GP didn’t call me because their “workday has ended”

I think you’re very rude OP to suggest the GP isn’t working.
the reality is, you have ZERO idea what has gone on in their work day. Something has clearly gone terribly wrong if you’re not the only phone call that couldn’t take place (you previously suggested maybe ~8 others wouldn’t have happened).
that is a clear implication that something has happened. They could have had a mental health emergency, sepsis, heart attack etc.
it isn’t like the GP was running a bit late and had one phone call left and though cba I’m going home.
chances are, if something has gone wrong, the GP is likely still at the GP surgery working unpaid overtime dealing with whatever the problem is.

also healthcare workers are not robots/super human - they deserve to work the hours they are paid to do (like everyone else) and then go home. They aren’t at the publics beck and call constantly. It also isn’t like you don’t have other options??
if it’s urgent and can’t possibly wait 18hrs until tomorrow to call the GP again, you have out of hours GP and if it’s an emergency - there’s A&E.

at the end of the day unpredictable s@!t happens that messes everyone’s day up.

the only thing you have a right to be upset with is how this was communicated and the plan going forward. They should have informed you sooner, if they were able to/aware this would happen. I’d also have expected they automatically put you on the list for a call tomorrow.

And there will be millions who DO stay late (until the work is done!) Many people do have other people who can pick up their child from nursery/after school clubs, ya know like the other parent of the child! Or a grandparent or other family member or friend.

I had an unpredictable finishing time in a job I did in the noughties - although it was 3 days a week. I would start at 8.30am and sometimes not finish til 7 to 7.30pm if a particularly tricky case or situation came in... And so my DH would pick up the DC from the childminder or school. If he was at work, (he did shift work,) or the childminder would sometimes keep them for an extra hour or two, or my SIL would pick them up and keep them at hers for an extra hour or two. (Or one of the other mums at the school/one of my friends would do it.) I would return the favour if a similar thing happened to them on MY days(s) off.

You learn to adapt and make provisions when you have a career with unpredictable hours that sometimes run over the normal finishing time. Not everyone can just clock out on the dot of 5pm!

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I get the frustration. Can you not go to a local walk in centre?

My surgery regularly sends me texts that say they are short staffed & only seeing/booking emergencies.
At least once a week this happens.
The online booking doesn't work so it's ringing with every other bastard at 8am & phone lottery!
I have only experienced one no call back though. The receptionist had written my number incorrectly) that is on my file correctly ffs)
I'd be pissed off with the total lack of concern from your surgery. A text to say essentially, tough shit today, is crap.
If you don't get joy with 111 you could try a pharmacist. Some can prescribe, but I'm not sure what regarding pain relief.
Good luck

I’ve done this multiple times because I’ve felt I have no fucking choice. I have brittle asthma and a flare can start slow 2-4 days prior to needed hospitalisation so either I get seen by my GP or I’ll hassle a & e

Yes, mine does evening appointments too. So does my adult DC's surgery, and my 2 BBFs surgeries. Not many people seem to go to evening (6.00pm to 7.45pm) appointments, but the GPs do plenty of phone calls/phone consultations during that time. So they are not sitting doing nothing. This is why I'm surprised that a GP didn't ring the OP at 7pm or something.

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There will quite literally be millions of parents who have salaried positions and leave on time because nurseries/ after school care or clubs don’t run late.
The idea that everyone on a salary just stays however late is rubbish.

Stop talking about GPs as if they are still like Dr. Leg from Eastenders!

GPs are part of practices which are run as a business and for profit- partners earn as much as hospital consultants. Salaried GPs earn more than most consultants.

I have a friend who works in the ICB and has worked in Primary and Secondary care commissioning. Every time they try to make changes to improve GP access and take the pressure of secondary services, the GPs kick off - even when the changes make a lot of sense and would actually reduce the GP caseload. The BMC get involved and nothing gets fixed!

Not having the capacity to give people appointments is one thing, but not contacting patients who have been given an appointment and making alternative arrangements is just bad practice management.

No-one would think it acceptable if you were given a 3:30pm appointment with a consultant at a hospital, you sit around until 5:30 and then are told when you ask what is going on "Sorry, the consultant has finished for the day - call back tomorrow and we will see if we can re-arrange"

Emergency services are being overrun with non-emergencies because people are unable to access primary care.

Personally I think if someone rocks up at A&E with something that is a non-emergency - if they can prove that they have tried and failed to get an appointment with their GP then the GP practice should be fined because they have either not employed the correct number / right mix of staff or they are being run badly.

We've always been very lucky with our GPs even though we have lived in areas with very very high demand and increasing populations - our current and previous GPs had very innovative practices in terms of staff mixes. The only thing I would like to see is more weekend access!

But they hadn't finished their work for the day?
It's a salaried job, not a payperhour job. You leave once the works done for the day, not at a set time.

You'd be surprised. My surgery operates an evening and weekend surgery on rota - no one wants to come to them! We cant give them away!

It's really unfortunate that the surgery didn't automatically rebook you in or another GP take over your calls
. However the emergency could be really serious and then required writing up/debrief etc. A friend of mine is a GP and a few years back had a routine appointment for a patient who had booked. The woman went into cardiac arrest in the waiting room and and my friend was performing CPR and using a defib for a long time until the ambulance arrived ( pre covid but the same old issue of not enough ambos in the area as waiting to off load at hospital). After the ambulance did arrive and the woman was taken to hospital, my friend had to then write up their account and ensure the patient records were available as it's their legal responsibility. It was time consuming and quite a shock for her and the other surgery staff.

True. How much does it cost them for a missed appointment? Ask them if when THEY miss your appointment you can have that "lost" money and go and use it for a private GP consultation instead.😆

This makes no sense as a response to my comment.

😆

Surgeries have to have procedures in place for that too. I should know, I was responsible for deciding what ours should be. This still cannot be call at 8am or you’ll never be able to see anyone.

Not everyone is able to or has access to online services

Depending on the size of the surgery they have one, maybe two allocated slots for 111.

111 may say the GP will contact you within one hour but the actual contract between 111 and the GP is to see the patient at the earliest available time - which may be 5 days later.

They are not an emergency service so don't rely on 111's advice.

I expect the GP is as frustrated and fed up as you. You're blaming the wrong people.

Except for GPs this happens every working day. So where do we draw the line? Or are GPs just supposed to work till 8pm everyday? Burn-out is a real and current problem among doctors. They deserve a work-life balance as the rest of the population. One solution would be more GPs, not overwork.

The booking system may need to be adjusted in this case but I do not agree GPs should just carry on working.

Blame the process and not the individual. Clinicians love a DNA as it frees up a bit of time to catch up!

Exactly - it's hardly rocket science

Because your GP is not an emergency service.

And at the moment they are battling against what NHS England say they will do with what they can practically do in the hours they work.

Do you mean this bit ‘The feminisation of GP practice has led to a deterioration of the service’ ??????

lolololol I have never heard of this dire feminisation of GP practice’ . Sounds terrifying, probably witchcraft

Your last paragraph 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

It's completely unacceptable OP. I wish I had a job that I could just leave because it's the end of the day.

After my last experience of trying to get a a GP appointment I wouldn't even bother now. I 'd use a private GP and/or Bupa consultation.