No GPs?

I use Pharmacy 2 U, Dickens. I started doing so in lockdown when there were queues outside of pharmacies and Mr Dog was waiting in the rain to get my inhalers, which, as you describe, were often not ready. The service is free and not bad at all. The GP sends the prescription to them, and they have never got it wrong or been late. My only niggle is that their reminders are out of synch and they nag me to order things I don’t need, but it’s all on email so easily ignored.

Pharmacies are already feeling the strain of their being dragooned into the primary health care system.

Both me and my OH have to rely on someone picking up our prescriptions - we have to arrange when they can collect. Often the prescriptions are not ready, or the pharmacy say they haven't yet received them from the surgery.

Telephoning first - to save a wasted journey - is impossible because mostly the pharmacy don't answer the 'phone, they are too busy.

So it's hit-and-miss. My friend drives in from 20 miles away to collect the prescription only to be met with a "sorry" and a shrug at the pharmacy... "can you come back tomorrow?"

I know they can deliver - however they've got it wrong twice now - only giving half the prescription, often because one of the items is a controlled drug which is kept in a different section to the rest of the medication... and whoever picks the items hasn't looked in that particular area.

It's a hopeless and depressing situation.

‘without GP cover’

Can these doctors actually use a stethoscope on the phone to say whether it’s asthma/bronchitis/pneumonia/or indeed a heart attack! ?
Can they see into your eyes( doctors used to do that) can they wiggle your joints ( until you scream) to see what’s going on with your aches and pains! Luckily I have an hospital quite close ( one mile)still with an A&E dept. I haven’t had to use it only o ve in 20 years….they were excellent with my broken jaw and broken shoujder and the other dislocated ….I only had to wait ten minutes ( how bad did I look!?!) ….but they were very overstretched as taken all the people with GP cover. That’s nearly all people around here.

Adding approximately 700,000 people per year to the population would be a problem for health services even if the number of GPs stayed the same. The number is not staying the same, it’s dropping.

Allsorts

How on earth has it come to this? It’s getting worse not better. Too many people too few doctors.

Yes.

Talking to a doctor in the last stages of training who had gone part time (3x12hr shifts weekly) doctor said I love what I do, want to continue but working f/t is gruelling and all around me I see colleagues burning out and leaving. I don't want that to happen to me so I'm looking after myself.

How on earth has it come to this? It’s getting worse not better. Too many people too few doctors.

Mornings must be very stressful for reception staff.

Mornings are extremely stressful for any ill person trying to get to see a doctor.

Not many of us oldies around where our surgery is , even bother trying to get an app. now. I split my cartilage last December and was told it would ‘heal on its own’ ….I live alone (husband in care)….I need to walk to see him ( no bus service worth mentioning!) at least twice a week. I haven’t fully recovered from my injury (8 months)…and when I tried to get a follow-up app in consequence was told via e-mail that I was being referred to MSK…. ( roughly a 12 month wait around here) ….so requested some stronger pain relief as the codeine I use for sciatica ( v.good) does not touch the sides with the pain I’m in now….dead silence since! If I’d had a gun , some mornings I would’ve shot myself as the pain when I try to walk is incredible. I’ve had a broken bone that didn’t touch this scale ….if I’d been a premiership footballer I’d have left the pitch ….had my scan …and excellent treatment. But I’m not….I’m just someone who contributed to this country’s economy with 46 years of work and kept my nose clean and brought my kids up well and added further by looking after grandkids while my daughter follows the same pattern as mine. Why did/do we bother!?
Us generation of post war babes are being shafted , because there are too many of us ( like we asked to be born!!) anyway , the upshot is , I have to now rely on Dr.Google ( surgery’s words, not mine) …to figure out any problem I may have. Not even been called for regular bloods or stroke clinic checks like pre-Covid….
I remember the good old days ( 5 years ago!!)
When a doctor said to me with my broken bone …..” I’m not interested in feeling your pain …I want to heal it”…. Whatever happened to his ideaology I wonder?
As a postscript ….I was referred to our local Moorfields from my postponed cataract surgery pre-op tests ….as I have a problem with my retina and the surgery couldn’t be performed until I’d seen a consultant ….I was informed by letter to contact Moorfields IF I hadn’t heard by a certain date…..11 days later I managed to get an answer on the phone …no answer forthcoming from any of my E-mails …and secured an app. next month . It’ll be cancelled of course…but I’m sort of smiling while I’ve still got it.🤬

It is quite usual these days for doctors to have "portfolio'" careers. Often a GP will acquire additional qualifications in specific areas of medicine eg dermatology, paediatric care, sexual health, and then work regular sessions in the relevant speciality in NHS hospitals or clinics. The increased knowledge and experience they can gain from this can be very useful to bring back to their GP practice, as well as easing pressure on secondary care services. Other GPs are involved in contributing to the university education of medical students. Some are carrying out research of their own. Whilst some people might perceive their GP to be working only part-time if they are not physically present in their surgery five days a week, there is a good chance they are contributing to health care in other ways. However, if a GP does decide to work fewer than five days a week because of parental or caring responsibilities, or perhaps to safeguard their own health and mental well-being, I don't see why they should have any less right to do so than anyone else.

Doodledog

I think you'll find that there are as many differences within 'the boomer generation' as there are between that demographic (which spans more than one generation) and other media-identified groupings.

Of course. The difference is the sheer number of boomers vs other generations

bobbydog24

What I don’t get is pre covid my practice had 3 GPs two full time one part time, 2 nurses, one nurse practitioner. Since covid same staff but both full time GPs have gone part time, one only working 1 day.
What is he doing the other 4 days. The GP shortage didn’t suddenly become a problem in three years. You couldn’t see a doctor during most of covid. They were at home.

What is he doing the other four days? Whatever he wants to do. Why is it anyone’s business?

Drs were not all at home over covid. What a silly suggestion

Our GP phone line will only accept 30 in the queue. After that it flicks over to the engaged signal and you have to redial. I have the redialing down to a T. Once though I actually got through and was so taken aback I hit the redial automatically and cut myself off 🙄

The senior partner at our surgery told us that in the last year they have had several new GPs come in and work a morning surgery and then not return after lunch - never to be seen again. He was asking us to use the on line booking form if we could because it would free up the telephone for people who aren't able to.

The practice has just taken over a surgery that was only open two or three days a week because they couldn't get enough doctors to do any more.

Like you cool gran I was no 42. Hung on fir over an hour til I got to no 3 another 25 minutes wait only to be suddenly cut off.
Needless to say I gave up.
E consult is never on at our surgery and the whole thing of getting an appointment by telephone or gave to face is a nightmare.
Prior to COVID it was always excellent. Really disappointing and a worry.

I’m so sorry Urmston, how are you?

maddyone

I’m also sorry to read of your experience Purpledaffodil.
I hope you get the necessary treatment quickly and recover.
I think the problem here is that so many people of a certain age get heartburn that the relevant drugs, which are very good, are dispensed to anyone complaining of heartburn. Rarely are any investigations asked for at the beginning and by the time they’re relevant, the disease has developed.

Sadly, very true as we found to our cost.
Heartbreaking.

Town where our GP practice is had five different practices. At first there were no appointments, you just ‘waited your turn’, and initially you could always get appointments to suit. The doctors from our practice took it in turns to do house calls, be on call during the week, and each practice handled the on call one weekend in five. This seemed to work well, and I think the GPs were much less stressed than now. All changed when it went to out of hours services.
I know much more is expected of GPs nowadays, but do wonder how much of the extra work actually benefits the patient.

On one occasion I was 59th in the queue. After 45 minutes I was next in the queue. Then a message came on to say 'you are in our queue system and are now number 35' !!I

From the BMA. Who I would hope would know what they are talking about.

www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/nhs-delivery-and-workforce/pressures/pressures-in-general-practice-data-analysis

bobbydog24

What I don’t get is pre covid my practice had 3 GPs two full time one part time, 2 nurses, one nurse practitioner. Since covid same staff but both full time GPs have gone part time, one only working 1 day.
What is he doing the other 4 days. The GP shortage didn’t suddenly become a problem in three years. You couldn’t see a doctor during most of covid. They were at home.

The GP shortage did become a problem over the three years of Covid. We are draining GPs to other countries including Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, where they are either paid more, work fewer hours, or both of these, and perhaps the most relevant, treated with respect by their patients, who although having paid through their taxes like we do for their health services, also pay per appointment, except for children under 14 in the case of New Zealand.

Additionally DOCTORS WERE NOT AT HOME DURING COVID. I’m sorry to shout but this ridiculous and frankly stupid idea must be rebutted. My daughter is a GP,and her now ex husband is also a GP and so I think I know what GPs were doing during Covid. My daughter worked three days a week during Covid (to all those who think GPs shouldn’t work part time I’ll just say that she had at that time six year old twins and a two year old. Do you think that qualifies her to work part time? Because I do.) She worked two days a week at her Practice, doing telephone appointments wherever possible, and seeing patients face to face with totally inadequate PPE, but as she said to me ‘I can’t do a vaginal examination over the phone.’ She then worked one day a week in a management role, setting up vaccination centres across the south eastern corridor. Her ex husband was working full time at his Practice, doing telephone appointments wherever appropriate, and seeing patients face to face when it was needed. He then went, several nights a week, to the Covid Hub in our area and he worked there usually until midnight! To be honest I’m sick to death of seeing people say that during Covid doctors were at home. They weren’t!

I wanted an appointment at our Dr's surgery & looked online at their booking system yesterday. The earliest appointment, either phone or face to face, was 16th September ! It's crazy. I'd either be dead or in a poor way by then!

All the GPs at my practice are part time equates to 3.5 full time. Receptionist takes details and passes to nurse practitioner who may offer an appointment to see them or pass to GP. If necessary GP will offer face to face appointment usually same day. Does work but just not the same as face to face appointment every time.

Our group practice in previous published surveys was in the bottom quarter of the UK. Housebuilding in the area is soaring, with no additional resources being put in for infrastructure such as GP, dentists etc. An adjoining area, also being extremely overdeveloped (crammed in high-rises) on every inch of space, apparently has in the region of 39,000 patients on their combined practices' books, and are now advising patients to travel to an off-shoot surgery in the centre of town. Limited, extortionate cost parking, CAZ charges for older cars, or an unreliable bus service. I wonder how that's working for disabled patients, and people on limited income who can't change their cars, and most importantly, for people feeling too ill to travel?