Bonkers new rule at our GP surgery

silverlining48

Until Covid, it was straightforward to get a gp appointment. My erstwhile excellent surgery could often offer one within the next few days, otherwise a week or two if I wanted to see my named GP. You saw the doctor at the surgery, where they could examine lumps and bumps if necessary.
Why the change now. Have so many GPs suddenly left en masse since 2020?
I was curious so asked at my surgery and none of the doctors have left so what has changed, why is it suddenly impossible to have a face to face appointment, while other practices are more or less back to normal.

Ours was excellent too, no GPS or staff have left.
I spent 36 minutes on the phone only to be interrogated as to why I needed an appointment. I was told that a GP would phone within 72 working hours (presumably I was supposed to sit by the phone for the next 2 weeks?)
I must have missed the call because no call back.
I drove to the surgery to try again. Was told I had to phone so I very politely pointed out that that hadn’t worked. I now have an appointment for 15 December!! Utterly ridiculous, thank goodness it isn’t an emergency. It’s no wonder people go to A&E instead.

From many of the posts on here I think a lot of problems are caused by the fact that every surgery has different rules and routines and often we as patients simply don’t know what they are. Our GP surgery changes its procedures regularly (ie from a “ring at 8 for a same day appointment” to “ring at 8 for a morning appointment, 12 for an afternoon one”, then adding “ring or call in after 4 for a non-urgent appointment”, then back again to the first system). The website is never updated, so it claims to do e-consult, until you find the link is broken and it hasn’t used it for 6 months, etc.

Then of course there are some really daft rules (many of them highlighted on here). We went for vaccinations recently, DH asked the nurse if he could book his asthma check and was told he could just pop to Reception to do it. Round he went to find a locked door and a receptionist looking at him from inside and telling him via the intercom that he had to ring for an appointment. When he said he hadn’t got his phone he was told to go home and ring from there. The reason? “Patient safety - I’ve got poorly people in here” (in the waiting room next door). None of it made a lick of sense!

On the other hand, some changes are for the better. For those who can use technology, they can be really beneficial (though of course there should always be alternatives for those who can’t).

DH had a patch of persistent raw skin on his face, rang up, got a phone appointment. Described it to the doctor, was asked to send in a photo there and then, got a call back immediately with a diagnosis and had a prescribed ointment delivered to our house two days later. So much easier than back in the day when he’d have had to go in, sit around in a waiting room full of poorly people, then off to the chemist to wait for the medication.

And when I broke my arm, I had regular calls from a physio talking me through the exercises I needed and then emailing full instructions. So much easier for me than having to go in to the health centre.

Sending in a letter though? That’s completely barmy, surely? Has Jacob Rees Mogg got any connections to your surgery, OP?

We prefer to see our regular GP. No problem getting appointments, usually within a week or two for GP but you can walk straight in to a medical centre and see the next available doctor
It seems to work well, especially for minor emergencies.

However, a friend's DD, a GP, emigrated to NZ and worked in that system there. She disliked not having her own list of patients and the lack of continuity.
She came back to the UK.

Sending a note may be the only way to contact the surgery .
Ours hasn’t changed it’s website since 2019, so have no idea how they operate, they don’t have an email address, econsult never available, phoning is not encouraged so a written note is the only way to contact them, but they were not happy with that either.
Not barmy but desperate.

AussieGran59

My goodness, I am glad I live in Australia after reading all of this. Even if we do pay into a private health fund. Wouldn’t be without private insurance; we’re just used to paying for health services. Our GP doesn’t bulk bill so it costs us $30 each time we visit but there are plenty of medical centres we can go to if we don’t mind seeing any old doctor. I couldn’t imagine being restricted to one particular practice. Most medical centres don’t cost a cent but for anything major We prefer to see our regular GP. No problem getting appointments, usually within a week or two for GP but you can walk straight in to a medical centre and see the next available doctor.
Can’t believe the rigmarole you all have to go through over there. Posting a letter to get an appointment? Utter madness.

You can book your appointment online at most practices AussieGran. A proportion of people, often elderly, will not/cannot do that, however.

As for Australia, on a recent evening, my son took his son to four walk-in medical centres to get a prescription for a drug he often has to use. Each was open until 10.00 p.m., and each fully booked before 6. p.m. My son then rang his private GP and managed to get it sorted. There is no reason why you would not/could not have a private GP here and run through the same scenario. However, our culture is such that we have, for over 70 years, paid for our "health insurance" with the NHS so that the pot is bigger and more that need it get their medical needs met.

This government is determined to have a system more like yours. Because of Tory ideology, the NHS is underfunded and has been for the last 12 years. It is no wonder it is creaking at the seams. That does not make it an intrinsically "bad" system. It only becomes that under a right-wing government determined to change it out of all recognition.

To Oreo in response to your post:
'Candelle does your GP family member who works 14 hours a day actually see many patients in a day?
Because most GP’s seem to prefer running a phone call system and not face to face.
Some people haven’t seen their own GP in a few years.Others struggle to even get a phone appointment.
They aren’t all working 14 hour days or even seven hour days.'

My daughter is spending this weekend (from her 'day off' yesterday to tomorrow late afternoon, at a surgery planning session. She is therefore away from her family for practically the whole weekend.

I will ask her the answer to your question when I am able to speak to her, so please watch out for my response.

To Oreo who posted:
'Also Candelle please don’t insult our intelligence with claims of poverty regarding GP salaries.They earn plenty.'

I don't think it is a matter of intelligence, purely that the public read incorrect articles in the press and believe what they see. The truth is something different.

My niece lives in Barbados and their health service is much better than ours . Her husband had a build up of wax in his ears and went to their doctor who immediately dealt with the problem himself. During Covid the doctor visited patients.

Bijou my biggest worry is that the cuts are so often in the basics such as this. When the National Health System came in, it was the very basic stuff that made a difference in the working population's health.

Dentistry is an obvious one, as was ensuring people can hear as well as possible and see as well as possible. The first NHS doctors were pleased to be able to deal with 'piles', and put a "stitch' in to stop continuously lost pregnancies and mend some of the lasting problems from giving birth.

It was always going to be the case that when the NHS began to outsource, we would have to pay for the outsourced items.

I think if all doctors had to do a mandatory 1 year as a GP after 4 years of being qualified and then 1 year every 4 years it would solve the problem. Also those in private practice do the same for NHS as part of their licence to practice.

Forced labour, Sazzl - wow! Do you really want to be treated by a doctor who has no wish to be there?

sazz I don’t wish to offend but I don’t think you know anything at all about doctors training. In fact most people don’t. What would happen to speciality training? Don’t you think we need specialist doctors in many areas of medicine? Waiting lists would be a lot longer if all consultants took one year in four off to work in the speciality of general practice. Aren’t you aware that GPs spend three years training to be GPs? And what’s this about four years training to be a doctor? My daughter spent six years doing her medical degree, and then like all other newly qualified doctors she spent two years in a hospital doing her F1 and F2 years, which although paid, count as further training. I can hardly believe that so many people think they know so much about doctors training when in actual fact they don’t know anything!

sazz1

I think if all doctors had to do a mandatory 1 year as a GP after 4 years of being qualified and then 1 year every 4 years it would solve the problem. Also those in private practice do the same for NHS as part of their licence to practice.

Why?

There are other ways of solving the problem than forcing doctors who have specialised into doing GP work for a quarter of their working life!

Should all people of working age be forced to fill vacancies in areas where there is a shortage?

Blimey, let’s hope nobody from the Dept for Work and Pensions is reading this - they might just extend the idea to those of us above working age as well! Anybody got a spare garden shed I can hide in?

The World has gone mad (well blooming Doctor’s surgeries anyway). Just bloody daft😡

Maggiemaybe

Blimey, let’s hope nobody from the Dept for Work and Pensions is reading this - they might just extend the idea to those of us above working age as well! Anybody got a spare garden shed I can hide in?

I'll be Two Soups

I don’t know if this belongs here or not but in addition to everything that has been said here, my uncle, who is in his mid-eighties, can now hardly move. For many years, he has been looking after my aunt, along with carers, who is a total invalid? He needed to be seen by a doctor and was asked if he could get there. When he replied that it was impossible he was given some cursory advice about upping his painkillers. How does anyone know if there is nothing more serious without being seen. More importantly, where is the compassion in twenty-first century Britain?

Is there no family who could take him?
I took my mother to the doctor, the dentist, the hospital, the podiatrist, and the opticians.

In my area, there's a voluntary service for people in exactly that situation. Drivers are paid a nominal sum to transport people to medical appointments. Is there anything similar in your uncle's area? My surgery also has a paramedic, who does home visits.

Oh well listen to this!

4 weeks ago I applied/filled the forms in so that I could order my dad's medication on line and book appointments on line( Like I do with my own surgery and it works well)

So far so good!

I hadn't heard anything about the form so rung my dad's surgery and was told (by a lovely young gilr, that someone would be in touch) whoopeee I thought, oh to make life simpler.

Later that after noon I recived this word for word.

Unfortunately we are unable to set up Proxy account for Mr X as he has capacity he can usethe normal online form and add your email address

Sound's ok doesn't it!

My dad is 87. was diagnosed with Parkinsons 10 yrs ago, has dyslexia, grieving for his wife of 72 yrs has no idea how to fill forms in, whatso ever.

I am too disgusted to invetigate further at the mo, as I'm sure I may say something I regret.

We have POA for health but are trying to let my dad be as independant as he can for as long as. But as for logging onto a laptop etc etc etc . I am speechless.

apologies for spelling mistakes I got a bit angry.

It's just plain thoughtless, bikergran!!
It sounds as if a jobsworth sent that message.

The tickbox mentality.
Phone and ask to speak to the practice manager.

Yes I just think it is disgusting! I have booked an appointment for my dad (3 weeks wait but there we go) for next Tuesday, I think I will need a chill pill before I enter the room as I will be asking about this latest Comedy. Trouble is the Doc we are seeeing is not a usual one and obviously not his/her fault. But we shall see how it goes.

We are desperately short of GPs. (My local surgery took over the list of another when the drs there retired, and no-one wanted to take their jobs) Many foreign-born doctors and nurses have returned home after all the unpleasantness of Brexit because they felt unwelcome either personally as people had been rude to them, or as a group when 2016 seemed to unleash a tirade of overt racism.
I hear of many UK-born doctors disappearing to Australia, NZ and Canada where they feel they might be treated with a little respect by the govt.
As for drs going part-time, I'd have gone part-time from a ridiculously stressful job, if it meant protecting my mental and/or physical health.
Those poor souls still carrying on are ludicrously over-stretched.

I live 150 miles from my aunt and uncle. My cousins are working. Fortunately, a neighbour has volunteered to take him. Even so, it will be very difficult for him to get in the car and move into the surgery. There are still occasions when home visits are necessary and kinder and l think that when a patient is very elderly and frail (and has paid their taxes and tried to use the NHS as little as possible) they need them and a hefty dose of compassion.