No GPs?

Our surgery has 8 doctors all of them part time, both male and female doctors. I know this as a close relative works in the practise. Recently, my DH has had health problems and has huge trouble getting an appointment. I'm so glad I haven't needed to require a GP appointment recently - touch wood.

I’ve forgotten what face to face GP appointments are, I haven’t ‘seen’ a GP since lockdown in 2020. The only GP appointments Ive had have been over the phone although I did see a practice nurse twice when the receptionist triaged me as urgent.
Our GPs surgery has taken off the system for online booking and there’s no on line form to fill in to make queries about any medical issues.
The only way to make an appointment is to join the queue at 8am but it’s only for appointments that day you can’t book ahead however I have to say I’ve always got some sort of appointment this way. Someone I know went in to the doctors reception and was told they couldn’t make an appointment in person. I’m not sure what the many people are supposed to do who are at work at 8am and aren’t allowed to use a phone at that time.
Mornings must be very stressful for reception staff.

That is a blow indeed Purpledaffodil - every good wish

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.

Easy fog whistle to blame immigration! Immigrants are generally young and fit.

It’s been well known for 50years that the boomer generation will be hitting old age now and old people need more health care. Not rocket science !

The boomer generation didn’t want to pay tax to invest for these costs now!

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.

Part of the problem is also that without a face to face consultation the GP would have been unable to pick up on tell tale signs that would have told him it was more than simple heartburn. As previously mentioned, we have the worst rates of early cancer diagnosis, and I firmly believe that the move to phone and online appointments plays a part.

I fondly remember the days when there was one doctor, you arrived in the waiting room to find it full, counted how many were there, then knocked one off every time till your turn came around. And the doctor was a kindly human being.

It took 4 weeks between booking on line and a telephone appointment for my (suspected) Plantar Fasciitis
I’d have been happy to see a nurse who would have involved a doctor if she felt it necessary.
Cynically I wonder if they think we might get better in the intervening time!

I am housebound.In the past seven years I have only seen my GP twice. On the occasions I have needed .treatment a paramedic or nurse has attended and they do not know my history.
When I was a child long before the NHS the doctor would come out any time night or day and on one occasion Christmas Eve. He would even sit and have a cup of tea and a chat.

maddyone

Doodledog

That's terrible, Purpledaffodil. I wish you all the best in your treatment.

I don't have an issue with part-time doctors, but do feel that the hours should be covered by other ones, as in most job-shares. If one doctor wants to work half-time, why not get another one in who wants to do the same?

GP Practices do get GPs to job share. But there aren’t enough GPs in the country. I’ve explained all this multiple times in different threads.
Last year we imported 660,000 people net (actually it was over a million but some others left) and also a much smaller number arrived illegally. All these people, approximately 700,000 per year need services, including doctors. If you have fewer doctors but more people, do the maths, there are fewer appointments available for everyone. It’s not rocket science.

I know you have explained, maddie, andI have explained what I think should happen (that there should be a training contract for medics) but you get angry at the very idea.

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.

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.

Purpledaffodil, I’m so sorry to read your experience.
I hope your treatment is effective.

Doodledog

That's terrible, Purpledaffodil. I wish you all the best in your treatment.

I don't have an issue with part-time doctors, but do feel that the hours should be covered by other ones, as in most job-shares. If one doctor wants to work half-time, why not get another one in who wants to do the same?

GP Practices do get GPs to job share. But there aren’t enough GPs in the country. I’ve explained all this multiple times in different threads.
Last year we imported 660,000 people net (actually it was over a million but some others left) and also a much smaller number arrived illegally. All these people, approximately 700,000 per year need services, including doctors. If you have fewer doctors but more people, do the maths, there are fewer appointments available for everyone. It’s not rocket science.

The econsult system is no longer used at my surgery as it was deemed to be unsafe as too many patients were using it. You ca no longer book appointments online either. More and more is being put onto the pharamacist including problems with taking statins.

I had a telephone appointment with my GP yesterday. I made the appointment online two weeks ago. It was the first available appointment with her.

That's terrible, Purpledaffodil. I wish you all the best in your treatment.

I don't have an issue with part-time doctors, but do feel that the hours should be covered by other ones, as in most job-shares. If one doctor wants to work half-time, why not get another one in who wants to do the same?

You might perhaps want to take into account that this is the summer holiday season - presumably some of the GPs in the practice are parents of school-age children and on holiday right now.

Granted many practices do not seem to be well-run. but a lot of patients seem to think they can get an appointment immediately whether or not their ailment is serious or something that could wait.

You would be offered a nurse if it was something the nurse could deal with, if not you would definitely not be offered a nurse but a doctor at a later date.

I don’t usually mention this but I was diagnosed with heartburn over the phone by a GP I’d previously trusted. Four months later I was hospitalised with jaundice. Diagnosis was pancreatic cancer. If ONLY I’d had earlier diagnosis with proper testing 😟

It's exactly the same process at my local surgery. Telephone conference with a doctor first then follow-up appointment days or weeks later if deemed necessary. I despair at the inbuilt delays

B9exchange

I don't think people realise what hours a 'part time' GP works. If you are doing three twelve hour shifts, and the masses of extra paperwork on top, do you count that as part time?

The criticism is often about women as pt doctors. Surely we should be supporting women to stay in the profession they trained so hard to achieve.
It’s still the case that women, that is mothers, do the bulk of child care, run the home and manage the family’s emotional needs.

I don't think people realise what hours a 'part time' GP works. If you are doing three twelve hour shifts, and the masses of extra paperwork on top, do you count that as part time?

I am very lucky as I am registered with currently the 13th best GP practice in the country

That's very specific, MIY. Is there a league table, and where can I see it, please?

Why do you believe part time GPS aren’t over worked Primrose?

We aren’t training enough and retention an increasing problem because of the pressures on GPS. One of our best GPS left because she was working 14 hour days. My doctor said she’d leave if she could afford to. She’s a good doctor, dedicated, experienced everything we want in our family doctor

Our practice is rated outstanding. Despite this, I’m waiting 3 weeks to seethe practice nurse. 6 to see my GP of choice.