My GP has told me that 80% of their appointments don't need a GP appointment.

I think GPs are an incredibly outdated system. Someone upthread mentioned a clinic that had more specialists for certain things. Seems to me we'd be better off with ENT and skin specialists for instance, like opticians and dentists.

I like the idea of a large clinic in town that had these services. When you read the GPs blurb on my surgery's website, some of them have specialisms in aspects they have a particular interest in, whether it's dermatology, digestive function, or whatever. I'm sure everyone would be happier seeing a doctor/nurse combo who had more detailed knowledge of their presenting issue.

Well said!!! 🏆

Oh yes. Have a read of the UK doctors’ sub Reddit. It brings it home how we are held in contempt. Years ago I was ignored until I was nearly dead and ended up with sepsis, weighing five stone. I was continually dismissed by every doctor I saw as being a teenager who was probably anorexic or on drugs. Both of which are best treated with contempt and dismissal apparently. Luckily, my mum found a private specialist who got me into intensive care just in time to save my life.

Yip this. I was having issues with my eyes. I rang GP, was told to go to the Optician. I did and the optician after carefully examining my eyes referred me straight to the hospital. They know more about eyes than GPs. Similarly if you have an issue in your mouth, 1st stop should be the dentists who knows far more about oral health than the GP and is likely to refer you straight to hospital if that's needed. A friend had cancer in her mouth. It was the dentist who picked it up.

Hmm. Why would that happen?

How would it be improved?

There’s a GP in my family. He says people have lost the ability to self monitor minor illnesses

Or live in Scotland 😉 We don't pay for eye tests.

I'm quite sure the current structures and practises are damaging and awful for practise staff and doctors, too.

Except for any controlled drugs, our prescriptions are requested and dispensed every 2 months. Controlled meds still need to be 28 days.

One of our GP’s was seen sat in his car with his head in his hands last week. And is now off sick under after Xmas at least. Not his first episode this year.
Practice nurse (out next year and counting the weeks).

I worked at a GP as a practice nurse. We ran nurse led clinics for GP appointments which were over seen by a GP (think 6 nurses to 1 GP). We had a shortage of GPs, deprived area. GP would come in to see patient if nurse deemed it necessary. All patients were triaged before on the day appointments were given. I would probably say that 75% of patients I saw didn’t need to be seen by the GP meaning they had very routine, easy to examine and treat by the nurse. The other 25% needing examination, more complex or serious presentations. It made me realise how out of date the whole system is and how patients often visit unnecessarily or are wrongly of the impression they NEED to see GP. They often got more empathy/care/time from the nurse than the GP would have given them.

They do eye tests which include suggestions to go to your GP if certain things are flagged.

You could try garlic infused in olive oil for the ear.

This is contra NHS advice, but it worked, instantly and permanently for someone I know, after years of recurrent ear infections.

Garlic cloves in oil, put in sunlight for a few days to infuse. A few drops in the ear.

I haven’t read all the comments because I can’t bear to.
I left GP because it’s become such a horrible job and I was becoming unwell.
I can completely understand why as a patient it feels like GPs are lazy and uncaring but for the vast majority that’s not at all true and many GPs are on their knees.

I’m fairly sure this figure is plucked from the air and just someone frustrated.

but…

There’s data that shows that around 20% of appt are being used by people who have been referred already for the problem but are waiting to be seen. This definitely reflects my experience and it’s also really demoralising as you’ve already tried everything you can hence referring so you can’t help these people.This also puts a lot of pressure on appointments. Not blaming secondary care for this, the whole system is crumbling.

People seem to have a lot more health anxiety since Covid - I think it’s made people much more aware of their health. As much as people hate econsult it also opens up people’s access who wouldn’t have contacted before, especially now it can’t be turned off in core hours. We get people who have had a painful throat for just a couple of hours, quite often. By the time you call they say it’s better or, worse, that it’s better but they want to be seen anyway ‘in case there’s something else going on’. In litigious society we often feel we can’t push back with these requests.

People seem have lost tolerance for minor illness and won’t wait to see if it passes - I suspect that reflects busier lifestyles and also economic pressure.

I think we’ve lost a lot of ‘village’ and lots of people are isolated; they don’t have trusted friends or relatives they can bounce ideas or worries off first. See also services like health visitors and school nurses that have been chronically underfunded and now barely function as services.

All of which is just a few reasons it does feel like many people come to GP who don’t need to. But it’s not the fault of those people. I don’t think many deliberately misuse the service.

if anyone feels the need to reply to this please be kind! I found leaving GP very traumatic and I miss it a lot but found the job completely unsustainable and the GP-bashing online very upsetting.

Doctors definitely forget that general public don't necessarily know about health care.

My MIL was once being tested.for hepatitis due to some medication she was on.and she got mixed up and was terrified she had hiv.

Ive got a long list of thing - hair loss, irregular periods, something in my foot which i suspect is tendonitis but might be a stress fracture? And a lump (cyst) in my back. Each on their own doesn't feel enough to book an appointment for and I suspect the doctors would tell me they can't do anything anyway - but just the knowledge/reassurance from a professional would still be nice? Like for them to say - yes its definitely tendonitis- do xyz to help. We have so much information online these days but its often contradictory and sometimes it'd just be nice to actually speak to a professional.

And!? What's your point?

You think GP surgeries aren't run on a commercial basis? Wake up sweetheart.

People go to "The Opticians" where different types of people work. Optometrists who deal with the tests, eye health etc... Opticians who fit and sell glasses etc.

Christ I've just read that - poor woman! At least she did see another consultant who suspected sepsis and got her pumped full of antibiotics before she left, and gave her a course of them.

What might have happened if the first consultant had just sent her away?!

I think what's happened to docs since COVID is appalling . Many issues need eyes
Thankfully soon i think we will get ai docs who can see us and do vitals maybe even instant blood tests and we can get proper care again

Maybe even ai house calls.

Women having heart attacks present as heartburn - what's your GP friend suggesting? That they ignore it and take a couple of Rennies or whatever?

The whole point of the GP is to see the person with symptoms, and rule out the heart attack. Not for the person having a heart attack to pop down to ASDA for indegestion tablets and hope for the best, so the GP doesn't have to bother with them.

One of my friends is a GP and basically said a lot of cases are people with the common cold and heartburn. And that two of his most common prescriptions are for ibuprofen and paracetamol which you can literally buy in a supermarket for 50p.

I didn't say that I said go to the pharmacy. The pharmacist can advise them what to do. Remember you said we are not qualified to ask questions. We just signpost them.

I've just read another thread where the OP is in hospital, the dr said she could go home, despite being in terrible pain, she cried, begged him not to discharge her, another doctor saw her and it seems she has sepsis!

I read this too - iirc it was confirmed as sepsis and they sent her home anyway! 🤷‍♀️

Yes and it affects women far more than men. It really is a feminist issue.

I was discharged 3 times from a&e /hospital. Finally my mum bullied them into doing an endoscopy (she's a nurse, her brother is a consultant) and it turned out I had a severe duodenal ulcer. When I read the symptoms I realised I had been describing them perfectly. They just didn't want to believe it because I was young and female. But I had had surgery in the year followed by heavy painkillers so they should have thought of it

I've just read another thread where the OP is in hospital, the dr said she could go home, despite being in terrible pain, she cried, begged him not to discharge her, another doctor saw her and it seems she has sepsis!

And that reminded me of numerous times my mum went to the gp, got told it might be appendicitis, went to hospital and got sent home because they didn't think it was. They were right, it wasn't.

It turned out she had bowel cancer.

I think GPs are just the start of this dismissive attitude. It's endemic.