WAITING Times for GP andNurse Appointments

meant to say telephone triage with GP next Monday after 8:30 a.m.

What on earth is going on? I've heard and read about so many people being unable to access their GP and yet again on tv this morning there was a GP saying how hard they're all working, so what on earth are they doing?

I share your frustration and the feeling that insanity is looming Bea

Yes I saw that redhaired GP on Vine Channel5stating that 3 out of 5 GPs are seeing patients face to face..where??

Throughout the pandemic we have received excellent support from our practice. Doctors call back within the hour and if necessary an appointment within 24 hours or referral.
If you request a particular doctor e.g. male doctor for male complaints you might have to accept an appointment within the week.
The NHS has been working brilliantly for us.

This is not a complaint. I worked for the NHS for 17 years until Covid struck and I retired. That great organisation was under strain before Covid and I have great admiration for the way they have coped through this seemingly, never-ending pandemic. However, what is happening to GP appointments? My surgery makes it very clear that they do not want anyone with a Covid related issue to either phone or call in person. Why, then are patients with the usual ailments not being seen face-to-face and within a reasonable amount of time? Recently, after 2 telephone consultations that did nothing to address my concerns, I asked if I could see my GP at the surgery. After a discussion with the duty doctor, the receptionist made an appointment for yesterday afternoon. When I was called in to the GP's room it was to find that a paramedic practitioner was going to see me, not a doctor. To be fair he was very thorough and has made an appointment for me to have an x-ray and, oh goody, an endoscopy. I just worry that this present system may result in people's conditions worsening with dire results in some cases.

I've phoned on five occasions to get a phone consultation re my medications only to be told all that day's appointments are gone - by 8.10 am. Am then offered a phone consultation in three weeks time. What on earth would happen if I had an infection that needed antibiotics or anything else urgent?

The triage system seems to work at our surgery. You may have to wait for a doctor to phone you back but on the two occasions I have needed them recently I have been called in on the same day. I phoned last Friday morning and by lunchtime I was in a hospital bed with an operation on the Saturday. I really can’t fault that.
the younger generation seem less fussed about only seeing a nurse or talking to a GP on the phone. We have become accustomed to open access which the NHS can no longer afford. Also, sad to say, we aren’t always the best judge of what is urgent. I also wonder if they are looking at people’s records and judging them by how often they contact the surgery,

As I have reported on another thread, on Monday of last week I thought I detected signs of a previous problem which had landed me in hospital, and at 0800 on Tuesday morning I rang my GP practice. I got through after only 10 minutes (typical of pre-pandemic service) and the receptionist promised that a doctor would ring me back during the morning. This he did at 1010, and I was in his surgery being examined at 1135. He rang the local hospital while I was there, and by 1230 I was in A&E. Full marks to the GP practice.

My DIL saw her GP yesterday!! Couldn’t believe it. I asked her if she had to carry out a risk assessment first!?

It does seem strange that there is so much difficulty. I asked when my surgery was going to get back to pre covid practices and was told that they didn't know as there had been a rise in covid figures. I did point out that my dentist had been seeing people since the beginning of the year,.

I am being treated via telephone appointment by a yoga instructor who used to be a GP. I googled her.

To be fair I must say that I was seen quickly and referred to a hospital clinic when I had a breast problem.

Also, sad to say, we aren’t always the best judge of what is urgent. I also wonder if they are looking at people’s records and judging them by how often they contact the surgery
Even before covid I was told not to keep bothering the surgery for something they couldn't put a finger on which turned out to be serious. So yes, I can see they might think the above now.

Our Drs call system is now almost virtual and it’s difficult to speak to “someone” regarding medications and tests etc. This must be awkward for people not familiar with computers or technology.
My husband was waiting over a week for a Drs telephone call and two weeks to speak to the nurse. It was stressful for him because he had changed medication and wasn’t well.
We have young neighbours with small children who had eventually been directed to the local walk in centres. On two separate occasions only to be told to go to A&E then being told the problems were trivial. That the walk-in centres should have sorted the problems out. There is a distinct lack of communication between department's which seems illogical.

One answer is that there weren’t enough GPs before Covid and more have retired or simply left. My practice is very efficient but the GPs are either old or part time. Lack of investment from both political parties in the past.

Our practice is not short of Drs there are three of them. It’s the reason why patients are questioning the lack of service we are getting. My friend works as a medical secretary at the other practice in the same health centre.

It's the same here, 3 week wait for a GP telephone appointment. However it's more likely that a nurse appointment is a possibility. However no continuation of treatment, pot luck.

I bet they do 'mark the card' of folk who ring often- for years i was in/out of our GP surgery with my son, who always had one thing & another wrong-( besides knowing he had been born very early, previous lung disease & left with asthma) it turns out he had an undiagnosed neurological condition, and an undiagnosed gastro problem as well.I wont say the surgery receptionist changed overnight, but it was a bit easier to secure an appt for him after that.

But yes, since start of pandemic theres been hardly any face to face appts at all at our GP surgery, Nothing at all for a year, but now most things are back to almost normal running/opening, the doctors is like a ghost town! Just day to day management by repeat prescriptions mostly, and you get a third degree grilling if you want an appt. That reminds me, i need to ring& enquire about blood results from a few weeks ago, that they definitely told me they would ring & tell me about....??

Our surgery is brilliant. I have been able to get sane dat appointments the whole time.
Yesterday I tried their EConsult where I filled out a form with symptoms etc. I sent the form off at 8am and at 10am a doctor rang me and solved the problem. This was amazing especially after a bank holiday.

My DD's surgery seem to be almost back to normal now, while ours (2 doctors, and one only part time lady doc) still barely sees anyone- most appts are by phone, and nurse sees most folk who go into surgery.

We’re lucky enough not to have needed much interaction with our surgery. I’ve done two e-consults, which were ok.

However, a friend tried to book a smear test yesterday and was asked if she’s accept a phone appointment!

Our surgery is brilliant, I’ve had three face to face appointments in the last 15 months after initial e-consults and a couple of phone calls for updates. One face to face meant a breast clinic referral within a week.

Our GP surgery can only offer phone appointments and they usually involve a wait of a week.

Those few lucky posters who get seen quickly are probably benefiting from a postcode lottery rather like the treatments offered at varying times in varying places described in this interesting article.

www.theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/01/huge-discrepancy-nhs-england-waiting-times-common-procedures?