Scaling back GP care

An interesting story. OHs hip has been causing him pain. He engaged-consulted his GP who replied the same day and told him to go for an X-ray. He did this a couple of days later. GP contacted him with results a day or so later and said he had contacted local hospitals. OH arranged an appointment for yesterday. He spent 20 minutes with surgeon who put him on waiting list for hip replacement in January/February 2021. Not bad. In the meantime OH looked into going private as he had heard hip waiting lists were enormous. He is still waiting for a call from the local private hospital!

maddieone they are NOT lies! How dare you?! Your surgery,/your daughter's practise may be functioning normally, well great and I'm pleased for you!
I'm another who only got regular vital blood tests done two months late after having to pester for them and had to ring myself having heard nothing, to find out that one of the tests was outside the normal range and have had to ring back twice to secure a retest for which I have to wait another two and a half weeks!
Have the civility to not call people liars whose experience has differed vastly from yours and consider yourself lucky to have continued to receive a good service. Many of us haven't and we're NOT liars just because our experience differs from yours! I am incandescent with rage at your sanctimonious attitude!

My surgery is excellent but takes an hour and a half to answer the phone! Calling at the surgery to try and make an appointment, I just get told I must telephone. Why can’t the person telling me this, answer the phone too!! Very frustrating especially as they contacted me first to go for a pneumonia jab!

I haven't seen my GP in years, so I wouldn't know.

I have just actually read every comment on this subject, and what staggers me is the difference between surgeries! If one surgery is still offering bp checks, bloods etc why arent the rest? Makes no sense to me. Our local tesco workers have to wear a mask all day and sit inches away from you (for a minimum wage) yet our GPs can not wear a mask and take your blood pressure! Why?

Maddyone,well done to your daughter and son-in-law, but this is certainly not true of our GP practice. I do not know of one single person who has seen an actual GP face to face since March! My 86 year old mum found a breast lump (my sister died from breast cancer age 52) . She had a phone consultation and was prescribed antibiotics. What she needed was to be examined to set her mind at rest.
My husband has a heart condition, was having 6 weekly bp checks and blood tests. Since covid....absolutely nothing! He has been waiting over a year for heart surgery.
Sorry, but it seems to me that unless you have covid, the NHS is simply not interested.
And dont tell me the hospitals are bursting at the seams. Our hospital wards are practically empty.

DH and I have not see a GP this year, I have been seen once by a nurse for flu vaccine.
DH had to phone surgery over and over begging them for an appointment for his injection, basically life and death to him.
Our surgery have not followed up letters from consultants which led to failure to prescribe increased drugs and DH's PSA leapt up alarmingly.
Reception desk will not put you through to a GP so despite best efforts no telephone consultation or face to face possible.

This week I've had three significant medical appointments. All arranged by my GP, all took place within a short timescale. I'm due to speak to the GP next week for the result. Yes I'd rather see him in the surgery but we are in lockdown with high rate of this virus. I'm clinically vulnerable, so phone discussions works for me.

Oh thank you biba. As I thought, a simple mix up.

No 2 surgeries are the same, they’re as good as the management team running them. Our GP practice has been pretty dire for a few years now. Someone up thread mentioned “The Marie Celeste”, a perfect description of ours. There were never any appointments available but an empty waiting room - presumably because the consulting rooms contained no doctors or nurses! Bizarrely its actually been marginally better since March, possibly due to lowered expectations as much as anything else!

That said I’ve spent hours this week jumping through online hoops whilst trying, unsuccessfully, to book a telephone consultation. I’ll have to put on my big girl pants tomorrow and brave ringing the surgery, deep joy!

maddyone

biba
Have you mixed me up? It’s my daughter and son in law who are GPs and have been working throughout the crisis, and I outlined what they have been doing over the last nine months. They may have been doing other things, I just listed the things I know they’ve been doing.
Missfodlove claimed that GPs have been doing nothing.

Oh I am so sorry- been out at a meeting and just seen this. Of course I mixed you up with Missfoodlove.

OH has kept in close touch with his colleagues and we are both so aware of how hard they have been working recently- from receptionists, to nurses, cleaners, and GPs - all of them as a fabulous team- in such difficult circumstances.

Apologies again maddyone, and best wishes and thanks to your daughter and sil for all they do.

The issue is that GP services are to be scaled back to cater for the vaccine program. It would be interesting to know what plans have been put in place to ensure that the benefits of the vaccine don't outweigh the cost. The waiting lists are growing on a daily basis there's a real human cost here.

biba
Have you mixed me up? It’s my daughter and son in law who are GPs and have been working throughout the crisis, and I outlined what they have been doing over the last nine months. They may have been doing other things, I just listed the things I know they’ve been doing.
Missfodlove claimed that GPs have been doing nothing.

Missfoodlove

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!

We can't know for sure, of course.

But I would like to know how you have evidence of what they have been doing, or not doing, over past few months.

How do you know they have not been doing the same as Missfoodlove's DH and sil?

I did need two face-to-face consultations a few weeks ago. The GP made the second consultation while I was sitting in the surgery. He logged on to the booking system. All the GPs were on the spreadsheet and nearly all their slots were booked. I assume they were a mix of telephone consultations, face-to-face consultations and visits.

The GPs might not be so readily accessible, but I don't think it's true that they're not working, albeit behind closed doors.

My GPs' surgery has been struggling for a couple of years, but it's been nothing to do with Covid.

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.

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

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

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.