Would you Skype your GP?

It would certainly save the time spent travelling between home visits, and be better than a phone call in that the patient and doctor are face to face. A rash or an injury could be shown over the phone line, and if the patient has a thermometer in the house, they can take their own temperature and show that too. It is a step up on a conventional phone consultation, and further appointments can be made if necessary.

Worth trying out and testing, I'd say, and reporting the reactions to it from both sides so that other surgeries can find out how it goes.

Possible time savings for GP.

Average 12 minute appointment. Figure is best I could find from Google but I’m sure GPs know how off the mark these figures would be in relation to their own circumstances.
12 min / 8 hour day = 40 appointments.
Average of 2 minutes for a patient to get from waiting room to GP office and then leave. Again, best figure I could find.
2 min x 40 appointments = 1 hour 20 minutes.

Average time to call patient using Skype when patient has already been in contact and is waiting on the call: 30 seconds to 1 minute is reasonable but it’s a guess really until run on the actual networks. This is a possible saving of 40 minutes to 1 hour per day if they were all conducted through Skype.

Ana, I know Shaun and I'm glad to see him show his face. :P
He's a local councillor.

I love this sort of idea. I already have my blood taken at Sainsbury's where the pleasant little room is staffed by a phlebotomist from our local hospital from 7.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. Monday to Friday. If they are busy they will give you a buzzer thing and you can go off and do your shopping; it vibrates when it's your turn. I shall almost certainly have my flu jab at Boots (they do it for the surgery - no charge).

Not everyone can use these services and not everyone can use the Skype idea but it would free up time for those unable to do so. I find it so much better than going to a surgery. If I go for the blood tests it makes me feel that I am seen as being ill and sitting in the surgery for the flu jab seems counter productive.

Oh for fucks sake granjura! Stop being so bloody patronising and lecturing! I've had enough of it now.

I think Skype consultations are the probably the thin end of the wedge. Will the requests be triaged? Will patients have to give details of their problem to some receptionist person? How soon before we are made to feel a nuisance for wanting to see our doctor in person?

What is the point in allocating everyone over 75 their own doctor who must see them every time, if it's only going to be a quick, rushed, Skype consultation anyway?

Jingle, with the set up I've been promoting it's entirely down to you if you want to have a Skype consultation. There is nothing stopping you booking an appointment and physically going to your GP. The GP also might tell you that's exactly what they want and ask you to book an appointment.

My OH loves our GP because he takes two minutes to walk her to the door. I know the figures above are only estimations but it will free up time so your GP might do the same.

For the record, he only does it so it speeds up getting the next patient in but she loves it all the same!

Triaged? It's your GP not A&E. What you need is an ambulance.
Also, you would only give the same details you do now to the receptionist plus your Skype contact details.

You do sound as though you know an awful lot about it. For a gardener.

What is the point in allocating everyone over 75 their own doctor who must see them every time, if it's only going to be a quick, rushed, Skype consultation anyway?

I don't think the named doctor system is supposed to mean that you see them each time you need a doctor Jbf. My mother's named doctor is also her Care Co-ordinator (which means she make an annual visit whether Mum needs it or not ). She works part-time so Mum could not possibly see her every-time there is a problem. We actually tend to have quick phone conversations although she has come out a couple of times after them.

Jinglebells
I also garden.

Gracesgran
Hello, got any dislikes about quick phone conversations.

Darling daughter occasionally skypes me for quick advice about medical problems with Dec. Occasionally it is useful but I normally end up telling her to see the GP. The only help is how urgently?
Ie routine appointment or immediate dash to surgery or A&E

Dgc not Dec.

Galen, next time hopefully you could tell her to Skype the GP. Then she wouldn't have to get the grand children ready.

I have just caught up with this thread and think it's a marvellous idea especially for repeat prescription check ups etc. Obviously the GP can ask you to go to the surgery if it is thought important.

I am a bit puzzled by granjura's post about the hours her DH did as a junior GP - 140 hours per week is 20 hours per day over 7 days. Surely not - he would have collapsed from exhaustion. Was it a typing error granjura?

No gagagran - it still happens nowadays, only the younger generation are less inclined to put up with such treatment - hence a shortage of Drs.

No, no typo- that was in 1970 and 71- Junior Hospital Doctor at West Middx and Queen Mary's. Absolute and sheer madness- and yes, almost beyond human endurance- and it broke many. But those that survived learnt very fast, got massive amount of experience quickly and became very confident diagnosticians. His working hours decreased to a mere 90-100 for the next few years as a GP trainee- but still 5 day week + i night in 3 on call, + 1 week-end in 3 on-call non-stop. if you did obstetrics or casualty, very few of those hours allowed any rest at all.

Even as a GP it was also full 5 day week + 1 night in 3 and 1 week-end in 3, on top, + admin, + reports, + marking and mentoring- so again, an 80 hr week min per week. In the last 5 years he gave up teaching and on-call hours went out of house- so dropped right down to 60- easy peasy.

No, it does not happen anymore. The new rules are 70 hrs on call of which no more than 55 can be actual working hours. A different world now.

Gagagran can't you order your repeat prescriptions on-line? I wasn't sure about this at first as it defaulted to the chemists contained within the medical centre so not open at the weekend but then I found I could alter where it is sent to so I can even have it sent to the chemists that stays open until midnight if I want to and, of course, I can order at any time of the day or night - I just have to allow a couple of days but that was always the case.

Depending on the condition, you can't always order on line if the doctor feels s/he needs to listen to your heart and lungs or take BP, etc. Most doctors will allow ordering on line for a couple of times, then put an automated message that you need to see him/her in person for checks every, 3, 6, or yearly, etc- to be safe. A GP that allows repeats on line for too long is probably not doing his/her job properly.

I meant the long hours still happen - not 140 but actually many are still being forced to work longer than those you quote granjura, there have been a few exposes about it not all that long ago. It must be bad enough to know your life is in the hands of a trainee, let alone a knackered trainee!

gracesgran do you not have a rather short review time between presriptions? I have always hated knowing that I have to pay a visit to the surgery for something I know I will have for the rest of my life every three months, unless they have news of another better medication I can't see the point. I would rather Skype for that.

Yes that's exactly what I meant janer - your last para. above. Why waste an appointment when you know you will be taking whatever for ever. Obviously there may be blood tests results affecting it but it only needs the prescription amending in that case.

granjura - sorry for my doubts - I just could not see how anyone could work such long hours - 20 per day! They had to have some time to recover their strength surely?

granjura's post was written very much in the present tense.

I think with today's often shared practices, things would be different now.

To be honest, Janerowena they could improve the system as I need a blood test when they review so have to go in to the surgery see the doctor, either book there for the blood test and go back or take the script to Sainsbury's for the blood test and then go back to the doctors when they have the result. If the script for the blood test printed out with the last but one prescription I could get it done at Sainsbury's when I pick up my next prescription and they could call me in to the surgery if necessary. I would still have to go, as things are, to have my BP checked but again, does a doctor really need to do that or do they just need to see the results. I quite agree about the short review times. Not that these things shouldn't be reviewed but a lot of it is technical.

I do not want to be treated as if I am ill; I am well with some health issues. My daughter was talking about this the other day. She has just started her Masters degree and, as she is severely dyslexic she has "disabled student" on her cover sheets for her work. She hates it and, as I said to her, she is not a disabled student, she is a student with a disability. She has not allowed it to define her so why do they? (Sorry - soapbox )

present tense jingl??? Just re-read my post, and it is very clear this was in 1970- but perhaps not so clear that DH stopped in 2008, aged 63- and still very much in contact with ex colleagues and junior partners (now senior of course...) - now about 12 part-timers to cover the same work minus on call, as 5.5 did before ;). Re repeat prescriptions on line- it is still exactly the same now- you can't get repeats forever- depending on condition, the system will send you a message to say you can't get new one until you see the doc for a check-up.