Scaling back GP care

Our practice has basically done nothing for 9 months!

They have hidden behind Covid.

It’s the nurses that administer the vaccinations, this job could also be done by pharmacists.

I feel the same. I usually have monthly check ups at my surgery.
Not once since lockdown has my GP been in contact. I feel abandoned.

I have had to do all the chasing about bloods etc and changes in treatment, due to hospital, telephone consultations.

On the other hand, my lovely consultant has been phoning me on a regular basis to check if I am OK.

I don't believe the GPs are "hiding behind covid". My retired GP's have children who are medics. The retired ones have been asked to return, their children are pulled out of surgery to help in hospitals.
I wonder if the pandemic has led to the specialist nurses being much more involved in parent care. My ECG will be done by the practice nurse tomorrow. She examined and prescribed when I had a recent chest infection. I've spoken to three of the doctors by phone during lockdown. Yes, I'd much rather sit in their surgery and talk to them but I understand the reluctance to have people unnecessarily going into the practice during these dark days.

I’ve had a face to face and an ecg at my surgery in the last few months, gp’s were also administering flu jabs alongside practice nurses.

My surgery seems have done well I ve had two phone consultations which happened within hours of me asking for them I had my flu jab at the pharmacy but I was invited to my surgery so could equally have had it done at the surgery
My close friend at a different surgery has had two minor procedures and a number of face to face visits with her doctor and her flu jab so they seem good here

My surgery has done well also. I've had 3 telephone conversations with a doctor, one face to face and one referral to see a consultant at the local hospital which happened after about 4 weeks. I was the only person at the hospital, was seen immediately and the doctor spent at least 20 minutes talking to me. I was quite impressed.

agree they hide behind it, was late having type 2 bloods, have not had my retina test for 16 months so not happy

Our practice have done basically nothing for 9 months

I think it’s appalling that people spread these kinds of lies. My daughter and her husband are GPs. Here’s what they have been doing for the last nine months.

1) phone call consultations with patients
2) video consultations with patients
3) face to face consultations and examinations which require full PPE to be worn
4) care home visits to see their elderly patients
5) palliative care to dying patients, particularly in care homes
6) working in the Covid Hub
7) leadership role (my daughter only) ensuring the delivery of services across the area
8) attending Practice meetings (socially distanced)
9) attending leadership meetings (zoom)
10) trawling through thousands of patients to identify patients who need to shield and
writing to inform these patients
11) reading copious amounts of government documentation and new regulations, and
putting these recommendations into practice
12) working extra shifts at night or at weekend doing care home visits or working in the
Covid Hub
13) organisation of flu vaccines to be administered in a Covid secure manner
14) working many longer hours to ensure delivery of the above, my daughter worked twelve hour days regularly, her husband worked longer in his practice and then in the Covid Hub evenings and weekends

In addition they are parents to three young children, twins aged six and a three year old. Childcare dried up during the first lockdown (grandparents were not allowed to care for grandchildren) and so in addition nursery provision had to be secured for their youngest child (then two years old) and the twins placed in keyworker care. This involved the organisation of delivering and collecting of children to and from different sites which were some five miles apart as not all nurseries were open for key workers. Obviously shopping, cooking, entertaining and education for the children had to be fitted into their schedule, and my daughter was worried and stressed that she hadn’t time to do school work properly with her children. In addition they had to juggle their own schedules in order to deliver and collect the children.

And all the majority of us Gransnetters had to do was stay at home and stay safe.

Maddyone, I am not a liar.

I’m sure your daughter and son in law have provided a fantastic service.

My practice have not.

Not every practice is the same!

Well, GP scaling back came close to killing DD during first lockdown. IF the GP had seen her rather than just speaking to her on the phone, it wouldn't have happened because he would have ordered a blood test.

If your practice is not coming up to standard (which I quite believe because my friend in a nearby town is getting nowhere with hers) why not put a complaint in or better still change practices missfoodlove I certainly wouldn t put up with a practice that did nothing for 9 months when you needed something doing

I am wondering how they are going to attempt to organise this. Many have not by able to get a flu jab and we are talking many, many more millions. If they practically stop the GP service there will be a tremendous cost. Has this been factored into their plans? Is a headlong rush the best plan? I don't know it could be, but there actions need to be considered. Our GPs have been missing. The surgery is run by nurse practitioners.

Daisymae, I suspect the nurse practitioners are being used to full capacity. The doctors aren’t “missing” - where do you think the are? They’re working as maddyone sets out,

So where are the GPs Daisymae? Have you bee spying on the surgery to know they're not there? I generally don't like phone consultations, unless it's for something straightforward, but they do at least save a trip to the surgery, so can be convenient. They still take the GP as long to speak on the phone as to see someone in person.

My surgery have been brilliant all this year and continue to do so. They have always done telephone consultations. I think they are an excellent idea. They use eConsult

My hospital appointments have been rearranged and they too have been brilliant. I do not personally know anyone whose had a bad experience with their GP etc.

Well my GP practice has been amazing. I had the regular yearly week long blood pressure monitor at home. I emailed the practice as I was concerned about some low pulse readings. Called in for ECG administered by nurse. Doctor looked at readings, still not happy so sent home with a 24 hour ECG machine. When results in called back for 3rd ECG which pinpointed the problem. Doctor on phone to consultant. Consultant phones me that afternoon. Called into hospital next day to have a pacemaker. This took just a week. Bit longer in hospital than I expected as Covid test had to be done, then emergencies cropped up, then second Covid test needed as first one run out. However, I cannot fault either the GP or the staff at the hospital. Well done NHS.

Doctors, nurses and pharmacists working as usual her. My husband needed some blood tests, the nurse arrived at our house at 6.30am to take the bloods, we should receive the results by post today or tomorrow. This is the usual practice in our part of France.

My feeling is that, as in normal times, some GP practices are doing better than others. My own GP practice has always been good and offers flexible and responsive care. My daughter on the other hand is really struggling with serious mental health issues and telephone consultations from her GP practice have been really poor in picking up red flag issues. She has a strong and loving support network but many in her situation do not.

GPs (well nearly all of them) have been working their socks off, but the problem is the locked surgery doors. Pre March you could just walk in and speak to a receptionist, rather than hang on the phone, if needing to chase up a blood test or book an appointment. Now the doors are shut, you can only use the phone, and if you are invited in, have to wait in a cold car park for your turn.

We all understand the reasoning behind this, but until those doors are open for people to walk in as they used to, some will perceive the surgeries as 'closed'.

My GPs have done very well - telephone requests have been dealt with promptly, I have had two successful telephone conversations, DH had his annual health check, prescription service working well, practice nurse gave me pneumococcus vac. No complaints here. If they are looking for retired nurse to give the new vaccine I'm up for it - dont want paying.

I moved here 15months ago to the north west from the Midlands. I can honestly say I have never had such good health care before and since Covid . Should have had a follow up test at the hospital in March. But got cancelled due to lockdown. But much to my surprise I had it in May. Had a letter in March saying all mammograms where stopped of the year. Had a letter a week ago Saturday asking me to book appointment had it done Monday. It was my routine 3 yearly one. Had phone consultations with GP when needed. And had my flu jab at the surgery. I can't not praise all the health care workers enough. Walk in clinics didn't know they existed until I moved. When people up here moan about the health care soon tell them what it was like where I lived. My GP practice sent to to see a consultant and finally after suffering for 32 years with something he gave me some tablets which have changed my life for the better. Was under the same sort of consultant in the Midlands why didn't he give this to me?

Without our NHS where would we be. We are lucky and should feel proud of it. Think what would happen if we had to pay every time we needed medical help. How many people would die because they couldn't pay.

My Doctors’ surgery has a touch of the Marie Celeste about it ?

We do pay for medical care in this country. It's free at point of use but we do all pay.

I have no idea where the GPs are but they are not on the rota. There's a new name on the system, have no idea who this person is apart from the fact that it's a locum.