GPs and opening times, whats going on

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.

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,

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 .

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I am on immunosuppressive drugs and got a urinary infection, so took a sample into the surgery which was reluctantly accepted. The receptionist took my mobile phone number and put me on a triage list. Later, there was I standing in the post office queue when my phone went and the practice nurse asked me to describe my symptoms. She was so insistent that I had to blurt them out in front of a shop full of people. Embarrassing, but at the age of 77, should I be bothered?

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.

I didn't say that. I said that there were numerous situations where it would be difficult to take a call in private. Leaving a room to take a personal call could easily result in someone being asked who is calling, and if the call is confidential, could be awkward to explain. Also, in workplaces, not everyone has their own office, or is able to take personal calls.

Thank you for the information about the requirement for a GP to be in attendance at vaccination centres. I didn't know that, which is why I asked.

There is really no need to get snippy. My point of view is perfectly valid, whether you share it or not.

maddyone Until you stop blaming patients for the shortfalls in funding of the GP service, I'm afraid I find it difficult even to read your posts. You really do not seem to accept that there are times when GPs will not see patients even when a condition requires it. I know, because it happened to me. I have complained to the Practice Manager, but she's part of the problem and can't even be bothered to reply. How do you think teachers should take phone calls in front of a whole classroom of pupils?

grandmajet

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.

Maybe everybody should pay some form of National Insurance, including the retired.

growstuff
Don’t read my posts as you don’t find them to your liking. That will solve your problem.

I was listening to the radio this morning whilst I was in the car, and a news item came on which stated that the BMA has surveyed thousands of doctors and found that the level of strain suffered by doctors during the Covid crisis could have a lasting impact on workforce numbers in the wake of the pandemic with 47% of doctors telling the ......BMA survey that they are now more likely to work fewer hours in the future.............27% of doctors are likely to take early retirement and another 27% are likely to take a career break. In addition These further reductions to the workforce can sorely be afforded with an existing shortage of more than 8,000 consultants and the number of fully qualified GPs continuing to fall.

Given these findings by the BMA perhaps some of our dissatisfied posters could explain why,
a) so many doctors are so unhappy with their working situation that they wish to leave
b) how we can recruit more doctors quickly to fill the current vacancies and predicted future vacancies
c) how it can be ensured that all patients who would wish to have a face to face consultation on the day of request are given one given the current shortage of GPs
d) why doctors prefer to work abroad and we are losing doctors to other countries

I don't know if you have classified me as a dissatisfied poster, maddyone, but those are all questions for NHS managers and funders to answer, not patients. I suppose I would say that the answer is to vote for a party who will guarantee to ensure the funding of the NHS to a decent standard, and to vote for a party who will agree to there being sanctions if their guarantees are not met.

As there is no such party, the only solution I can think of is to make it clear on the doorstep and by making one's feelings clear in other ways, (such as marching, letter writing or whatever way is most comfortable for each of us) that this is what we want. We are supposed to live in a democracy after all.

The thread, however, is not about these more complex issues, but about the difficulty in getting a confidential consultation with a GP.

Did you miss my reply to you above about the problem not being with people living in one room or without mobile phone access (although I am sure such situations exist) but with people in workplaces being unable to make private calls, and for people sharing houses with others who may not respect their right to privacy?

But why are doctors leaving? It’s not to do with funding or Practice Managers, I’ve said repeatedly that doctors are leaving. Why will no one deal with that issue? No one thinks there’s enough money going into the health service, but these doctors are already employed. Why are they choosing to leave? And why is it difficult to recruit more doctors? That is the question that I’d like answering, but no one will even try to grapple with that issue. It’s just the old not enough money or it’s the Practice Managers, and neither explain why doctors are leaving.