NHS Doctors not helping themselves?

They are not NHS doctors, the are contrac
ted from the NHS and run the practice as a business.

I was told by a receptionist that it would be a six week wait to see the GP; when I asked if she would please pass a message on to the duty GP, the GP herself rang and asked me to go straight in to see her.
It was nothing like your friend's problem but was urgent.

Wyllow3

icanhandthemback

Somebody I know applied to their surgery for an appointment over a week ago saying they were having suicidal thoughts after a long period of depression. They've been given an appointment at the end of September.

They need to turn up in person and tell thr receptionist how they feel, the truth as in I want to die etc. They will be seen or told to go to A and E where there are duty CPN's from thr Crisis teams.

You are not allowed to turn up at our Surgery. The appointment system is strictly by Accurix unless the Dr/Nurse asks you to make another appointment as you leave when they have seen you. He has found another route for help but quite frankly, I think it is disgusting that he had to. The trouble with depression is that you can find yourself completely poleaxed by hurdles and GP's should be aware of that.

nanna8

Most of our receptionists are pleasant but there is one older one who is arrogant and rude so I avoid her . Like everywhere, you usually get the good with the bad. We don’t have to wait that long here but then we have to pay and it isn’t cheap. That is one of the reasons people go to the public hospital emergency rooms with trivial illnesses - they are free. That is why waiting times are 6-10 hours on a good day, even in a crisis. There is a problem with the triage people, they are not good at prioritising.

Most of our receptionists are pleasant

Yes, as I said (but have been misunderstood and castigated) most of ours are fine but there are always one or two who are not. They don't always last one.

We did have one who was terrifying 😁
She went to another practice.

We have just been told there is a 55 week wait for the ENT clinic at our hospital. My husband really needs to be seen sooner than that.

This afternoon we are off to the Eye Clinic at a different hospital and the wait for that has been shorter as he has to have regular appointments.

Most of our receptionists are pleasant but there is one older one who is arrogant and rude so I avoid her . Like everywhere, you usually get the good with the bad. We don’t have to wait that long here but then we have to pay and it isn’t cheap. That is one of the reasons people go to the public hospital emergency rooms with trivial illnesses - they are free. That is why waiting times are 6-10 hours on a good day, even in a crisis. There is a problem with the triage people, they are not good at prioritising.

CPN =Community Psychiatric Nurse.

icanhandthemback

Somebody I know applied to their surgery for an appointment over a week ago saying they were having suicidal thoughts after a long period of depression. They've been given an appointment at the end of September.

They need to turn up in person and tell thr receptionist how they feel, the truth as in I want to die etc. They will be seen or told to go to A and E where there are duty CPN's from thr Crisis teams.

My surgery is the best. Lovely receptionists and when I ring for an appointment I'm always seen same day. We also have a 'sit and wait service' at 5.30pm if it's urgent. You might wait for 2 hours but definitely see a proper GP. This is when all appointments are gone and the receptionist books you onto it.
I'm always very urgent as I have a lung condition and I get chest infections once or twice a year. That's about how often I go to the Dr.

Somebody I know applied to their surgery for an appointment over a week ago saying they were having suicidal thoughts after a long period of depression. They've been given an appointment at the end of September.

Allira

Are you a GP's receptionist by any chance win?

If so, could you let us know how extensive the course is to enable you to triage patients over the phone?

I am sadly not, but I am on the PPG group so knowhow hard they all work and how well trained all the receptionist are at our surgery. They are more knowledgeable than you think and I do sense a bit of sarcasm in your post too!!
They do not diagnose you all they do is triage you in the right direction according to their training.

Are you a GP's receptionist by any chance win?

If so, could you let us know how extensive the course is to enable you to triage patients over the phone?

win

Allira

The doctors and nurses are fine, as are some of the receptionists but there are a couple of receptionists who are downright obstructive and have been caught out in lies.

Give someone a little power and they then abuse it.

Oh you do have a real chip on your shoulder about receptionists, they will know that for sure, which will not help you nor your husband.

Sorry for the typo.

Another rude post.

win

Allira

The doctors and nurses are fine, as are some of the receptionists but there are a couple of receptionists who are downright obstructive and have been caught out in lies.

Give someone a little power and they then abuse it.

Oh you do have a real chip on your shoulder about receptionists, they will know that for sure, which will not help you nor your husband.

Another rude poet.

I said that most of the receptionists are very good (not sure why the most efficient, pleasant and longstanding one hasn't been asked to train them) but there always seem to be a couple who fail to make the appointment, fail to get prescriptions signed, are uninformed about what services are available in the hub and in fact have been caught out in fibs.
It's not just me - two or three medical professionals have been exasperated by their inefficiency.

Be in our surgery between 8am and 10am and guaranteed to be seen by a health professional. Only once in 6 years have I not seen a doctor under this scheme. On the one occasion I saw the prescribing nurse who would have consulted a doctor had it been necessary, which it wasn't.

I became a DNA recently as I was booked for my second shingles jab. I remembered the next day and went to the surgery to apologise profusely. I felt terrible about it. They rebooked the appointment and were very nice about it but it must be very frustrating for them.

Allira

The doctors and nurses are fine, as are some of the receptionists but there are a couple of receptionists who are downright obstructive and have been caught out in lies.

Give someone a little power and they then abuse it.

Oh you do have a real chip on your shoulder about receptionists, they will know that for sure, which will not help you nor your husband.

Allira

Again rude.

Perhaps you don't realise.

There honestly is nothing rude about that post and I would also add, that I doubt the nurse saw another patient in the time your husband did not turn up, she probably had a chance to catch up as someone else have said they always run late, so this was her chance to catch up, perhaps even spend a penny. Both you and your husband are being unreasonable in expecting for him to be seen at the end. Sorry but I totally agree with the poster you call rude.

Cannot book appt. at our surgery! Have to phone at 8am,nightmare! If you don't get through immediately by the time you do none left!!! Shocking system

Quercus

It is time the NHS bit the bullet and stopped using privately contracted businesses to run GP surgeries. They should be directly managed by the NHS like hospitals are. The quality of primary care seems to have plummeted since Covid. My DC is a young doctor (in a hospital), but many of his friends have trained and qualified as GPs but cannot get jobs! It is just crazy.

Yes, it's ridiculous.

However, I think there is a lack of training places for newly qualified doctors in other areas too.

Our loss will be other countries's gains, as happened before.

Louisa1523. Really, not in my area in Herts. If I attempt to make an appointment we have to fill in a 3-page Triage appointment form about an ailment and then it has to be justified by a senior staff member before we are granted an Appt! I find it difficult being elderly as I have multiple conditions and it always takes more than the allotted 10 minutes to discuss, so I dont always mention all of them.

The last time I got to see a real GP in the flesh was in 2018. Since then it's been nurses and a paramedic ( in whom I have no confidence as he misdiagnosed me).

The underlying UK problem is we don't have a bouyant economy generating enough tax to pay for the NHS and no matter how much Streeting talks up minor reorganisations there won't be an improvement to the NHS or any other key public service until the economy improves.

All political parties know this but none of them have a solution.

In my surgery, everytme there is a notice 131 did not attend their appointment.The few times I have managed to get an appointment. I point this out to staff. The surgery has been empty.

The hospital is even worse
I am losing my sight and already deaf due to bad service at the hospital and specsavers. This is Southampton

It is time the NHS bit the bullet and stopped using privately contracted businesses to run GP surgeries. They should be directly managed by the NHS like hospitals are. The quality of primary care seems to have plummeted since Covid. My DC is a young doctor (in a hospital), but many of his friends have trained and qualified as GPs but cannot get jobs! It is just crazy.

It would be lovely if my DH could just rock up as you so rudely put it.