To think the NHS makes it difficult to avoid A&E

Please go to A & E if you think you have something serious. Over the course of 5 days, my daughter in law made 14 phone calls trying to get help, to her GP and 111 and visited the walk-in centre. Fobbed off, misdiagnosed at walk in by a pharmacist who had no access to her medical records.

On day 6 she died on the operating table.

Actually, you are completely correct!

It’s a political decision to continuously underfund the NHS and social care. The Tory party wanting to cut NI is also another shocking blow to our public services!

Only some pharmacists can prescribe. I believe it's only a small minority. There is a new "pharmacy first" scheme which they can sign up to and then they can prescribe on some circumstances. I had a look and none of the pharmacies in my area are signed up to it.

Try livi.co.uk

With Livi, you can see a registered GP by video on your mobile phone or tablet. The GP can offer medical advice for symptoms that do not require a face-to-face physical examination. First, download the Livi app from the App Store or Google Play and sign up. To book an appointment, follow the steps in the app.

Can you afford a private GP and prescription OP.

It's utterly rubbish that it is required but at least it's available.

It also doesn't help that a&e seems to be used by hospitals to triage follow up care - eg if you are treated/ have an operation and then have further issues relating to your treatment or op the advice is to come back via a&e in order to get referred back to the relevant team.

We are lucky that there is a walk in centre and a minor injuries unit within 25 min drive (although both would be difficult to access without a car)

My DS had an ear infection last year. I (miraculously) got a gp apt, and they prescribed a course of antibiotics. And said to return in a week if no improvement. There was no improvement so called GP after he finished the anti biotics. First day called at 8, in a non moving queue for about 40 min. Gave up as the chances of getting an apt if it's gone 8.30 are almost zero. Repeat next day, same thing. Tried 3rd day same thing so had to take the morning off work (after arriving late the previous 2 days) to drive to a walk in centre 25 min away. Waited an hour saw a gp who prescribed a new set of anti biotics. That's for a pretty straight forward problem!

But it's not the same everwhere, a colleague with health anxiety manages to get a gp appointment every week, without too much effort. She can call in the morning or at lunch time and get on the day or apts in advance. (Our own gp is 8am for on the day only apts if you can get through)

I haven't needed the NHS for years but this week I do... completed an e-consult on Tuesday and had a text the next day to say a GP will review it next Monday so nearly a week after I contacted them. Who knows when they might actually be able to see me. The text also said if symptoms get worse go to A&E. 🙄

I'm considering going private even though it's frustrating having to do that. There aren't any private GPs in my local area so it's not convenient either. It's the first time I'm feeling quite worried about the lack of access to healthcare.

This must vary widely across the country. I've always got a GP/nurse appointment for the same day or next day if I phone at 8am. Chemist are also fab for things like UTI etc to save going to the doctor. Must be a postcode lottery.

GP,'s "working remotely and overseeing things from there" probably don't add to the amount of available face to face appointments.

This country is being run by billionaires and millionaires who most probably have never used the NHS in any capacity, and they never will. They are running it into the ground, breaking it up, chunk by chunk, so that it can be entirely privatised. We will then have a medical health care system like in the USA where people are pulling out their teeth with pliers and going bankrupt over having to pay for an emergency operation for a burst appendix or whatever.

Anyone, absolutely any other political party will be better for this country, for the NHS, than the Tory’s. They are literally turning are society into a dystopian vision of the Hunger Games!! Please don’t vote Tory!!

Our GP appointments are full for weeks ahead.
As a nurse I have no appointments now for four weeks. My colleague is off with very high BP caused by stress, largely caused by work and constantly being asked to see and more for people in less time. She's retiring at the end of the year. I am out in two. Our last nurse recruit in an attempt to bolster numbers lasted six months. We have yet another GP retiring (early) in three months.
We are statistically seeing more people now than before COVID with less staff. Mostly an ageing population with multiple chronic health conditions. That costs.

Most unhelpful comment ever.

Everyone's different, all illnesses are different, the thread is about how it's impossible to get GP appointments. Doesn't require a judgement on the actual illness.

FWIW my daughter had pus out of her ear at the slightest hint of any infection, often before she was in any pain.

Pharmacists can prescribe

My contrary view - yesterday I suffered a nasty crush injury to my finger resulting in lots of bleeding and tissue seeping out of the wound. I completed the online 111 form, got a call back from a nurse within 10 minutes and was quickly directed to the nearest MIU for treatment. I was seen within 10 minutes of arriving. And this is in Devon where hospital resources are scant.

That's awful. I get fed up with the appointments system at my practice but they have always managed to see my DC with ear infections and tonsillitis. Your experience with 111 also sounds terrible. I have always found they manage to find some sort of out of hours appointment in similar circumstances. Did you fill out online first? I usually find it's better than trying to go through the call handlers.

Absolutely agree.
I am a district nurse and very conscious obviously about the strain the NHS is under, but I have inappropriately taken my toddler to a+e knowing full well a GP or Advanced Practitioner in community was what she needed - but alas no where could see her. I'm also considering going private for a separate issue for her as an expedited referral sees us still waiting 9months later to be seen.

In my work I've had to tell people to go to a+e because there is simple not enough staff to provide the acute care that could be provided at home.
The social care system is also broken and I've sent people to a+e who are not safe to be alone at home but no emergency placements or care packages available.
Sad times

It's NOT a business it's a healthcare system. It needs more GPs not managers! It needs nurses not managers. We need health care practitioners.

YANBU. My surgery basically says if you are too unwell to wait weeks for an appointment, you should go to A&E. It removes the need for them to deal with any patients who are currently unwell.

Sadly, YANBU.

There are not enough GPs to cover the demand, so getting an appointment is virtually impossible. Our surgery did away with online consult as they couldn't keep up with the number of requests. Trying to get through by phone is a nightmare- usually at least 40 minutes. If you work, it's really hard. I am a teacher so limited as to when I can ring. I tried in a free the other week but had to cut off before they answered as my next class was due.

Pharmacists can't help if you need antibiotics. I have found most things they can help with are things most people would probably know how to treat anyway.

111 are very hit and miss I find. Also, some things can't be properly dealt with over the phone.

The walk in centre in our town closed during covid and has never reopened.

We are lucky that we rarely need medical help but I feel for those who do. It's all well and good people saying that they shouldn't wait/shouldn't go to A and E but in many cases, that is literally the only option.

It's a shame pharmacists can't prescribe - for some things like tonsillitis, it would massively help.

YANBU at all. The NHS needs to be scrapped and a new system introduced with managers who know how to run a business.

A&E has basically replaced primary care for millions. Most GP surgeries are no longer functional.

I just hate the way we are being gaslit about it. I could live with being told that it’s no longer sustainable and that they are consulting on a different payment model. (Or whatever). We are very clearly beyond the point of no return for the NHS as we know it.

I just hate having my intelligence insulted by being told this is adequate primary care.

It’s luck of the draw and a complete postcode lottery as to how good the healthcare you receive. I live in a northern town where the population is growing rapidly but there’s no new infrastructure to support this. We have one very old and small hospital which is stretched to its limits. My friend, in a nearby city has 5 different hospitals she can access and there aren’t the horrendous trolley queues that are standard in my town.
I dread any of my family having to go to A& E as I know they’ll be just left in a corridor for over 24 hours and as a result people are dying

You are being unreasonable to blame the NHS. They didn't put a quota on medical school places that is now impossible to deal with due to a lack of staff to train anyone. Nor did the underfund the service and destroy social care. The blame is with the Conservative government.

I don't have a dentist though and my teeth are crumbling, sad.