To think GP surgeries shouldn’t be closed over Easter weekend? [Title edited by MNHQ]

I agree. I'm bewildered that people aren't getting this.

It’s impossible to get an appointment at any time with mine. You have to ring at 8.00 and ask to speak to a doctor. It is possible to hang on for an hour! The GP webpage lets you make an appointment but there are none available for six weeks! I live in london. No wonder people go to A and E inappropriately.

Shouldn’t you be more focused on ways to support more people within such roles to have more time off? Rather than demanding highly stressed people work more to suit you and your needs?

All outpatients areas will be closed for the long weekend. Elective surgery is not on. But inpatient areas, care workers, care homes etc will all be working because people rely on their care every day. GPs are for routine healthcare which can be done any other day of the week, or emergency care which will get taken over by NHS 24 as it is every other weekend or bank holidag. I really don't understand your issue

I’m confused that people don’t understand this.

Imagine you wanted to employ someone to clean your house. But your house was filthy, and you weren’t offering much money, so every time you advertised, no one wanted the job. Would you decide to add “cleaning the garage too” to the job description (still at the same hours and rate of pay)? If you couldn’t get anyone to do the job in the first place, are you likely to get someone to do the job when you’ve made it worse?

We are already short of GPs. New doctors don’t want to be GPs, and existing GPs are leaving. If they were expected to work on bank holidays, do you think there’d be more doctors wanting to be GPs, or fewer doctors wanting to be GPs?
Genuine question.

GP surgeries are not part of the NHS as such. They are private business that hold contracts with the NHS and therefore will do what is outlined in the contract. If there is no provision for bank holiday working in the contract, why should they work for free?
My practice used to hold a bank holiday and Sunday contract as an additional service, and uptake on these days was minimal.

I am, and the GP put that in place. I've just had to move practice as my old one is oversubscribed and the care not as good, but I still don't begrudge them a holiday. Do you not know anyone who works in the NHS, and just how knackered they are , all the time?

GPs aren't contracted for out of hours due to the govt changing their contract

They'd closed anyway over the weekend so it's only the Monday and Friday they have off and there'll be an out of hours service for emergency appointments. They deserve a break as much as anyone!

If you're a small business, which most GP surgeries are, it's difficult to cover for holidays. Much easier if you have more staff and more flexibility.

Rishi- is that you?

Stupid stupid Post honestly

This is like the shop thread the other day. Let people have a fucking break. Let them be. Let them close their store and have the day off or have the day with staff doing bits behind the scenes in peace. Let GPs spend time with their families. Just leave people alone.

I say this as someone who used to work all weekends and bank holidays and Christmas’s etc etc, it’s shit. Just fucking let people take a damned break.

Shop workers don't get double pay for working on bank holidays.

If Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day on the Sunday normal working days are Friday then Wednesday due to the two BH Mon and Tues
So yes you are being massively unreasonable it's been like that forever - that's why there is out of hours cover

Why should anyone have 4 days off then? There's loads of people who get the long weekend. And loads that don't. Should we just take it off everyone? Weekends too, fuck them!

There are plenty of emergency/urgent services available for the 2 extra days that are needed. Same as what is available every single weekend.

Oh, forgot to say YABU

They are exhausted and they need a break.

Probably because we’re all burnt out and need a break.
Oh yes and because we aren’t contracted to! Do you go to work on days you aren’t paid to?

We keep being told this is a "Christian country" - at least whin it suits various bigots to say it is. Easter is the most important festival in that religion's calender (much more important than Christmas). Makes sense it should be observed fully.

Where would we find sufficient GP’s to run a 365 day service.? GP’s are leaving in large numbers and not enough doctors are wanting to train as GP’s.

But this contract doesn't pay them to open on bank holidays. That funding was taken away and given to the out of hours service to provide a service They are self employed but the NHS tells us when to open and close and what services we have to provide. We are not that free to do what we want

In 2020 we were paid extra to open at Easter and may bank holiday. It was very quiet but the hospitals still got their bank holidays.

That'll be a waiting list initiative, done at vast cost compared to what it usually costs the NHS.....

I work as a Community Nurse in a specialist team and have been on duty today. The problem is this - person needs help and they cannot get a GP appointment so they call 111 who usually direct an ambulance or refer it to the GP OOH service. The ambulance service cannot cope and a lot of the time they are the most appropriate service anyway so they refer it to us in the community. We have so many visits that we cannot cope either (District Nurse team cancelled 50 scheduled appointments today alone due to capacity issues) the OOH GP service also do not have enough appointments so they refer to us too. It is a complete bottle neck of patients leading to a very very stressful day at work for me, poor patients are missed and left unseen. I then have a manager on the phone who wants to know why i have not got capacity.....26 years I have Nursed and I can honestly say I have had a guts full of the pressure. I absolutely think GP surgeries should be open all year round.