Bonkers new rule at our GP surgery

Joane123

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!

Does the surgery have an online system? If you need antibiotics, the sooner you start, the better, so it's almost certainly urgent. Maybe you could ring 111.

Our surgery is great and this works much better than hanging on the telephone we send an E mail which is answered quite quickly in my case sent it at 6 pm was rang at 9 am next day
Face to face appointments and if it’s an emergency they see you same day

Although we can still get face to face appointments or telephone consultations if we ring early in the morning, our surgery no loner deals with wounds and dressings.
I was recently attacked by a large dog, for no reason, and needed A&E attention. Stitches to my scalp and chin and treatment to my arm. I was told to make an appointment with the nurse at the GP's 5 days later to have the wounds checked and another in 10 days to have the stitches removed.
When I tried to make the appointments I was told that they no longer dealt with wounds and dressings and I should ring another number to make appointment. I did, The first appointment was at a GP surgery 8 miles away to have the wounds checked and the second about 3 miles away.
I wonder how people without transport manage to keep these appointments, as the bus services here are appaulling and would require several bus changes to go these relatively short distances.

If I needed an ECG or an Ultrasound Scan, they could be done at my GP's, but not basic wound dressings.

Yes there are shortages of GP's and practice nurses but I can't understand why basic treatments aren't available in some places but OK in others. Sounds like a jobsworth has been let loose.

Can you email them? Our surgery allows this and it is quite useful

Remember when you would go to the GP and sit down, when someone came out of the GP's room the next person would go in and everybody moved to the next seat.

Now they only see a set number of patients each day.

My GP has just introduced a "total triage" system. All appointments have to go through the online system and are then prioritised with the appropriate clinician. Apparently, those who don't have internet access or can't use a computer can ring reception, who will fill in the form for the patient. It hasn't started yet, so I don't know how it will work.

CraftyGranny

Remember when you would go to the GP and sit down, when someone came out of the GP's room the next person would go in and everybody moved to the next seat.

Now they only see a set number of patients each day.

My surgery claims that GPs sometimes see 100 patients a day.

I log onto the NHS app on my phone, click on the little stethoscope at the bottom where it says ‘advice’ and fill in my query.

One of the GPS will ring me the same day or the next one.

No problem.

Our surgery doesn't allow emails, its not even on their website info, has told my dh off twice when he delivered a note about a post hip op query I had and it switches off the econsult option every day with a nessage to 'try again tomorrow'. '
The only way us to phone and prepare to wait and wait....and wait and then get a phone appt weeks hence.
I said on another post i have not seen a dr face to face since 2019 and think its very sad that GPs seem to be leaving in droves and not clear why.
My much missed previous gp left some years ago in her mid 50s. I thought she would 'see me out'.
Now its a struggle to see any doctor whike my dd sees her gp without problem.

Oreo

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.

Your comment informs me that you have little idea of how it is for doctors in General Practice.
My comment about the difficulties of attracting doctors into training to become GPs should have informed you of the true position. Still, people believe what they want to believe don’t they? Don’t let the facts get in the way!

Not everyone has difficulty in accessing a GP surgery.

Joane123

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!

Sometimes Joanne the only way to make people understand the problem is to be blunt. And even then some don’t.
What’s wrong with ‘safety’ being a high priority? I would have thought it should be the first consideration, but apparently you don’t think so.
Plus, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, because some people don’t appear to be able to understand. We have insufficient GPs. Actually we have insufficient doctors of any specialisation. Doctors don’t want to be GPs. Reading this thread I can see precisely why. The government have been trying to encourage more doctors to go into general practice but the doctors don’t want to. And even when I asked has anyone wondered why, the answer came back no. So there you have it. I’m not going to wrap up the truth in fancy paper and put a bow on it for you. The truth is WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH GPs. THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY FOR THE NUMBER OF GPs WE HAVE GOT.
And the government have tried to encourage more doctors to train as GPs BUT THEY DON’T WANT TO BE GPs.

Aveline

I make a point of walking into the surgery (5 minutes walk) and asking for whatever it is directly, because the nurse I spoke to on the phone (after 40 minutes) said that I could.

maddyone I didn't say there was anything wrong with the safety issue, although it has never happened before, just having to wait until the 29th to speak to someone.
Still can't get passed how belligerent you are. Is it really necessary. Although I suspect it is if you are always right.

Bloody hell MaddyOne. I was just trying to be a mix of humour and exasperation over the performance we had trying to get an appt. You are very aggressive and rude in your replies, we do all know about shortages of GPs and your comments don't help. Thank you.

Thank you growstuff I have taken your advice.

maddyone and just to add, everyone is aware of the difficulties in recruiting medics. What people are doing here is expressing their concerns about the situation they find themselves in.

As I said, sometimes you have to spell things out because people don’t understand or don’t want to understand.
If we all know about the shortage of GPs, then why the constant questions about lack of appointments? It seems we don’t all know, or we choose to ignore.
I think there have been some very disrespectful comments made about the availability of access to GPs to be honest.
And additionally some very sensible and understanding comments. It’s only the posters who are engaging in criticisms or failing to understand who don’t like the responses, which are, after all, true.
It’s pointless to complain about a lack of availability of GP appointments when there are insufficient GPs. Complaining on a social forum such as Gransnet won’t change anything, it just gives posters a facility in which to complain.

Had a text from my surgery yesterday to see the nurse about my blood test results and the doctor would like me to have them redone in 2 months. Only waited couple of mins and got an appointment for next week and the receptionist told me the date in January to phone too book my blood test.

I have no complaints about anyone at my surgery even during lockdown I still could get any help I needed. Same at the hospitals.

You fill in an online form for ours, or email, usually get a response with 24 hours.
What doesn’t help, as our surgery posted today, last month 384 patients just didn’t turn up for appointments, 97 of which were GP face to face, 69 with the nurse, others with health care assistants and other services.
How is this wanton disrespect stopped?

Joane123

Thank you growstuff I have taken your advice.

Fingers crossed for you.

Jaxjacky

You fill in an online form for ours, or email, usually get a response with 24 hours.
What doesn’t help, as our surgery posted today, last month 384 patients just didn’t turn up for appointments, 97 of which were GP face to face, 69 with the nurse, others with health care assistants and other services.
How is this wanton disrespect stopped?

Doesn't that leave more time for those who do turn up?

PS. I've seen the notice on my surgery and it's never anywhere near those figures.

Most of the appointments are now by phone and patients aren't given a time. I know I've waited hours for a call and it's then happened when I've been on the loo (or otherwise away from my phone). You can't ring back and it counts as a missed appointment.

I am one of the lucky ones , I cannot fault my GP practice, it is just wonderful. So much so that we’d really like to move house, but hearing everyone else’s problems I think we’ll stay put. Their latest innovation is a telephone system that calls you back when it’s your turn- no more waiting in a queue! We have both joined the patients group attached to the surgery, it’s given us a chance to help out and to give the staff feedback, in which they appear to be very interested and take on board any suggestions we make, or explain why it would not be possible / practical to go ahead with a suggestion. I really recommend joining your patients group, it’s very rewarding and insightful, and often they are crying out for volunteers.

FarNorth

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?

I think it is more likely that someone has got hold of the wrong end of the stick.