GPs and opening times, whats going on

maddyone, your last sentence sums matters up well.

Every few weeks there is 'doctor/teacher bashing.

Those of us who have family members in the medical profession and know how hard they work, will never be able to have an irate patient/poster understand our side of the equation.

I have only had the briefest of conversations with my daughter as when she arrives home around 9.00 -11.00 pm after a long day of surgery sessions, Covid clinics and meetings, she is starving and too tired to converse.

I dare not ask 'how are the children', as she would reply 'I don't know, haven't seen them' which immediately makes her feel guilty, so I don't ask.

I am sure there is a huge variation in surgeries but there always has been! Social media makes it easier for people to complain but they are not using the correct channels to begin to correct their status quo.

Everyone:. if you feel aggrieved at your treatment, please contact the Practice Manager who is best placed to help you with your query.

Most GP's are running on empty. I have written before, that the NHS both hospital and GP-based, is running on goodwill. Attack them much more and they will all go elsewhere for better pay and conditions but without the inordinate continuing stress.

Doodledog

Why are GPs working in vaccination centres? Surely that is not the best use of their time when people are unable to get appointments for diagnoses which can only be made by a doctor?

Telephone consultations are ok for people who don't work, or for those who can choose their hours and have a private office in which to take calls. They will also work for those who live alone.

For anyone else they do not always offer patient confidentiality, which could very easily be an impediment to a frank conversation, and they may mean taking time off work in order to wait for the call to come through, and then again to go in so that an accurate diagnosis can be made. Not everyone is paid to do either. A face to face appointment can be arranged so that working hours are disrupted as little as possible, and takes place in a surgery with the door shut.

It is easy for retired people, who live alone, or who share their space with their nearest and dearest, to sing the praises of telephone appointments, as they are likely to suit them nicely.

If they spared a thought, however, for a young woman wanting contraceptive advice when her father is in the room, or a mother wanting to talk about personal matters with young children around, or someone on a zero hours contract who is not paid if they are waiting in for a telephone consultation, or someone in a call centre who has no privacy and may not be allowed to make private calls, or countless other sets of circumstances, maybe they would see things differently.

Apparently everyone lives in a house with only one room! And young people don’t have personal mobile phones! I’m obviously out of touch with these latest developments.

Old people, such as many on Gransnet, want face to face appointments because that’s what they want, and because that’s how it’s been traditionally. Through Covid it’s been much safer for patients and staff to have, wherever possible, phone or video consultations. Many GPs have died of Covid, it’s not only hospital staff who have died, although they are the majority. The arguments put forward for why we should all be able to demand a face to face appointment are poor through a global pandemic. And anyway, whenever the GP decides that a face to face appointment is required , they will arrange one. That’s why my daughter and son in law and my nephew (three different practices) have been seeing patients in their surgeries all through Covid. They have also done phone consultations and video consultations. My son in law has worked in the Covid Hub during out of hours and seen patients there too, patients both with and without Covid. I can see I’m flogging a dead horse here because those who wish to criticise will do so, despite numerous explanations and even the excellent information provided by an actual doctor. There are none so blind as those who will not see.

All vaccination centres have to have a doctor available at all times in case of medical emergencies resulting from the vaccine Doodledog. Many vaccinations for the most vulnerable are also being carried out at GP surgeries, and patients need to see a doctor before or after they are vaccinated because of their complex medical history. It’s unavoidable.

Why are GPs working in vaccination centres? Surely that is not the best use of their time when people are unable to get appointments for diagnoses which can only be made by a doctor?

Telephone consultations are ok for people who don't work, or for those who can choose their hours and have a private office in which to take calls. They will also work for those who live alone.

For anyone else they do not always offer patient confidentiality, which could very easily be an impediment to a frank conversation, and they may mean taking time off work in order to wait for the call to come through, and then again to go in so that an accurate diagnosis can be made. Not everyone is paid to do either. A face to face appointment can be arranged so that working hours are disrupted as little as possible, and takes place in a surgery with the door shut.

It is easy for retired people, who live alone, or who share their space with their nearest and dearest, to sing the praises of telephone appointments, as they are likely to suit them nicely.

If they spared a thought, however, for a young woman wanting contraceptive advice when her father is in the room, or a mother wanting to talk about personal matters with young children around, or someone on a zero hours contract who is not paid if they are waiting in for a telephone consultation, or someone in a call centre who has no privacy and may not be allowed to make private calls, or countless other sets of circumstances, maybe they would see things differently.

I much prefer telephone consultations too Summerlove. It takes much more effort to travel to the surgery, then wait to be called in to the doctor, and then the consultation, and the journey home. At home I can be getting on with whatever I want to do until the doctor rings. The doctor sends the prescription, if a prescription is needed, straight through to the pharmacy, and you just pop to the chemist and collect it.

To be fair I haven’t needed to see a GP during Covid. The only times I spoke to my GP were after my discharge from hospital after suffering Covid. I unfortunately suffered a hospital acquired infection as well as having had serious Covid, and the GP was extremely good, even phoning back a few days later to check the medications were helping me improve. They were. She could hear how ill I was, she didn’t need to see me to know that. And I was improving and I was also improving from the Covid.

maddyone

Incidentally, as pointed long ago, many GPs are working in the vaccination centres, and talented as they are, no doctor can be in both the vaccination centre and his/her surgery. Not to mention doing home visits as well!

And yet despite this, you may be interested to know, the data shows that more GP consultations took place in March 2021 than have ever taken place in one month before. My GP daughter told this nugget of information today! How strange, and I thought they were all at home, too lazy to go to work!

Personally, I am loving phone appointments then follow up in person as needed.

What might have been a 10 min appt is now quick, there’s no waiting on the dr, and they can “see” more patients.

If a dr isn’t moving cases that need it to in person visits, that’s a bad dr. Not a problem with the system.

Incidentally, as pointed long ago, many GPs are working in the vaccination centres, and talented as they are, no doctor can be in both the vaccination centre and his/her surgery. Not to mention doing home visits as well!

And yet despite this, you may be interested to know, the data shows that more GP consultations took place in March 2021 than have ever taken place in one month before. My GP daughter told this nugget of information today! How strange, and I thought they were all at home, too lazy to go to work!

I agree with you Summerlove. Why complain about instructions about what to do if you have breathing difficulties, heart pains, or Covid symptoms? Surely symptoms of any of these require instructions. And I thought exactly the same thing as you have expressed when I read that post. It appears that the poster wanted her GP to go to her house and nothing else would do. And it appears that since this all happened three weeks ago it obviously wasn’t so urgent was it? It seems to me that patients are going to have to accept that they cannot demand to see a GP whenever and wherever they want to, because as one or two of us have repeatedly said, there are insufficient GPs. And getting fewer because so many are opting to work abroad where they have more time for each consultation and the patients are apparently a little more appreciative of their services and expertise!

Bijou

When one phones my surgery you have to listen for about six minutes to announcements about what you have to call if you have breathing difficulties, heart pains, Covid symptoms etc then wait to be put to a receptionist who will triage you. I don’t like discussing my symptoms with her.
Three weeks ago I was unwell and needed to be seen by a doctor. Instead a paramedic was sent. I am housebound. Apparently doctors do not now do house calls and are working from home. It was something which really needed an internal examination and was suggested I was sent to hospital for this. I refused. At my age and state of health cannot face hospital.
Very few are able to actually go to the surgery and then are seen by the Practice Nurse.

This is what I don’t understand. You called, you got through, you were sent care. You were given an option for further care. But because it wasn’t the care that you expected or wanted, it was useless to you. We all need to start understanding that we don’t need to see a GP for everything.

As far as not being triaged by the receptionist, I’ve said it before and I will say it again, no one’s health issues are so complex that the receptionist hasn’t heard it before. Their job is to figure out who needs appointments most desperately. If you can’t trust the receptionist, then you can’t trust the doctor in my opinion.

Our surgery is the same, but you do get phone appointments very quickly also appointments to see the doctor or UCP are very quick. I think one thing that the pandemic will have done is stop people running to the doctor taking up valuable appointments when there is no need. So many people were running to the GP for very minor things when the pharmacist could have helped. Doctors are there for when you really need them. We are lucky, we have a superb practice.

I’m like a broken record on the issue of the unacceptable variability of GP practices. The negative experiences of some posters on here are horrifying and there is no excuse for it. My own experience of changing practices in the same town from one end of the spectrum to the other demonstrates this. A close friend has also had appalling service during the last year which almost certainly led to a hospital admission that could have been avoided . There simply should not be such a range of standards. If my practice can offer the amazing service they do, then they all can. Yes I appreciate them , yes I know they work very hard but I also know I have a right to expect a decent service.

We are lucky in our country to get our medical care free - national insurance is a very small contribution for what we get. See nanna8’s post from Australia - they have to pay for appointments, as do most other countries in the world, even Sweden! No wonder these countries can afford to pay doctors more - and have the cheek to lure our nhs trained staff away! It’s annoying when people who complain about the American system then go to work there for the higher wages!
Our surgery has done its best throughout the pandemic. It was a new situation for them, as well as for everyone else and they had to adapt quickly. I’ve been treated for advanced cancer throughout the pandemic and don’t feel that my treatment has been affected. I’ve always had a call back the same day from a gp if I’ve asked - which hasn’t been often as I’m seen in hospital mostly. We expect more and more from our nhs, but would be horrified if asked to pay a bit more for it.

Earnshaw, my GP is operating the same system. I was diagnosed with arthritis over the phone and have never been examined. I rang for an appointment on Tuesday and was given another phone appointment for next Wednesday. I do remember Matt Hancock saying the pandemic way of GPS working was the way forward

I can see that many people posting here are upset and it seems as if some surgeries need better management.

However, do you really think that GP's are sitting filing their nails? Gossiping and drinking tea?

Surgery devoid of patients? Is that because the staff are all in the pub?

GP's are working their socks off. I challenge you to work with one for a few sessions, multiply these up day after day and see if you could cope. The mental and physical workload is huge.

People enter medicine to help. This Government has heaps additional task after additional task on to the GP system - procedures previously done in hospital are now at your local surgery.

Mountains of paperwork.

Ream after team of new instructions.

Covid vaccinations (and setting up of hubs/centres, ensuring there are vaccinators, car park attendants, clerical staff, toilet cleaners on and on).

Would you work 7 30 am to 8.30pm day after day including weekends? GP's do. You just can't see what they do due to Covid restrictions.

Even when off duty, mobiles are in use all the time with query after query.

Personally, my surgery is fantastic - I write in using a pro forma and am rung back the same day. With a heart-related problem, within five minutes.

What is this GP bashing? Happens every few weeks.

If you have poor service, contact your Practice Manager.

Why do you think the changes have happened? Maybe watch the news in India? It makes me grateful that I don’t have to pay and or search for healthcare - even though our service has been grossly underfunded for years .

We have the same system of requesting a phone consultation - it was fine and i did prepare questions in advance. GP did ask me to go to the surgery for an exam and she arranged for me to see a consultant within 5 days who arranged tests within 2 weeks. Great service from our wonderful NHS. We are very lucky,

I think we can look at this "hands off" approach being more the norm from now on. For minor ailments this might be a good thing but it is worrying sometimes. Our surgery is brilliant with my mother but the time it takes to get through to them on the phone is quite distressing at times. It is hard enough dealing with a dementia patient and all her admin whilst trying to run a family without spending hours trying to call the Dr.
There is a lot of competition to get into medical school and places are so limited. We really need to look at the this so we have a ready supply of staff. I think we should be offering bursaries to Doctors in Training which would need to be repaid if they left the NHS within a certain time. If the USA can deduct tax from their ex-pats who work abroad, surely we can come up with something which would repay the privilege of having received the ability to earn as a Dr worldwide.

As has been said we DO have a great NHS, and we want to keep it, but the way in which GP surgeries have been accessible throughout this pandemic has left a lot to be desired in my opinion. My surgery is in a health centre which houses 3 different GP surgeries, and a community site for different ailments (podiatry and children's communuty based services etc) they all have individual telephone systems, so have to be accessed differently. My own surgery, you have to phone at 8am, but try as I might I can never get through to them, phone engaged from dead on 8am until around 8.30am, and then if you get an answer, it's always appointments for today have been allocated so phone back again at 8am
tomorrow ! Tomorrow is an exact replay of today (and tomorrow and the next day!!!) I managed to get an appointment last week for a shingles vaccination, only because the surgery sent me a text message to ask me to phone them for it. Off I trotted, only to be told by the nurse that because I had had my 2nd covid jab only 2 weeks before I couldn't have it (she did send a quick email to a doctor, presumably in the building to check!)
I just don't understand why the system cannot now revert to how it used to be......but I suppose "ours is not to reason why" we just have to do as we are told and hope for the best.

It is disgusting you cannot get face to face contact. If you wear a mask why can they not see you , and the idea of taking a photo of a breast lump or any lump on your body is unacceptable. I had blurred vision for 2 months after a cataract op and could not get a GP appointment. All I got was a snotty nurse telling me I was abusing the system and did I realise there was a pandemic on. I was about to take myself to A & E, but my vision cleared the next day.

Our GPs now have three surgeries, two close to us and a third one in the next town. One surgery is currently concentrating on Covid vaccinations while the other two are carrying on seeing patients. I needed a medication review which was carried out over the phone by the practice prescriber. There was no problem getting the blood test she recommended. I haven't needed to see a GP but my daughter has had a couple of face to face appointments for one of her boys. Interestingly, in spite of the national shortage of GPs, my own GP has retired and been replaced by three new ones!

Two friends of my father started my local surgery after the war. Two more doctors were added as the practice grew. Their children went to school with their patients' children, met up at town social events, were part of the community. I was carried into the surgery at two weeks old, one of my earliest memories is our doctor coming in the night to see my brother during a polio scare. He saw me through two pregnancies and the first five years of my sons' lives then he retired as did the other founders, one by one. Since then a lot of different doctors have come and gone and gradually telephone appointments have taken over from face to face appointments even before the pandemic. Since the pandemic began the nurses and receptionists are there, but the doctors have been absent working from home. My present doctor is available for a telephone appointment after a two week wait - I can talk to another doctor in an emergency. Times have changed. They are not better or worse, just different.

Yes I agree ours are the same, it makes me wonder what the GP’s are doing all day with COVID thankfully almost eradicated in my area

Not quite sure when legitimate complaints became ‘ GP bashing’ am sure viewpoints such as Maddyones wouldn’t be kindly received if those of us who have had less than satisfactory experiences called them’ GP whitewashing ‘

Lilyflower

I have been simply appalled at the lack of care for my, at first, excruciating back pain. It started at the beginning of February and, to date, no doctor has examined me. I have had simply useless phone calls with a paramedic and two extremely unsatisfactory appointments with a physio who said I needed a scan and then rescinded the referral. I waited two months for a diagnostic appointment at my local musculoskeletal centre where I was not properly diagnosed, refused a scan and left in considerable pain.

I booked a couple of private sessions with my daughter's physio and he was horrified at the mindnumbing cocktail of addictive,powerful drugs I was encouraged to take (I did not take them!) and who indirectly told me the MSK centre was scandalously useless but expensive for the NHS.

I think the NHS has lost its way and used the Covid period to keep the public at arm's length. I read last week that Dominic Cummings took one look at the way the NHS was operating, took the vaccination programme out of their hands and created the administration that has seen half the country jabbed in a few months.

What every one thinks of DC otherwise, he got it right in this respect.

The COVID vaccination program has not been delivered by DC. It has been practices joining together to deliver, one of the reasons they are more busy.

There have been some national sites set up but actually the majority have been delivered locally by the primary care teams.

Where do people read these odd inaccurate things?!

i feel very bad actually get-vidmate.com instasave.onl