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

I took me 17 years to get diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. If anyone had bothered to look at me properly in that time I might have avoided the wheelchair.

Ive found the opposite, ive had to push and push for help. Where they’ve been dismissing me I’ve become more ill and lost my job.

Good post.

There's a lot of scoffing and sneering at people for being the wrong sort of patient, or doing it wrong, for not knowing stuff.

Why is there so much flipping moralising and judgement around healthcare?

And?

Maybe my DP would still be alive if he hadn't had so little faith in GPs taking things seriously because they're more interested in "lifestyle". Oh, I encouraged him, I gently suggested that worsening heartburn and persistent tiredness and random headaches plus a family history of throat cancer might merit a check up, and yes, fear probably played a part in his reluctance. By the time he collapsed with a brain bleed, went into a coma and died after three weeks, his throat cancer had metastasised to his liver, lungs and brain, and was diagnosed at post mortem.

Those of us in middle age are continually reminded that we're on the slippery slope to being a drain on society in our dotage, and as many chronic conditions rear their heads at this time, is it not better to try and head off the decline while one still has the will and ability to do so? And that might include visiting a GP, perhaps regularly.

And where is this Utopia where anyone can get an appointment "almost every week" ? Or are these two men demonstrating the advantage of the patriarchy?

I honestly think the original GP quoted in this thread was pretty unprofessional (if he exists) by voicing his claims.

Everyone knows that the NHS is overly bureaucratic, underfunded, and that getting the care one needs, even when desperately ill is a lottery. It's not all the fault of patients. And people seem to forget that the mismanagement of health services during Covid just doubled down on the chaos and has increased the number of people with ongoing complications from the virus itself, who might have to seek help because it's still not properly or fully understood.

And if you have children, and don't make a GP appointment for something because "it's probably nothing" you face the wrath of SS if it turns out it was "something" . Hence parents possibly taking up appointments for mundane things "to be on the safe side", also when your child is suffering for any reason, seeking reassurance is surely understandable? The horror stories of missed sepsis even in hospital settings are going to have an effect, no matter how "rational" or resilient" one tries to be.

GPs are the gateway to health provision in general, or used to be. Yes, you can be probably be seen and treated adequately by a pharmacist or practise nurse or whatever, but as related here, sometimes you get bounced round between them for various "protocol" reasons, which delays treatment and diagnosis and potentially wastes the time of three professionals as opposed to one.

So i appreciate this has turned into a bit of a rant and covers multiple issues. It's a muddle. And it reflects the muddle that dealing with GPs and the NHS in general often turns out to be.

And it can't just be bad luck, because so many people end up frustrated and have shared their stories here.

Last year I spent a large amount of time helping my elderly father, including navigating multiple strands of healthcare until he died in April. He actually started to believe that the way he was passed from pillar to post was to hasten his demise as he was no longer worth the effort. After a while, I couldn't help but wonder.

I think GPs should perhaps look at systemic issues that apparently lead to "too many" people seeking an audience with them, and also understand that most people don't want to be ill, and don't want to die prematurely because "it's probably nothing".

For all your know there may be good reason. Frequency does not imply fault.

It's because I was on it for hormonal migraine

Sadly, this is more common than you might think. I work in a pharmacy (relatively small town, high elderly population) and at least twice a week we get a big bag full of returns. We calculated the value of the last bag of returns we had and it was roughly £1500 😖

I appreciate that 28-day prescribing is annoying (it increases everybody’s workload, too!), but I can see the benefits. Particularly as we get older and pick up more ailments, changes to meds get more common, and you’re stuck with the excess.

Men go less than they should.

Because the charge is per item on the prescription. They'd get paid the same whether the item was for a one month or six month supply, therefore it's not financially viable to prescribe six months' supply at a time. Although I don't understand why there isn't a work-around for this, such as listing one months' supply six times, or writing x6, i.e. patient must pay six charges

Two middle aged men i work with go to the GP almost every week.

No it won't .it'll only effect the 10% who currently pay for prescriptions. These are not the problem. People who work don't generally use as many appointments as the elderly and ill

We have millions of people on long term sick in this country. They need making better

I've actively refused sick notes for years because I worked for myself and it'd do me no good. And most importantly I wanted them to make me better.
Was I an idiot for continuing to work?

Our GP practice play a fun game of ‘hunt the prescription’; you request a repeat prescription and request it goes to a specific local pharmacy. They send it to a random one. So you have fun times going round all the local pharmacies trying to track it down. Sometimes it ends up back at the surgery. If you are lucky a helpful receptionist may offer a few clues to help you on your hunt…

I'm on HRT, my prescription was changed from 3 monthly to 6 monthly last March. So the 28 day thing isn't universal.

I did econsult which told me to phone the receptionist immediately for an urgent appointment.
Phoned the Dr where the receptionist, after I'd told them what econsult had said, told me that there were no appointments and go through econsult...

Result is I haven't seen the Dr and still get bouts of severe pain. I suspect gallstones, but it could be more serious, but econsult always rejects it because it needs urgent checks....

I left a message another time about 6 months after I'd been signed off work with depression, asking to see A Dr as I was spiralling downward quickly. Got a text message back "go to the website for advice".

Another time I left a message about something for one of the dc, saying we'd been to the pharmacy and they said they couldn't help, he needed a dr. Got another text message "See a pharmacist" .

Honestly, I think I've seen more effective help from two four year olds playing doctors.

I’d probably count as one of these when I go for tonsillitis. But having ending up in hospital because a nurse practitioner failed to recognise quincy I’m definitely going to insist on doctors every time.

But my chest infection, which I gave plenty of time to right itself, did almost kill me. How are we supposed to know the difference between one which will get better with time, and one like mine which very much did require antibiotics if we don’t see a doctor?

A friend of mine thought her baby had meningitis and took him straight to GP which was just down the road. Asked receptionist if she could see doctor, receptionist said you need to book an appointment. My friend said she thought her baby had meningitis. Receptionist disappeared round back then reappeared sending friend straight though to see doctor. Sure enough baby did have meningitis. He's a fully grown adult now though with no ill affects thankfully. I think the NHS worked much better then though.

This thread alone shows the reason for the problem. So many false information and misunderstanding of when antibiotics should be prescribed. Sadly, even clinicians don't fully understand it and many doctors still singinificantly over prescribe then.

I don't understand at all this phenomenon of thinking that only antibiotics can cure their infection and the only reason they start to feel better is the antibiotics rather than the fact that symptoms would naturally start to ease each day after the first 3 or 4, although sometimes it can be 7 or more.

Antibiotics create bacteria resistant treatment that can do much more damage than a chest or sinus infection.

It's as if people can't stand anymore to just accept they are ill and that it's going to take days and sometimes weeks to get better.

In Ireland, the NHS equivalents now have a contract that forbids working in the private system. However, they have been well compensated for the lack of private income in their public only contracts. Public only consultant salaries range between €230k and 280K with other allowances on top.

@anamo that’s not strictly correct. Consultants who signed up to the public only contracts can still practice privately in their own time and many do. They’re just not allowed practice privately in a public hospital so publicly you’d see a nuero surgeon in Beaumont but privately you’ll see them in the beacon or hermitage hospitals

Maybe they don’t realise they did not need a doctor.

I went to the doctor for crippling pain and cramps in one side. To the point I would struggle to get out of bed as my leg was dead.

I was worried I had some kind of blood clot. Went to see the dr and there was nothing for them to do.

Does not mean I was wrong to go.

I still find it bizarre that this figure is even bandied about. The only time I ever speak with a receptionist is to book a smear test. Everything else is done over E consult. If its something you need prescribing then they just tell you where the prescription has been sent. If you need an appointment then it's categorised as urgent you get see with 48 hours or none urgent and within a couple of weeks. You can't really get past the filter and then waste an appointment at our surgery. I find it a good system in that urgent cases do get seen. I was fobbed off by OOH at the hospital with muscle strain when it was actually kidney stones. I held on a for a few days and then did an econsult. They had me in within the hour, took one look at me and diagnosed me without even touching me. I was out within ten minutes with a variety of tests booked and some strong AF pain relief.

The thing is, though, you don’t always know when to see a doctor. My baby was unwell (5 months old) and in the end, we called 111 and was advised to take him to A&E. It was a good thing we did, as he had a kidney infection and ended up being in hospital for 3 nights having IV antibiotics. I would rather someone go to the doctor for nothing than them having a serious illness and not seeing anyone about it

That’s not an NHS protocol - it’s common to be on repeats for 6 months at my surgery.

I’m really confused about this? Why isn’t it on repeat with a 6 monthly review? My relative and myself are on repeats for (different) long term health conditions one of which is blood pressure and that’s the basis we get them. Why would you have to go every 28 days? Genuine question!

I had already done all that though! It has been on going for a couple of years, hence trying different creams and medications. It seemed odd that this was the last point before referral where I literally said I agreed to a referral and nothing else was done during the appointment. Throughout it all I am sure this was only the second face to face appointment I have had, the rest being messaging and sending photos.