I have a face to face doctors appointment finally ????

Brilliant, thank you, Candelle!

I have just written some facts on another health related thread and feel that they may explain some of the difficulties faced by Gransnetters on this one, so I will pop it on at the end.

Before I do, I am so sorry to read of the health problems and concerns of people here. Being ill is such a horrible worrying, painful time. However... it is not the fault of your GP that you cannot be seen immediately, although there are 'well run' surgeries and some, not so. Like everything else, there are wide variations in quality.

In very simple terms and as Maddyone has said many times, there are not enough GPs.

That, really, is the one fact that you need to take on board.

This nonsense about GPs not working more than two or three days a week, that their surgeries are run for profit and all the other really silly points are nonsensical. There are not enough GPs. More GPs are retiring (they are burnt out and fed up of criticism) than are being trained.
There are not enough GPs.

Why there are not enough is a complex question, partially answered below. Not enough funding. As usual, it comes down to money.

GPs cannot work much harder. I rang my GP daughter last night (to see how her Covid-positive daughter is faring) but she could only spare a minute as she was still working. This was at 10.00 pm. I rang then as I thought she would have been home (usually around 9.30 pm) and had something to eat. I had forgotten she is working from home due to her daughter's Covid. She had been working for 14 hours at that point.

Incidentally at her surgery, patients are given the option of a face-to-face or telephone consultation. It may surprise you to know that they run about 50/50. Many patients are pleased not to have to get dressed, drive, park etc., and are very pleased with a telephone consultation. Obviously this is not appropriate for everything.

The reason why surgeries are currently pretty empty is that they have tried to stop their patients sitting in crowded waiting rooms and catching Covid.

We will all have to pay more taxes, train more doctors and stop relying on goodwill which is how the NHS manages to run. My daughter says that is she actually averaged the hours she puts in, she would probably earn less than minimum wage. I am sure that you won't believe me but it is true.

I have also suggested previously that you should contact your Practice Manager to try and clear up problems and join the Patient Participation Group at your surgery as then you would have direct input. The Practice Manager usually attends meetings.

Here are some facts:
N.B. If this is too long a read, just check out the last paragraph. It shows why the NHS is struggling. Also please see the fact regarding GP earnings.

I would like to stay apolitical but thought that you may like to know some facts. Hard facts.

General background:
General practice has faced a decade of under investment.
Patient consultations are increasing as the population grows.
Patients are living longer with more complex health needs.

Comparison to previous years:
In 2017 the NHS gave 8.1% of the NHS budget to general practice.
This was significantly less than the previous decade (in 2005/6 general practice received 9.6%).
To equate the same figure for 2017/18 the investment should have been just over £12 billion. It was not.

Relationship between investment and GP earnings:
Although GP investment increased each year, GP earnings have decreased.
Example: Between 2012/13 and 2013/14 GP investment increased by 4.7%.
This is because whilst GP investment has been increasing, the total cost of expenses has also increased but at a much faster rate.
Between 2015/16 and 2016/17 GP investment increased by 5.7% whereas total expenses increased by 8.5%.
These steep increases in expenses therefore impact GP income and do not allow increased investment to be translated in to increased earnings.

A significant boost to general practice funding generally is needed.
I repeat: GP earnings decreased by 3%.

Health spending as a share of GDP:
This remains at the lowest level in a decade.
As a share of GDP, spending on health in 2018/19 was roughly the same as in 2011/12 and only marginally above that of 2008/09.
This is as a result of low growth in health spending which has risen by 1.6% a year on average since 2011/12.
This is less than half the long-run trend of growth in health spending which is 3.6% a year in real terms.
In 2018/19 the UK spent around £153 billion on health, at 2019/20 prices.
On average health spending has increased by 3.6% a year over the history of the NHS as a result of growing population, prevalence of chronic conditions and rising cost of delivering care.
However, over the past decade, the spending on health has slowed to just 1.6% a year since 2011/12. At that point health spending was 7.3% of GDP, a drop since its highest level of 7.6% in 2009/10.

Due to low spending growth since then, the NHS has grown at a similar rate to GDP growth and now stands at 7.2% of GDP.

In terms of growth as a percentage of GDP, the nine-year period since 2009/10 is the lowest since the first decade of the NHS.

We need to learn to keep them once trained.

All the money in the world can’t produce ALL the new public service staff we need-GPS, nurses, midwives, teachers, police etc etc. It takes time to train folk.

At my GP surgery instead of making appointments on line as before I now have to ring at 8am for on the day appointment. I rang on Tuesday morning only waited 5 mins in a queue and was given a face to face appointment that morning. I can’t understand why it’s such a different experience for others some of your stories are appalling. I wonder what each surgery is doing that’s so different and why it’s been allowed to happen.

I am very happy for you and ashamed of the 'system' that has allowed this to happen to you. You have indeed had a win on the NHS lottery but I hope you have an even bigger one when you have a satisfactory outcome to your problem. So sad for the anxious frustration you must have suffered. What a shambles!

Why did Sajid Jarvis refuse to address the GPs conference? He was supposed to give a video address but pulled out. Jeers abounded when that was announced. He is telling GPs to see more patients face to face but couldn’t face keeping his own appointments. Chris Whitty turned up and had. a good reception. Giving a few thousands ( not new money - taken out of other health services) to GPs to see more patients is derisory.

Well done Sago! You have to be persistent.
No wonder folk are going to A&E.
We are very lucky. We are still getting same day appointments. The doctor who rang back about my ear problem today gave me advice but said it would be better if I popped in to see him!

I’m in Scotland and while initially the receptionist fields the call in my surgery the doctor calls back and if they think it appropriate ask you to come in. We have been extremely satisfied with our treatment since the pandemic.

GPS can access patient case notes from home, as GP notes are fully electronic - at least, I know that’s the case in Wales but I assume it’s the case throughout the UK.

It’s been apparent for a long time that a large number of people, frustrsted at being unable in some cases to even get through to their GP practice by phone, turn up in desperation at A and E.

Most of these people of course shouldn’t be there, they should have been seen and treated by their GP but as we all know that’s becoming more and more difficult.

Let’s hope the government’s latest plan helps, for all our sakes.

Ten months for a suspicious mole! :-o I'm glad you're finally in but I wouldn't find that acceptable.

HI1954 Accessing your personal records is very different to having access to thousands of records.
This cannot be done without the security,servers and hard drives the surgery has.

Is that so?? How come I can access my own medical records from home then?

HI1954 Apparently many GP’s are working from home, they cannot access medical records from home!

I had a telephone appointment with a new GP at my surgery last week. She prescribed a particular medication, sent the prescription electronically through to the pharmacy and my OH collected it later that day. I always read the leaflets included in medication, good thing I did too as an underlying medical condition is contraindicated. Clearly the GP had not even bothered to read my past medical history.

I hope so too. x

Not at all, Urmstongran.
Hopefully things will improve.

Joannapiano I’m so sorry, it is disgraceful that your husband has been treated so badly, I think my GP practice is on the back foot because I caught them out skewing the figures by saying a phone call was face to face!

It was however such a relief not to have to talk to hostile receptionists.

I know it is possible to email via the app but it’s box ticking and there was so much I needed to convey.

I am so relieved.

joannapiano ?
My apologies for my flippant post. I hope it didn’t offend.

Well done, Sago!

Shocking that you've had such a struggle.

Urmstongran, I’m afraid we have completely lost faith in the NHS.

I know how stressful it is waiting for that phone call. All good wishes to you and your husband for tomorrow.

anyway, it’s good to see that the GPs have got over their covid timidity to head to conference. .. hopefully that in itself will start to feed through into how they see patients.

joannapiano sadly exactly the same with my Husband. Oncologist is ringing tomorrow to report on the 6months of chemo and the results of a scan done in July! Last face to face with either a Doctor/consultant was before first lockdown.