done in teaching hours, just as the things GP’s have to do can’t be done during surgery hours. I’m sure similar will be the case in other professions.

Join the Patients Forum if they have one.

My surgery does, and it’s very useful for finding out information and making suggestions.

GP surgeries are private businesses commissioned by the NHS, exactly the same as your local pharmacy. They get paid for providing a service, so the more appointments etc that they do the more money they get. They do get some payments for training afternoon etc but honestly most of the staff use the time to catch up on admins such as prescription requests, referral letters etc. at least some of the time. There is a lot on mandatory training too. So, they aren’t generating money if they aren’t seeing patients, it’s not really in their advantage to shut besides for the fact that the volume of work is insurmountable without some flex in the system. Most staff are working unpaid evenings and weekends to keep up with everything. I really wish people could see what it was like from the inside. Years of media manipulation has lead to people’s views being skewed, if you cannot get hold of the surgery it’s because they don’t have enough funding to staff appropriately. They are getting less money to provide more services etc. Pharmacies have this but 100x worse, they will all shut down if things go the way they are

In many surgeries now patients see a different doctor every time.
In my surgery I got a letter saying they had been going through their patients records and could I make an appointment for a blood sugar check up.

So I think on the closed afternoon they get together and discuss their patients... also maybe looking at ways to manage their finances better... discuss new drugs and if they are working well for their patients etc.

And are medical staff not allowed coffee breaks?

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!

I was waiting outside our treatment room and it had gone way past my appointment time. The door was opened and I glimpsed the nurses sitting around a table drinking tea and eating cakes. When I was called in the table and all evidence was gone!

Why not ask them? GPs leaving in droves… crazy pace every day. Stop to catch up and share problems and solutions

Drug company lunches are a thing of the past. GPs no longer have time to take thirty minutes over lunch. Some of the updates for all staff are things like an annual update on Resuscitation

When I worked there was a monthly 'training' session which was actually a drug company lunch for the GPs

These days I'm told its mostly IT, clinical audit and governance.

There will be a lot more going on than you realise. There are always new initiatives being introduced (in any line of work), skills will need updating for some things, there will be training courses with outside speakers, there will be targets, goals, statistics to be discussed and acted upon, probably performance management meetings, guidelines issued by various parties to be looked at and acted on, discussion of new medicines and procedures, etc, etc. All staff will be required to be involved with some of these things, and this can only be done during working hours.
Staff training goes on in all professions. It won’t be a gossipy jolly with coffee and cakes, but work (with coffee on the go, probably).

Interesting feedback, thanks. 👍

Sounds like good practice growstuff. Hope all OK now.

Aveline

I used to do talks for GP practices. Usually lunchtime ones. I talked about autism in adults. I suspect there are lots of similar issues to discuss along with new treatments etc etc. Medicine is always changing.

As an example, I know that when I complained about not being referred for breast cancer screening (despite the fact that it turned out that I did have breast cancer), my case was discussed at one of the training meetings because the practice manager sent me the relevant part of the minutes.

The GP actually followed NICE guidelines because she couldn't feel any lump. I had lobular cancer which is relatively rare and doesn't always form lumps. On average, a GP only sees a maximum of a couple of cases a year. There was a discussion and GPs were told to take patients' concerns about their own body and unusual pain more seriously and to send them for a scan, despite NHS guidelines.

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.

But if there's a rota system for training, it means that somebody still has to be responsible for informing the people who missed out on the training. Where does the time for that come from? It also means that the absent people don't have their concerns heard if there's any sort of discussion.

eazybee

At a meeting yesterday a member had a suspected heart attack; having called an ambulance we sought help/advice from the surgery next door, and not a doctor was on the premises; common apparently on Tuesday mornings although not even under the pretence of 'Training.' Closed on Friday afternoon for that!

I'm not sure what a GP could do, if the person was having a heart attack.

When I was a GP we shut a half day a month for practice training. The clinical staff usually had a lecture and discussed implementing change in treating whatever condition. We also discussed any practice problems. The admin staff received separate training applicable to their jobs. It was always a rush to fit surgery , visits and admin into the morning. The other practices in the area had the same scheme and locums were employed to cover the area by running a clinic and doing emergency visits

At a meeting yesterday a member had a suspected heart attack; having called an ambulance we sought help/advice from the surgery next door, and not a doctor was on the premises; common apparently on Tuesday mornings although not even under the pretence of 'Training.' Closed on Friday afternoon for that!

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

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.