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So they are only bothered about people who use twitter, not all people who have long term conditions.

Which probably excludes a large number of those targeted?

I agree, I have a long term condition but am NOT a twitter user!

That's me out then. Going to be a bit of a biased group if it's only open to people who tweet. Also don't you only have a certain number of letters you can use in a tweet so you couldn't send a long message.

Agree. If this is the only feedback route the outcome will not be representative. Surely there must be an alternative

I also am not a Twitter user but I have more than one long term condition- three to be precise-their loss I think.

I would find it very hard to encapsulate my experience in a Tweet but I will look at it as it may juts be the precursor to a more considered study.

This is very annoying. I am not on Twitter (and don't want to be), but I would love to tell them how hard it is to get an appointment at my GP's these days....

Only for Twitter users? Pretty pointless then Any stats will be very skewed!

My GP is lovely. She always has time to listen.....well makes me feel she has. The practice nurses and receptionists are also friendly and understanding of my needs.

My local surgery is just fine, - on the rare occasions when you can get an appointment these days. After the whole phone rigmarole you are then given an appointment for the doctor to telephone you back.... but this takes at least a week or ten days. (I know one lady who waited 3 weeks!) In desperation, you say that you don't insist on seeing your own doctor, any one will do. So the result is that each time I go (after waiting for the week-or-more phone call), I see a different doctor. I feel, for the first time in my life, that I do not have a regular doctor who knows me and my medical history.
My feathers are not easily ruffled, but this whole GP thing is making me very angry indeed.
(please don't think that I am one of those nuisance patients who is forever going to the doctor. I most definitely am not. Especially now - I am developing a stubborn streak about all this and feel that I would rather drop dead than bother the surgery.... that'll show em! )

Yes, I agree - it's a nightmare getting an appointment. We are told to ring at 8.30 am - just the time we need to leave the house to do the school runs. I wouldn't want to see my 'own' GP as he's a very stupid young man IMO. An example ...I was recently diagnosed with a condition which will mean a contracture of my ring and possibly middle finger - i won't be able to straighten these out, but according to this idiot that shouldnt affect my piano playing the other make GP is slightly better and the female is lovely.

The practice nurses are lovely too.

But all this does mean I avoid the surgery (one visit in five years) and usually self diagnose via Google and self treat, which I suppose means more time for others.

..the other male GP

Since our surgery was upgraded this year and combined two practices, we have beautiful, state of the art premises, but they don't want any patients. We also have the " ring, talk to a receptionist, wait in for hours, then have call back from a Doctor/ Nurse. Then if appropriate you are allocated an appointment.
This morning I discovered a dark red rash, non itchy, on the front of both legs from knee to ankle. I was worried and did the glass test. The spots did not fade, so rang the surgery. Because it was late mid morning, I will have to wait until afternoon for a call. Meanwhile I was so worried that I went to the surgery, and was told to go and see someone in the pharmacy. They advised to wait for Dr to call. I am still waiting. This seems so wrong. I had taken antibiotics for one week, and finished the course on Sunday. It may be a reaction, but did not have one before when taking the same antibiotic some months ago. We shall see

We have a very active Patient Participation Group in my GP surgery. The biggest moan they have to deal with is the difficulties in getting appointments that have already been mentioned above. In particular, people want (a) to see the same doctor each time and (b) do not want to be told "You have phoned at the wrong time to make an appointment have to phone back in the morning at 8 a.m."

Because we have such an active PPG group and the doctors are willing to take on board the feedback from the patients that it provides, the appointments system is improving and there is improved communication between staff and patients.

It is well nigh impossible to see the same doctor each time, the days when you had a "family doctor" seem to be long gone. (It may be different in rural areas, I'm talking about in London).

I also discovered that there is a problem with understanding a "code" i.e. to me "urgent" means blue lights on an ambulance, but I eventually discovered that "urgent" to my GP practice receptionist meant "today" or "as soon as possible". So now I always say "I need an urgent appointment" because I only go to the GP when I am ill.

My GP informed me at my last visit which was a treatment review following the tests the nurse had done at my annual diabetic check up that there is a new (NHS ??) policy were everyone has to have a named GP and that he was mine. Great, I thought he already was
This annual review is about the only time I visit him.

Nina I think that policy applies to people over 75 - they have to have a named doctor.

I agree with everyone about the difficulty of phoning at 8-30am, it's always engaged for obvious reasons.
There is terminology that is confusing, an appointment you might get in 3 weeks time, an emergency you see the doctor today. We need to know their systems and structures, why not send emails or leaflets annually to keep us up to date.
Do GPs ever do a review/survey of how their patients feel about how/if their needs are being met? Not a form through the post though. Maybe just ask them.
I try to plan everything I need to say in those precious minutes I have in the surgery, even write it down, it's very easy to forget something. I have been told in the past by the receptionist that I must book a double 'appointment' or whatever it's called if I have more than one problem.
Receptionists- don't get me started.

We find, caring for very aged parents with chronic conditions and losing mobility, that hospitals have been better than GPs at offering help and equipment.

That's because hospitals can't discharge without confidence the 'oldie' will cope at home, or they could soon be back in worse condition, maybe after (another) fall. GPs and nurses must have as much access to and authority with Social Services etc.

One problem for carers and the oldies they care for is patient confidentiality. CQC will never detect, let alone punish a GP who neglects his patients or makes it impossible to get an appointment.

But if a great, dedicated GP gets caught discussing their condition with the relatives who keep them alive, the whole practice can fear they could be in career-threatening trouble. Warped obsession with data protection can mean the GP, nurse and receptionist is scared to discuss anything with the people they live with, nurse them, dispense their meds and decide when mum really does need seeing. Box-ticking bureaucratic PC nonsense where everyone from Whitehall down is just watching their backs.

We must be very lucky, our surgery seems to run like clockwork. I never have to wait more than a few days to see my own GP for a routine appointment, and I have never been turned away when I've needed to see someone urgently. We also have nurse practitioners who can prescribe and refer, and we can ask important, but not urgent, questions by email. If I request a telephone consultation I am given a 30 minute window for a reply the same day. My first husband was very ill for two years before he died, (at home, with their support) and the care he (we) received was exemplary, from his GP, nurses, district nurses, receptionists. They all kept a close eye on me too as I was his carer. We are prompted, not nagged, to go for age related screening and can leave feedback about our experience on the surgery's website. I cannot think of a single thing to make even a minor complaint about. My second husband is amazed at how well it works, as his previous surgery seemed to get everything wrong - notably appointments. Maybe the practise manager should start running 'How to do it' workshops!

I'm afraid I have to rant! I write this based on not just my experience but that of my family (and elderly parents too), all of us with long term, multiple conditions. On the positive side, the lovely clerical staff in my local surgery are well trained, caring, polite and helpful, as are the superb nurses. There is a Patient Participation Group but this is poorly subscribed with only a handful of patients making the meetings, however my issues are always raised and answered. A triage system exists but to obtain non urgent appointments it can take up to a month to wait for one. That's fine if you know your problem is not urgent but not great if it doesn't fit into the category of "urgent" but is, still, rather necessary.

In my surgery (and the one I was previously with) - the turnover of staff seems extraordinarily high and the proportion of females to males is about 4:1. Due to this turnover and number taking maternity or sick leave, we usually have to see a locum and rarely see the same doctor from one visit to the next. Their accuracy of diagnosis has been of concern on more than one occasion and led to great distress to myself and my family - I can understand they are not specialists but generalists but this does not excuse not listening to the patient! Caring? It hasn't always feel like it.

Appointments are so time limited that the GP can hardly get "the whole picture". In my surgery we are told only to discuss one symptom per visit so consistency is not possible in this case and so unlike "the old days" doctors rarely get to know their patients, or vice versa. Many don't get my name right, let alone know my medical history or have time to read it.

In order to address this I think that at the very least it would help to have more permanent GPs in our surgery, and a better support system for them.

Grannyknot DH and I are both in our 60's and we were both told the same

Twitter is a pretty bad idea if they want to gather good information; Twitter limits characters so it is impossible to outline conditions, treatments, concerns and complaints - any attempt would look like we were not only ill, but that we would come across as semi-literate chavs! I could rant for ages about the problems associated with my G.P surgery but will try to just list some of the bullet points I can think of off the top of my head, as such (bad memory is just one of my problems!)

1. It is almost impossible to get an appointment when I need one (and I try not to bother the doctor with loads of minor ailments) - and I have struggled to the surgery even when in-patient at the hospice as I don't like to call the doctor out.
2. The receptionist are nosy and obstructive, have poor interpersonal skills, regularly breach confidentiality, gossip and fail to complete the simplest of tasks.
3. Even though my repeat prescription has been the same for a number of years now, every month they cock it up somehow! This often leaves me without medication and has even left me withdrawing from the morphine when they neglected to get my prescription done.
4. I have been chronically ill for years, just about weight 5 and a half stone, yet they don't see this as a problem (even though I look skeletal and dreadful) and always make me feel as if I am being a nuisance and rush through the appointment to get me out of the door ASAP I always leave feeling dissatisfied and rather depressed, and still have all the health problems I went in with.
5. My current dose of morphine is not enough and I still live with constant pain - I am cut off bluntly if I try to discuss this.
6. The surgery regularly changes times you are meant to call for certain things and receptionists are borderline rude.
7. The chemist is more helpful than the GP when I have queries about medications.
8. I don't think GPs really have any idea how hard it is living with chronic conditions and don't have the time or patience to get to the bottom of things - easier to brush me off.

All in all the years of poor treatment, no treatment, bad treatment, neglect, lies, messing about, wasted time, wasted doctor's and hospital appointments (and the cost of getting to all these) have somewhat soured my judgement - I know there are good doctors out there but invisible, chronic, multi-conditions etc do need more careful management and consideration.

Getting off soapbox and going to bed!

If CQC want good data, they should devise an anonymous questionnaire or form we could write our concerns, complaints etc on.