41 gp surgeries

I also haven’t had the best experience this last year myself with the NHS. I actually made a thread about my experiences but I haven’t at any time criticised the NHS staff. However I did comment on the thread about the pathways devised by management to prevent patients reaching either a diagnosis, or treatment, in my case it was both. The doctors I have seen have been exemplary in their care, indeed the physiotherapists have been responsible too. None of it was their fault, it was the fault of the decision makers, those in management who want to keep people off waiting lists. I am finally to get my first treatment next week, following more than a year of trying to get a diagnosis. It’s a long story and it’s under the Health forum if you fancy a read. The point is, we are all frustrated by the situation in the health service, but it is not usually the doctors who are at fault. The people responsible are managers and behind them, the government, who are simply not willing to put enough money into the NHS in order for it to function as it should.

ronib, its clear from this and other posts that you are dissatisfied with GP practices generally and that you have a formal complaint about misdiagnosis.

SueDonim and maddyone are two regular posters who have first hand experience of the pressures A and E and GP doctors experience every day. If so many doctors are leaving, going part time (how very dare they) or during training, many deciding against General Practice, surely that suggests the problem is with work expectations not individuals.

petra

Lucky you. 41 Drs for 33,000 patients. We have 10 ( all part time) serving 23,000 patients.
We can usually get an appointment for same day ( or next day)

With respect you didn’t mention your health issues in the OP.
Your gripe was the number of Drs/ working part time.

It’s an evolving learning experience on Gnet maddyone ….. at least am clearer now as to possible way ahead.

But that is not what your OP was about!

maddyone

Another thread to complain about GPs.
When you’ve done the job yourself, then complain!

maddyone it’s far better to lodge a formal complaint via the Practice Manager when misdiagnosis and mistreatment has occurred. Then there’s a chance that other patients will not suffer in the same way and that gps will learn from their mistakes.
I don’t think though that it’s right to claim financial compensation for shortcomings unless severe consequences are involved.

My mother's uncle was a GP in the 'good old days' then his son joined him in the practice years later.

The surgery and waiting room was part of their house, there was a receptionist but his wife (unpaid) answered the phone at other times and he got called out at any time.

I know the GPs at our surgery are all part-time, just checked to see how many there are.

The one thing that struck me is that every single member of staff in the practice is female.

Another thread to complain about GPs.
When you’ve done the job yourself, then complain!

The A&E doctor that DD knows worked 72 hour weeks during Covid and all the staff were given counselling to help them deal with what they were doing. It's not a work load you could carry on with indefinitely.

ronib

Casdon but it seemed perfectly obvious to me that gps had their hands tied in my particular case. In order to accurately assess me, I needed an ultrasound and ct scan. My particular surgery doesn’t have this equipment and the default position was a fob off with exercise sheets. Some 4,500 women die each year from ovarian cancer and it’s avoidable.

I’m not aware of any GP surgeries having CT scanners? The point I was trying to make is that in a big surgery there would usually be at least one GP specialising in gynaecology, and you would have a better chance of being referred sooner to a consultant because of their specialist knowledge. Obviously this didn’t happen for you, which I’m sorry to hear. I don’t however think the old system with a single GP would necessarily have meant you were seen any sooner by a consultant because referrals from GPs without a special interest are often less detailed and specific about whatever the issue is so patients wait longer to be seen.

One thing though.....I think it's vitally important GP practices offer clarity as to who a patient is seeing.....at what level - it's too easy for patients to assume it's a GP...

I went for an appointment at our surgery and was told,
"You'll be seeing Dave today," in a manner that implied he was a good thing.
Dave turned out to be a very pleasant and efficient paramedic practitioner, who I was indeed perfectly happy to see 🙂

Casdon but it seemed perfectly obvious to me that gps had their hands tied in my particular case. In order to accurately assess me, I needed an ultrasound and ct scan. My particular surgery doesn’t have this equipment and the default position was a fob off with exercise sheets. Some 4,500 women die each year from ovarian cancer and it’s avoidable.

ronib

Interestingly do hospital doctors/surgeons also struggle to work full time? I imagine that working in A&E must be very stressful for the doctors on call. Bit of a mystery ….

I can answer that question for you. My dd is an A&E medic. She has been working ‘part time’ which in her Trust is considered to mean 38hrs p/w. Most jobs would consider 35/38hrs to be a full time position.

This week she’s worked four 10 hour twilight shifts, back-to-back. Of course, you don’t just walk away as your ten hours ticks up. You carry on dealing with your current patient and then you have your handover, which can be anything from 30mins to an hour. She’s working these so-called reduced hours because working 70+ hours a week during Covid broke her, both physically and mentally.

These sorts of hours are why doctors are leaving. It’s just not compatible with any sort of life outside work. Unless you know exactly how many hours each GP works, the term part time is meaningless. It may be that your GP’s are working 4 days a week, which likely will be 8am-6pm but still counts as part time.

GP’s, too, are under much more pressure nowadays. The population is older, people have more complicated conditions and patients are more demanding. Many of the patients my dd sees, and will be seen by GP’s too, actually have social issues, not physical ones. Poor housing, living on a pittance, addiction problems, lack of community. Few of these would be seen by a doctor 50 years ago but they’re rife in certain areas now.

ronib

Casdon well yes and no - the golden glow of the past is preferable to misdiagnosis and mistreatment! At least I live to become the subject of a research paper!

One generalist GP serving a local population in the past wasn’t necessarily a better or worse GP than you would see now though ronib, unfortunately there have always been misdiagnoses. In a good general practice the specialisation of GPs now actually means you’ve got a better chance of being diagnosed correctly. I know that is no help when you personally have been misdiagnosed though, and of course not all practices are good.

Do people have the NHS App and know how to use e-consults? Hope people know they can access lab results, consultation records, medication, vaccination history, documents etc etc etc via their NHS App with a click of a button or (even easier ) using face recognition .. .....
It doesn't solve everything but it is an useful tool.
If there's a problem you want to write to the surgery about, you can use e-consult in the first instance, in England anyway. Not sure about Scotland and Wales.
Triage lists are often run by Advanced Nurse Practitioners who can assess and prescribe and they'll refer to the GP when needed. One thing though.....I think it's vitally important GP practices offer clarity as to who a patient is seeing.....at what level - it's too easy for patients to assume it's a GP when in fact you've seen an ANP (they don't wear nurse uniforms). ANPs are a great asset and work hard, are skilled and committed - but patients should be left in no doubt as to who exactly they are, and introductions should be 100% clear.

petranot lucky at all. Wrongly diagnosed for years, fobbed off with exercise sheets and just recovering from major surgery. Thankfully on the mend due to the skill and expertise of robotic surgery plus brilliant surgeon.

Lucky you. 41 Drs for 33,000 patients. We have 10 ( all part time) serving 23,000 patients.
We can usually get an appointment for same day ( or next day)

Casdon well yes and no - the golden glow of the past is preferable to misdiagnosis and mistreatment! At least I live to become the subject of a research paper!

GPs are generalists ronib. Even in smaller practices they specialise, they always have. I think you’re suffering from a case of the golden glow of the past.

TinSoldier and as one young gp once said - I don’t stop learning. The idea that ten years of training makes for a fully competent professional is debatable given the changes in medical research and practice.

To become a GP you need to complete:

• a degree recognised by the General Medical Council which takes 5 years.

• a foundation course of general training which takes 2 years and

• general practice specialist training which takes 3 years.

If you are seeing a fully-qualified GP who has had ten years of training it really doesn't matter how many hours a day they work.

That does seem like an unusual set up ronib. I assume if there are a large number of very part time GPs they are working other hours elsewhere - which could be a strength or a weakness.
If they are splitting their clinics so that, for example, patients who are diabetic attend a clinic run by a GP who specialises in that and works at the local hospital and other practices too, the service for that group will be excellent because he or she will have expertise.

TinSoldier given the huge number of possible human ailments, I would rather have the benefit of a gp who had the fullest experience and expertise rather than see one who had limited exposure due to very limited working hours.

Casdon I have counted the number of partners and salaried gps etc and to my surprise they came to 41! Of course they could be working one or two shifts a week. Over-provided it isn’t with appointments being suspended due to safe working limits. Quite the mystery.