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Original poster

Is anyone else still being refused a GP appointment ?

38 replies

sofakingfrustrated · 03/09/2020 10:44

Have a hospital appointment next week - hospital rang last week and said they think they have a diagnosis, and it would be good to talk to GP to get a referral for support with that and for symptom management . Also to discuss possible surgery that they might be able to offer . Appointment next week is just more tests to sort of confirm what they think.

GP surgery have flat out refused to discuss - said they don’t do chronic illness, they don’t do non urgent illness, they don’t do GP appointments unless it is absolutely 100% necessary - you can’t choose when you see someone or when - it’s up to the clinical team to decide if you warrant help, they choose who sees you and when .

Their decision was that I should talk to the pharmacist instead - surely this isn’t in their remit? I get that they can explain OTC pain relief and help with minor illness - but surely they can’t discuss pros and cons of surgery and future prognosis of illnesses ...

Surely this can’t carry on this way for much longer ? GP surgery must be missing scores of illnesses by refusing to see most patients.

OP posts:
SqidgeBum · 03/09/2020 11:00

I havent been refused an appointment, but I am pregnant and have been to the docs quite a bit over lockdown and lately, and I have to say I have been shocked. Every time I go to the doc I will be waiting outside for 10 or 15 mins and I wont see another patient go in or out. There are 5 docs in my GP yet none of them seem to have face to face appointments anytime I go. Usually the place is like a ghost town.

I also have tried to book my next appointment while I am there, but I am usually told the reception is 'closed' ..... despite them being right in front of me ..... they keep saying 'ring us to make an appointment', so I then go home, pick up the phone, and speak to the person I was standing in front of 5 mins beforehand. I dont get it

ChickenwingChickenwing · 03/09/2020 11:04

Honestly? I would be wondering why the hospital are trying to pass this over to your GP when you haven't even seen them yet. You are going for a diagnosis by the sounds of things, at which point they should put a plan in place going forward and write to your GP outlining any meds etc.

sunnysidegold · 03/09/2020 11:06

My GP surgery are triaging calls and the. You get brought in if they think they need to see you. They were going this before lockdown though so not much has changed.

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vickibee · 03/09/2020 11:10

Our Gp refused to see our son face to face, he has a serious ingrowing toenail which had to be removed. He asked for a photo but decided to prescribe penicillin instead of an urgent podiatry referral. I went to a private clinic in the end because he could barely walk. Podiatry nhs clinics are not running either. It has cost about £300 which I can just about afford but it is ridiculous.

Gingerkittykat · 03/09/2020 11:16

Mt GP surgery are doing routine phone appointments with a named Dr with a waiting time of around a week, I'm really impressed by the care I have received over lockdown.

Frownette · 03/09/2020 11:18

I haven't tried yet as I don't need anything aside from blood tests at present and they've always been accommodating about that.

I did take a relative to his GP in June but that was fairly serious.

I suspect it really varies dependent on location.

Your situation sounds complicated, can you just tell hospital you need to go direct, gp is saying they can't get involved?

rosiethehen · 03/09/2020 11:19

Welcome to the new NHS. One that doesn't actually treat patients. It was difficult enough accessing help before, there's no chance now.

Hopefully, the government will set up some sort of functioning healthcare system in the future, but god knows how long it'll take and we'll probably have to pay for it.

Meanwhile, GPs, NHS managers, entire departments must be sitting around having a huge group wank over how delightful it is to no longer have to see patients.

zzzebra · 03/09/2020 11:20

Like @vickibee we ended up having to go private with my 4 month old daughter.
GP (eventually 🙄) did a referral but then the clinic wasn't running face to face.
With it being blood in her stools and her being so young we wanted someone to actually see her and give her a check over rather than take random shots in the dark over the phone

IveSeenThings · 03/09/2020 11:24

They're doing phone appointments, and they're almost impossible to get. There is a back-up service of doctors in the local area that ring you, but the advice given was dire (oh, just wait and see, essentially [hmm).
I haven't actually used the GP for over ten years! I'm pretty sure if I'm concerned about something, I'm not malingering Grin

rosiethehen · 03/09/2020 11:30

PushDoctor provide a reasonable service for routine things. It's not very expensive.

Baggiegirl · 03/09/2020 11:31

That really is not acceptable. I am a GP and we are dealing with as many patients as we ever did if not more. Chronic diseases still need managing.
Yes the way we are doing this is different in that we will ring firstly and then see face to face if necessary.
Believe me we are not sitting around doing nothing. In fact consultations are often taking longer on the phone.
I do appreciate that not every surgery is doing this but the vast majority I know of her.
It does annoy me when a few who are not pulling their weight give us all a bad name

Frownette · 03/09/2020 11:33

@Baggiegirl

That really is not acceptable. I am a GP and we are dealing with as many patients as we ever did if not more. Chronic diseases still need managing. Yes the way we are doing this is different in that we will ring firstly and then see face to face if necessary. Believe me we are not sitting around doing nothing. In fact consultations are often taking longer on the phone. I do appreciate that not every surgery is doing this but the vast majority I know of her. It does annoy me when a few who are not pulling their weight give us all a bad name
I've had a good experience with the NHS during lockdown so please don't think you're not appreciated, you are.
BanditsBum · 03/09/2020 11:34

My husband has been experiencing certain worrying symptoms since April. Despite being in contact with the surgery numerous times he hasn't even been allowed a phone appointment never mind face to face. He keeps being prescribed various things by the nurse practitioner so despite having suffered since April hasn't even been as much as had a doctor even look at his symptoms it would seem.

Next time it happens we are going to A&E but Im also considering a private GP because it is terrifying quite frankly and no one cares.

EDSGFC · 03/09/2020 11:37

I've just phoned up this morning. We can't book on line anymore so I've spent 62 minutes on hold in order to get through.

GPs currently insisting on telephone appointments and then will see face to face if they deem it necessary. Receptionist said they have no appointments.left for today and to phone 111. I have a complex health condition that always causes problems if I use 111 or OOH because they can't see my notes so I explained that to the receptionist. Begrudgingly she asked for my name and looked at my notes - suddenly the GP will call me today! Presumably I have a flag on my notes but if I hadn't have pushed a bit I would have been fobbed off with going to 111.

Something is going really wrong here. How are we meant to get routine appointments, particularly if we have chronic health conditions if we can't make contact with the surgery? If I'd been at work today I couldn't have spent an hour on hold or been available by phone at anytime between 9.15 and 6pm to take the call from the GP. What are we meant to do?

OhLookHeKickedTheBall · 03/09/2020 11:46

I've managed a phone consult with an asthma nurse. Thankfully I have a peak flow meter at home and managed to give them readings which made them realise I wasn't right, but if I'd not had those I was about to be fobbed off. But it also was enough for me not to be called in which I didn't mind in that case. New treatment going well. Not so great for anyone else who doesn't own one though if they were in the same circumstances.

I do get to go in for B12 injections which is better than some surgeries round here who have attempted to get people to take tablets even when they've been shown to not be able to absorb them.

K10f1 · 03/09/2020 11:52

I’m sorry you’ve had this experience. I’m a GP and we certainly are still doing chronic disease management. I do 36 phone calls a day (so do my colleagues, and we have a duty doctor that deals with any extra above that). Some of these calls get converted to video, some I bring in and see face to face, some I ask to send photos. Depends on what the problem is. I’m also still doing visits. On top of this I do my share of the repeat scripts (generally 50 a day) plus all the usual referrals/letters, looking at results etc. This has been the case throughout the pandemic. We’re very busy.

DominaShantotto · 03/09/2020 11:59

Have had problems with DD2 that would have been able to be checked out quickly face-to-face but have been a nightmare with how things are at the moment in terms of having a telephone chat, then another telephone chat and then they decide they need to see you - would have been one appointment and resolved normally.

DD2, granted, is jinxed at the moment (she's fractured her wrist now to go back to school with!) but she got bitten by insects at school just before the summer - and reacted really badly - whole of her arm was bright red and swollen. It took me 2-3 days of battling through triage, going through an appointment which was a "oooh we can't see from here" on videocall, being sent to the pharmacy who sent me straight back to the GP and going through it all again to get her antibiotics (which she needed - it was a horrendously infected bite). Normal days it would have taken a quick "can the practice nurse have a look at this and see if there's any need to be concerned" and it would have been resolved.

We've lost our online booking as well and hold times are horrendous to get an appointment booked.

Original poster
sofakingfrustrated · 03/09/2020 12:07

@Baggiegirl

That really is not acceptable. I am a GP and we are dealing with as many patients as we ever did if not more. Chronic diseases still need managing. Yes the way we are doing this is different in that we will ring firstly and then see face to face if necessary. Believe me we are not sitting around doing nothing. In fact consultations are often taking longer on the phone. I do appreciate that not every surgery is doing this but the vast majority I know of her. It does annoy me when a few who are not pulling their weight give us all a bad name
Flowers and to K10f1 , thank you . Two chums are GPs and I know they’re working very, very hard - I do think it’s a reception issue to be honest !!

It is complicated but I think, I’ve had symptoms for a long time - it’s just sticking a label on it now - and nothing’s ever been monitored or checked . Just sort of left to get on with it ... Nurse saying it shouldn’t be that way, GP should check in every so often or a nurse practitioner at least . I think they’re wanting me to start catheterising myself daily and she said I’d need some help with that, at least at first .

OP posts:
pointythings · 03/09/2020 12:30

I think the problem is that there is so much variability - but rosiethehen's comment is so bloody unhelpful! I work in a mental health/community Trust and our services are up and running again - including Podiatry. And yes, we are busy. I very much doubt that OP's experience is the norm.

EDSGFC · 03/09/2020 12:38

@pointythings

I think the problem is that there is so much variability - but rosiethehen's comment is so bloody unhelpful! I work in a mental health/community Trust and our services are up and running again - including Podiatry. And yes, we are busy. I very much doubt that OP's experience is the norm.
I don't know if it's the norm but it's pretty common. Out of all my friends and family and all of the surgeries we are using none of us have a pre Covid service. All of us have lost on line booking and the ability to make appointments without first speaking to someone on the phone. Even then face to face appointments are a last resort.

My parents are elderly and mum ended up in A and E last week because she hadn't been able to adequately describe her symptoms over the phone to the GP. All she needed was antibiotics but the GP had gone completely off track and diagnosed a possible stroke rather than cellulitis because of they couldn't see her.

How can get access to figures showing how many GPS are still insisting on telephone consultations in all but very specific cases?

Plussizejumpsuit · 03/09/2020 12:43

This is not normal or OK. The idea they don't do chronic illness is mad. I have had good care from my GP all through lockdown for various ongoing health issues. I'd can't act the commissioning ccg and ask to speak to the practice manage. Also I'd move GP if at all possible as they sound terrible.

Plussizejumpsuit · 03/09/2020 12:45

Yeah so don't think what is happening at your GP surgery is what is happening everywhere.

rosiethehen · 03/09/2020 12:50

Not so much unhelpful, more like an inconvenient truth.

Larkin01 · 03/09/2020 12:51

Another GP here who are also definitely still doing chronic disease and non urgent illness. Yes, primarily over the phone but face to face if necessary. We’re also doing routine reviews, dementia, diabetes, practice nurses are doing smears and the like. The only thing I would say is that the GP is unlikely to be able to discuss pros and cons of surgery, that should be done by the relevant specialist and ideally the hospital should have done a direct Consultant to Consultant referral rather than bouncing it back to the GP. That’s not your problem to deal with though OP! Does your surgery do e-consult? If so a doctor will review that so that might be a way to get your foot in the door, as it were.

Purplewithred · 03/09/2020 12:58

I'm really shocked at your surgery - ours is doing phone/video/email triage + appointment if appropriate, face to face if necessary.

If you don't get a sensible response then put in a complaint.

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