To think it's no surprise people rock up to A&E

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Obviously I'm not encouraging people to go A&E unless they really have to but you can never get through to me surgery. So it's no surprise people give up and just go to A&E??

I have been trying all day, it's either engaged or I get through and there's 10 callers in front. Last time I had 10 callers in front it took 45 minutes to an hour to speak to someone. My problem is not urgent but what if it was? you expect it in the morning but at this time of day?

my problem cannot resolved with an E consult. Last time I did an E consult I didn't get a reply for 2 weeks. They limit how many E consults they take each day too.

is it just my surgery who is pants at answering the phone?

but weirdly I was in the surgery for a while the other day - queueing for a prescription and the phone didn't ring once!!

I tried calling 111 out of hours twice the other day and got cut off when they answered twice! It took half an hour each time before being cut off.
Had to phone gp in morning and just make do. Four month old dd had a flare up of eczema on her head and was screaming and itching despite applying cream through the day. Itching started at night. Was worried it was going infected...had to swaddle her to stop her making it bleed. Nightmare. Couldn't get through but not an a&e matter.

Sorry to add, if I couldn't have got through to the docs I 100% would have taken him to a and e anyway

My mum is currently trying to get an appointment for something, not urgent but a bit worrying, but she can never get through and when she has been in the docs they tell her she needs to go back the next day. I've told her if its not sorted within the next week ill be taking her to a and e and laying it on thick symptom wise as the first thing they would likely do is bloods and a scan of some sort

These graphs explain what is happening to general practice.
Population is rising, demands from the population is rising, and numbers of GPs have fallen.
In addition GPs are picking up the impact of hospital delays and long waiting lists because apart from the GP there is nowhere else for patients to go if they are in pain and increasing symptoms. The safe number of patients for a GP to see/telephone per day is 25 so GPs are resorting to e-consults to increase the number of contacts.
Don't forget the unseen work (prescriptions to be signed, results to be reviewed and then often require a call or text, letters and emails from hospital/social workers/anyone with actions required, team meetings to discuss cancer patients, teaching and training......)
Please don't flame me. This just explains what is going on behind closed doors.

A lot of diagnoses will be missed this way. An experienced doctor can tell a lot about someone's health status by looking at them from head to toe (not via Zoom). Many patients mention (potentially serious) issues as they are about to leave the consultation room; they refrain from doing so over the phone. It's all a bit of a coincidence that appointments went online during the pandemic and now "there aren't enough GP's". For older people and people with phone anxiety accessing healthcare is becoming increasingly impossible. It's a false economy because conditions are harder and more expensive to treat if they are diagnosed later.

The GP's aren't there for urgent care though, really.

The problem is it'll be the same 20 who used to spend all day sitting inside the surgery and the people who genuinely have dodgy lumps or moles or menopause symptoms and all the other things that are bearable but really need attention can't get appointments

Another GP bashing thread.

GP' s cant limit their lists.

They cant say we are closed or they get penalised.

So when your surgery has only 1 GP whether they have 2000 patients or 10,000 they cant stop registering patients.

There aren't enough GPs as its said frequently on this thread, but the appointments we do have, doesnt mean patients wont just go to A and E.

Just today one patient booked cos they need pain relief after a dental procedure the dentist "couldn't prescribe ". When the patient asked them for pain relief they were told to ring their GP and if the GP wouldn't help go to A and E. GPs cant treat dental issues, not even just for analgesia because if it goes wrong the first question we are asked is

" What is your specific expertise and what qualifications do you have to treat dental issues?"

Another patient assessed, needs hospital admission. Wards says doesnt fit their criteria for admission ( it does they are just refusing the referral) and say the patient will have to come in via A and E.

That's the same as mine, I called 201 times the other day in 7 minutes. By 8:07 no appointments left. And to be honest when your feeling really poorly the last thing you want to do is sit on the phone is it. For some people on here hours at a time trying to get through. How has it gotten so bad 😨

I dont know if its common knowledge but most a&es have a GP service in hours (some out of hours) I work in a&e and if I knew it was a GP issue and I couldnt get in with my GP I would either go to a walk in centre or ask to see the GP at a&e reception. Its obviously in time order so expect a wait but at least you wouldnt take up time in a&e as its usually outsourced by a private company and in a different department.

My doctor used to do a women's health clinic on Tuesdays between 4pm and 6pm. It was great because it was a walk in but it was infuriating because you really had to be there at 3:30pm to be sure of not waiting for a couple of hours (and they would ONLY see you for women's health problems at the Tuesday clinic).

However, when I went yesterday, the lady told me that they don't do that any more and I need to book a telephone appointment. Which is a problem because what I need needs a speculum, not a telephone. So I now have an appointment for mid December.

My issue isn't MEGA urgent right now but the reason women my age have health scares or contraceptive failures isn't because they are lazy or feckless - it's because they can't get seen.

www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/breaking-news/doctor-regulators-to-take-winter-pressures-into-account/

I'll tell you whats interesting.

GPs are being told regulators will take into account "winter pressures"

Basically they are expecting a shit show this winter and expecting the GPs to take on too much work and likely make mistakes because of this.

Any GP that takes them at their word is an idiot.

My surgery is fantastic, usually can call and get a call back within a couple of hours with the Practise Nurse who will then, if necessary, book a same or next day appointment with a GP either phone or face to face. I think we are very lucky from the sounds of it.

My GPs are legit incredible and I really appreciate everything they have done to help me lately despite the overwhelming challenges they face.
I'm going through serious mental health problems and because CMHS has basically collapsed, the GP is doing everything they can to take responsibility, advise, prescribe and generally look after me. They even arranged a hospital admission last week which was unfortunately cancelled by the useless crisis team but I feel like the GP is the only person trying to keep me alive right now and it's really appreciated.
@Mytho on the unlikely chance you're my GP and tried to sort out my hospital admission recently I wanted to say thank you for trying to help.

Thankfully my doctor's do answer the phone in a reasonable time. I can always get booked in for an appointment although often for 2-3 weeks time.

We're lucky that we do have a local walk in centre although the average wait is a couple of hours depending on the symptoms. They can they decide what action needs to be taken and are open 8-8 seven days a week.

Err so people are not allowed to express their frustration and dare I say it... fear !
It's bloody shocking and scary whatever the root cause is and people should feel free to speak up!

@Mytho

Yes, they can. This is a GP in a town near me. They closed to new patients on the 1st of January and have not reopened. You cannot register with them as a new patient.

www.stlukesmedicalpractice.co.uk/page1.aspx?p=4&t=1

I'm incredibly grateful for the service our GP practice provide. You phone in the morning, receptionist takes brief details. Doctor calls back, usually with an hour and either deals with your issue over the phone (and issues prescription to the pharmacy next door) or invites you to come in same day. But the other local practices are much more as OP describes.

This type of service started before covid and has continued throughout. I genuinely don't understand how our practice can manage this and others can't - perhaps they have fewer patients? A better telephone triage system? More funding so they have more GPs? I'm really not sure but I'm very thankful for it - and regularly tell them so.

Lots of people could speak to a pharmacist for the things they want the GP for as well.

I don't think anyone would willingly want to talk to our main pharmacist locally for any medical issues. I don't know if it's just the way she speaks generally but she comes across as being very rude. She is incredibly short with customers, very blunt and generally inflexible and unable to help. I actually complained to the pharmacy chain not too long back about her behaviour towards a young woman when I was in. The poor woman looked so upset and embarrassed at being spoken to in the way she was.

And tbh not yet has that pharmacist been able to help me with a medical issue. She just tells you to speak to your GP, but it's so hard to get an appointment at our local GP surgery too.

We have had a reduction of full time GPs and now have a number of PT staff. Which is fine, but it doesn't cover the whole week so two afternoons there are no appointments allowed and one morning it starts late.

Since covid our surgery has stopped all of its online/app systems, other than requesting a repeat prescription. We'd only just got the system anyway as the surgery is very slow at introducing tech - they've only just got a digital screen to announce next appointments when sat in there!

DD's surgery has appointment apps, e-consult type systems, messaging, ability to video with doctors, to send photographs, etc. Ours never had that bar being able to make a non-emergency appointment with a gp (not nurses as apparently they couldn't set that up as too difficult - despite other surgeries managing fine.)

And now that's gone as well, so we are back to the 8:30am phone call to join an ever growing queue. Impossible when you teach and need to be in class, especially,knowing it will be a long wait to get through.

I've no idea what the answer is but the system simply doesn't work anymore here.

My surgery is fab thankfully.
I was 7th caller today. Waited maybe 10 min. Explained dc issue and had previously. And gp would have notes
15 minutes later got a text saying dcs prescription sent to local pharmacy.
By time i walked round it was ready.

This isnt a one off either. If i need a call they call that same morning or afternoon.
Ive had calls 8pm before on a Friday night when its for one of the dcs ( chest issue) as gp knows it wont wait till the Monday

Im very thankful but also aware it may not always be like this.

Dms surgery is the same.

And I'm not blaming the GPs. The ones I know work incredibly hard and are just as frustrated with the systems.

But the reality is that many patients across the country cannot get appointments at GP surgeries, especially since covid. So they are understandably very frustrated.

It's a huge concern as things will be missed.

@Iheartmysmart I have the same issue, no queue redial only, no advance booking, no online consultant, nothing. My GP surgery told me back in September that for me to get an appointment between now and end of winter 2023 I would have to come into surgery in person every day at 8am as they said they get over 1000 calls a day. I am very worried about the NHS and access to health care. I needed to go back as previous issue was not resolved and GP advised to come back for referral. So sadly have left it as can’t just walk in every day at 8am with work. Worried about where the system is heading or has been heading for years 🙁

I had a call from audiology the other day to see how I am getting on with my new hearing aids (NHS). I said I had one ear which was itchy. She suggested I see my GP. I nearly fell off my chair laughing! It's not funny really of course. I will get something from Amazon for it and hope for the best.

Our local GP is okay actually. I get quick replies to E-consults and friends have managed to get a same day appointment and referral.

DH is a GP. He's in for 8:30am and tried to be home for 8:30pm. Often has to skip lunch and would stay later (last practice it was past midnight) if security didn't ask him to leave. They're so stretched and no sign of relief.

Similar near me. The amount of building has meant a local town has more than doubled in size. If you buy a house on one of the many new estates, you will not be able to register with a GP at all. (And obviously not an NHS dentist)

There really are people who don't have any access to a GP. I believe you can appeal to the local CCG.

I have complex conditions and am on immune suppressants - if I can't get an appointment - my GP switches the phones off, there is no email and you are not allowed in the building without an appointment - then I have had to pay for a private appointment. Yes I am lucky to be able to afford the odd appointment but it's not great as nobody else has access to my notes etc.

@CaptainMum I can relate to your DH. I hope he's ok. They are very long days. I am in 8-7 but am usually online doing admin work in the evenings and my day off so I have some flexibility. And I'm a partner so more work to do than salaried GPs One of my partners was on annual leave yesterday but it was clear she was sat at home doing admin because our work WhatsApp group was pinging all day with requests to print off forms to patients to collect.
The myth is that GPs only work 3 or 4 days a week but in reality thats 30-40 hours a week.

I do know that GP's work very hard, and there aren't enough of them. That doesn't make it any less frustrating when you are watching your loved one struggling with an infection they have had for 8 weeks because it's impossible to get a GP appointment less that two weeks hence. So when they finish a round of antibiotics and are still unwell, they are off antibiotics until the next appointment. And round and round it goes. Our surgery has no permanent GPs anyway, only locums, and (in our experience) they aren't interested in long term care.