Bonkers new rule at our GP surgery

That is utterly ridiculous!

How peculiar. I'm hoping it's not correct.

Disgraceful.

So different to here.

OH to surgery “can I have an appt with K** (nurse)”
Receptionist “sorry she is starting late tomorrow, will 10am be OK?”

Update: DH has just come back from his little walk to the surgery, he went in to hand over letter and was asked ' Would you like an appointment?'. This despite several posts on our local FB page telling people that they must not drop in to the surgery to make an appointment. It seems that having a letter in one's hand is not construed as a personal visit. Sounds as if the staff training is going well........

Nothing to do with Brexit, just daft rules from your surgery.
Very few are running as they were pre pandemic and I fear will never return that way.
I haven’t had a face to face appointment with a GP in a long time.A long rigmarole done via computer followed by a phone call at some point to discuss the problem.

Sorry, but what’s Brexit got to do with it?

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Few surgeries can run as they did before the pandemic because GPs have left in droves and we have an increasing population with fewer doctors. It’s not rocket science to work out that that means fewer appointments will be available.

Our surgery is very similar. If you want an appointment, you have to phone. They open at 8.30am - lines are always constantly engaged until mid-morning if you're lucky, then when you do get through, they arrange a call back from a GP to find out if you really do need an appointment that day, which is only for 'urgent' things. You can't book an appointment in advance for non-urgent things. It's like going round and round in circles. I've had a lump I'd like investigating since pre-covid, but haven't been able to see anyone about it.

Just tell them it’s urgent because it’s an investigated lump. Mind you, if it’s been there since before Covid and it’s unchanged, it’s probably not urgent at all. You could send a picture in with an email of course.

We can ring up and make same day appointments with GP's and also advance ones with nurses and GP's... I wonder why so many surgeries seem to be so inaccessible... what has really changed since the Pandemic... surely they should all have resumed normal practice by now..

I’ve just said what has changed since the pandemic, there are fewer GPs (retirement, moving into other specialties, emigration, and fewer doctors training as GPs) and a larger population. It’s not rocket science.

maddyone I would bet that you or a family member is a GP as you are overly defensive.
Btw my own surgery has the same doctors (6) that it had pre pandemic and no population ‘surge’ nearby.

We do everything on line.
That leaves the phone free for people who don’t use technology.
The surgery get back to us, usually the same day.
There is one question that I take literally- What would you like us to do?- I do tell them but, sadly, I don’t always get what I want!

maddyone

Why don’t you stop moaning and be glad your husband has got an appointment?

You think having to write a letter in order to have someone phone you to make an appointment is an improvement?

maddyone

Just tell them it’s urgent because it’s an investigated lump. Mind you, if it’s been there since before Covid and it’s unchanged, it’s probably not urgent at all. You could send a picture in with an email of course.

Unless your surgery doesn't look at emails from patients.
Ours doesn't but, luckily, does answer the phone and does make appointments - phone or in-person as needed.

Our surgery always responds to contact on line, and although it’s difficult to get through in the morning, it’s usually okay in the afternoon. Whenever I have needed to see/speak to my GP, I have managed to do so. I can make an appointment for a phone consultation usually a week or so later. If it’s urgent, the GP will see you, as happened when I had a kidney infection.

Oreo I may well be overly defensive but I don’t understand why it’s too difficult for the population to understand that over the course of the pandemic we lost 2000 GPs. We also have an increasing population. Fewer GPs are being trained because it’s a very stressful job and doctors don’t want to go into it. We can’t force people to choose that speciality over others. We have too few GPs, it’s that simple. We cannot attract doctors into that particular speciality. Given the constant complaints, I’m not really surprised.
It would be pointless to write to your MP because the government are trying to attract more people to train as GPs but they just don’t want to. Have you ever wondered why?

Frankly no maddyone it’s a career which amply rewards I think, job satisfaction at helping ill people and being good at what you’ve trained for plus very well paid and a status too.
Long gone are the two doctors who share a family practice and work all hours including day and night calls.

Very strange! My surgery sometimes gets a bit shirty about having a diabetic review too (even though the nurse doesn't actually do anything), but I can book my tests via the online system. These days, I have access to the results online. The surgery is supposed to contact me if there's anything to be discussed, although they don't always. I understand the results myself, so I make an online request, if there's anything concerning me. The HCA takes my blood pressure and weighs me when I have my blood taken. The surgery actively discourages letters and phone calls to reception.

maddyone

Just tell them it’s urgent because it’s an investigated lump. Mind you, if it’s been there since before Covid and it’s unchanged, it’s probably not urgent at all. You could send a picture in with an email of course.

It's changed and there's nothing to actually see. It would need to be 'felt' in person.

How rediculous! I would be changing surgeries.

You are very rude maddyone and also very wrong.
I rang my surgery yesterday for antibiotics that I had last year for the current problem I have now. "Can't do that". Why, always been done in the past. "Safety"! "You need to speak to someone" - that's fine, when can I do that. Reply 29th November!

Blondiescot

maddyone

Just tell them it’s urgent because it’s an investigated lump. Mind you, if it’s been there since before Covid and it’s unchanged, it’s probably not urgent at all. You could send a picture in with an email of course.

It's changed and there's nothing to actually see. It would need to be 'felt' in person.

In that case, you really do need to kick up a bit of a fuss. GPs can now send patients directly for scans, etc.

I say that as somebody whose breast cancer was misdiagnosed and I was made to feel as though I was making a fuss about nothing. Six months were wasted before I was diagnosed.

The one small advantage is that the surgery jumps when I contact them now and can't see me fast enough. I did investigate suing, but decided against it in the end.