No GPs?

questioned it seems that a GP was doing telephone appointments but they had all gone. This surgery has several GPs, it's a large practice but poorly run. I had thought that they had been required to sort this out now.

Ohh, that sounds awful Daisymae. What if you are really sick?

nanna8

Ohh, that sounds awful Daisymae. What if you are really sick?

I would imagine that the receptionist asked the OP what the problem was and took the decision that a nurse practitioner was the appropriate person to see.
It works brilliantly in my surgery.

I am rarely ill. So I dont know what things are generally like at our surgery.
Been ill for 2 weeks.

Last week it was a Wednesday when I rang. Was 9th in queue. A Doctor rang me back within the hour. And presribed me something. Which I was able to pick up 2 hours later.
Today, it being a Monday, it keeps saying the queue is full so I havent been able to speak with even a receptionist so far.

Should say, the answerphone message says ring 999 if emergency. And ring 111 if need a doctor out of hours.

I called my GP this morning. As it wasn't urgent, I was given a telephone appointment on "Thursday morning" - 0900 to 1330!
It's such a shame that they are SO overworked that they can no longer see their patients, leave take time to get to know them...

Our surgery I should also add, used to be good. Maybe it still is??

grandMattie

I called my GP this morning. As it wasn't urgent, I was given a telephone appointment on "Thursday morning" - 0900 to 1330!
It's such a shame that they are SO overworked that they can no longer see their patients, leave take time to get to know them...

Overworked? 🤣🤣 they’ve nearly all gone over to part time working. It’s a 2 week wait for an appointment at our surgery but when you finally get there it’s like the Marie Celeste! 3 empty waiting areas at ours.

We got a letter from our GP practice last week listing the Dr's there are nine ,one man and 8 part-time women.
We were told we could no longer expect to phone from 8.30 and sit on the line for as long as it took to get an appointment. From now on we could phone but it would be the receptionist with a G.P at her side who would triage the ailment and decide when in the next week it was urgent enough to see one of the Dr's.
The suggestion was this would prevent the long queues trying to get through. On rereading, I realised you would still have to sit on the line from 8'30 to get an appointment for even later in the week as there was not an appointed time to phone for non-urgent cases.
We were also told we might get a better response if we contacted them on line.
Not everyone knows how to use the computer for this in fact my elderly neighbour does not know how to switch one on she relies on her family.
To me, it just sounds like a cop out I would be interested to know what others think.
To top it all one of our pharmacies has closed down and the others are not coping with the extra workload, we are not to bother the practice with this problem but sort it out with the pharmacy that is willing to have you. Lots of patients live in rural areas with no public transport the town practice can be up to 10 miles away. Who wants to go and pick up a prescription that is not there? I phoned Boots to see if mine was in and was told in no uncertain terms not to phone again, they would text me, again lots of elderly around me do not have mobiles.
To me, this system discriminates against elderly people who do not use technology and people who live in remote rural areas.

grandMattie

I called my GP this morning. As it wasn't urgent, I was given a telephone appointment on "Thursday morning" - 0900 to 1330!
It's such a shame that they are SO overworked that they can no longer see their patients, leave take time to get to know them...

You’re lucky, just for a telephone appointment I have had to wait three weeks! 🤦‍♀️

I think though it takes some getting used to that GPs operate in a different way, partly as a result of the shortage of GPs, partly with greater use of technology. The triage system ensures a patient sees or speaks to most appropriate professional, be it a doctor, nurse or pharmacist, it means a nurse practitioner is able to see many patients and free up a doctor. I have found that if a problem is acute (in my case UTI) I have been seen quickly.

I find the econsult system helpful and have used it couple of times for a query that I wouldn't dream of troubling a doctor face to face with. My surgery's use of texting is also very efficient. So all in all, I think things have improved greatly, its just different.

Yes I was amazed tosee an appointment , albeit a phone one in so short a time.

I much prefer face to face.I wonder how much is missed on phone appointments.

Shinamae

grandMattie

I called my GP this morning. As it wasn't urgent, I was given a telephone appointment on "Thursday morning" - 0900 to 1330!
It's such a shame that they are SO overworked that they can no longer see their patients, leave take time to get to know them...

You’re lucky, just for a telephone appointment I have had to wait three weeks! 🤦‍♀️

About the same wait at ours. It is also now quite normal to be Number 17 in a phone queue while you listen to messages about how busy they are 🤣, how you will be asked about your symptoms and did you know you can submit messages on line? Oh great, let’s try that. You hang up, lose your place in the queue and it says “do not submit messages of a medical nature.”
So what kind of non medical messages can you send to a Medical Practice?

‘Ask My GP’ has worked well on the (thankfully) rare times I have had cause to use it.

It used to be available 9am-4pm, but has now the reduced time to 1pm, as it is so busy.

My friend, at another practice, says her AMGP often shuts off at about 8.15am, often in mid-typing of symptoms!

I guess it’s better to have 8 part-time GPs than none.

Lots of women, in all sorts of jobs, chose part-time to balance family and work.

Not sure what the objection is to doctors doing that?

I prefer the econsult system, when I have used it there has been a phone call within hours.

Taking time off work, travelling to the surgery and waiting for a 5-minute appointment with a doctor, usually just to get a prescription to me is a waste of everyone's time.

Lathyrus

I guess it’s better to have 8 part-time GPs than none.

Lots of women, in all sorts of jobs, chose part-time to balance family and work.

Not sure what the objection is to doctors doing that?

I suppose what’s needed is 8 full time GP’s, not part time ones though?

I know, there’s no answer is there?

I'm pleased to say that my surgery is very good much improved since covid.I had an appointment this morning which the surgery booked for me regarding some abnormal blood results.
On Friday morning at 10 am I received a phone call from the surgery saying that they had a cancellation for 11.30 that morning and would I like to take it.Of course I said yes.
The reception staff are always pleasant and a same day appointment is nearly always available if you ring at 8am.

I have just got through. No more doctor appointments for today, and she said I need to see a GP.

Was offered a paramedic - but receptionist said that is normally for people who have not already seen a doctor about something, and a paramedic cannot prescribe anything, though could liase.

She mentined e consult, but said it would be 2 days miniumum before get a GP slot and the max time to be seen would be 2 weeks.

She tried to fit me in with a nurse, who could prescribe if necessary. but no nurses appointments today.

She said if it is a medical emergency, a duty doctor could ring me back. I told her it wasnt now, but could be in two days time so then would have to say that.

She is going to document our conversation and I am to ring back tomorrow morning.

I wouldnt normally write all this on here, but the op post was timely.

In answer to th OP I would have taken the appointment with the nurse as if when they see you they decide you need to see a doctor they call one in at our surgery. We have one doctor in our practise who spends all day "helping the other staff out". On one occasion when I called to see a nurse after a minor accident to my husband's toe the doctor gave him a local anaesthetic and sorted it out between getting called to other patients and probably saved us a couple of hours in A and E. When I took my brother-in-law for blood tests a few weeks ago and the nurse/phlebotomist caught sight of his inflamed ankle she called a doctor in and he examined it and wrote him a prescription.

sassysaysso

I think though it takes some getting used to that GPs operate in a different way, partly as a result of the shortage of GPs, partly with greater use of technology. The triage system ensures a patient sees or speaks to most appropriate professional, be it a doctor, nurse or pharmacist, it means a nurse practitioner is able to see many patients and free up a doctor. I have found that if a problem is acute (in my case UTI) I have been seen quickly.

I find the econsult system helpful and have used it couple of times for a query that I wouldn't dream of troubling a doctor face to face with. My surgery's use of texting is also very efficient. So all in all, I think things have improved greatly, its just different.

You are satisfied because you can use the system. How would you feel if you were 92 like myneighbour and lived 8 miles from the GPs and pharmacy no public transport and can not use modern technology or drive any more?

Appointments here have gone from 5 to 6 weeks for a telephone appointment. Then further 6 weeks if you need to see a GP or nurse. There are now 9 doctors, of whom 5 are part time, but they serve a huge number of people and split their time between two different surgeries in two villages. The number of residents have doubled over the last twenty years but there are effectively less doctors because we used to have six full time doctors. There is something badly wrong because lots of people are moving to a surgery five miles away where you can get appointments in days and they rarely do telephone appointments but the surgery is no bigger than ours. The drop-in centre at a nearby hospital is packed with people who can't get doctors appointments.

We have an excellent GP surgery but I know they still have difficulty recruiting GPs. Apparently we are training lots more GPs but they are not staying and worryingly over 11% of fully qualified GPs between 30 and 35 left in 2022. I think we need to ask ourselves why. Having read many posts on this forum about GPs and GP surgeries I think a lot of people think they are overpaid, lazy and useless whereas I think they are over stretched, laden with too much paperwork and have spent too much time seeing people who won't take responsibility for their own health and have too little time to spend with patients who need their support and medical services. Seems like a pretty thankless task to me so I'm not surprised they leave.
www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/workforce/one-in-five-gps-under-30-quit-the-profession-last-year/

I mourn the passing of the old family doctor who would say, 'Morning Kitty, Tom keeping well, all the kids ok?' Knowing that we have 5 and their approx ages.

But, times change and triaging seems a great way forward - so long as we have enough GPs and not just part-timers and doctors on rotation.