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Original poster

Lightbulb moment about GP’s and how things used to be

180 replies

Smellsofbeef · 09/12/2022 22:58

I’ve just realised that as a child I was never taken to the doctors. If myself or any member of the family was Ill then the doctor was phoned and it would be a home visit. Never, ever taken to the doctors surgery.

I was born in 73 and as far as I know it was the norm back then.
On the other hand, my children who are now in their early 20’s have never had a home visit from the GP, no matter how poorly they’ve ever been we’d always be expected to take them to the surgery.

When did this about turn happen? Or was it just my family that would call the doctor for a home visit?

I remember the local doctor calling on my nana when he was passing! Not even been called, just he was nearby so he’d pop in to see her (she suffered with her ‘nerves’).

Was a home visit the norm back then ?

OP posts:
Wbeezer · 09/12/2022 23:21

Well my Dad was a GP in the seventies and was on call a lot, it was not very good for family life as he was often very tired and stressed and my Mum had to stay in to answer the phone when he was on call too. From what I can remember my Mum would triage the call ( nurse) so if someone had a mild illness that could wait she would tell them to go to the surgery in the morning but Dad would go out to babies/ children who were really ill/ feverish and lots of the kind of things that people would go to A&E for nowadays like chest pains/ funny turns.
It definitely wasn't an alternative to going to the surgery. My Dad used to complain about patients who called him out for minor things ( if due to laziness, entitlement rather than anxiety)
Where I live now our GPs still do house calls for the house bound and my lovely GP came out on Christmas Eve to check DS2 when he was four days old and I thought his breathing sounded funny ( he was fine!), She said they were always willing to come out to small babies with breathing issues as they can go downhill fast.

Babdoc · 09/12/2022 23:22

When I was a child, you didn’t call the doctor unless you were more than half dead! My parents were born thirty years before the NHS started, so weren’t used to being able to afford a doctor. They just ignored illness in their children.
I remember going to the GP as a 19 year old to ask for the contraceptive pill, and the GP being flustered, as he said my medical notes seemed to be missing. All he could find was a hospital letter from when I was four, and had a broken arm.
I had to reassure him that I hadn’t actually been seen by him or visited his surgery for fifteen years!

MerryMarigold · 09/12/2022 23:23

Born in 73 as well and never had a hike visit in my life. I'm lucky to get a phonecall these days.

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FourTeaFallOut · 09/12/2022 23:24

Yeah, born '79. Whenever my Mam phoned the surgery to get the green light to give me a medicine there was a mad house tidying dash because it was 50-50 whether the GP would check in on me later that day. It was like the queen was coming, pretty sure he didn't care if the floor was mopped.

Pelo2022 · 09/12/2022 23:24

I've had two home visits (am 38)

Once when my back went and they decided it was quicker to come to my house and give me diazepam rather than call an ambulance (I live about 500m from the surgery)
Once with flu

UsingChangeofName · 09/12/2022 23:24

I think it was your GP (or your memory?) that was unusual.

Like pps, I'm a decade older than you and never remember any home visits. We were taken in to the surgery if needed.

KeeefBurtain · 09/12/2022 23:24

I remember having a home visit when I had chicken pox and the GP brought his 2 dc with him to (I’m guessing) expose them. I was about 6 or 7 so 1987ish

ThorsBedazzler · 09/12/2022 23:26

The last home visit from the GP i remember was when my mum and i both had terrible ear infections. It was at the weekend i think and it was early 1990s, I remember the insanity inducing agony. GP grudgingly came and prescribed antibiotics.

My gran's GP would visit her occasionally i think. Mid 2010s.

I am in my 40s and going to the doctor's surgery was always the norm though. One of my earliest memories is of being terrified of the old surgery we went to as my sister told me frankenstein's monster lived under the stairs there.

Nat6999 · 09/12/2022 23:29

Born in 1966, I can only remember one home visit as a child after having a fit while I had measles. I have had only one home visit as an adult after having ds & my BP had shot up to dangerous levels, the midwife wanted to send me back to hospital but my lovely GP kept me at home & kept on increasing the medication until it worked.

Iwritethissittinginthekitchensink · 09/12/2022 23:32

Home visits were a feature of my 90s childhood but only because I had asthma quite badly at times. I don’t think it was the norm. I remember out of hours late night visits from GPs to administer nebulisers and extra prescription steroid tablets when my usual inhalers weren’t enough and I was struggling to breathe.

FourTeaFallOut · 09/12/2022 23:34

Iwritethissittinginthekitchensink · 09/12/2022 23:32

Home visits were a feature of my 90s childhood but only because I had asthma quite badly at times. I don’t think it was the norm. I remember out of hours late night visits from GPs to administer nebulisers and extra prescription steroid tablets when my usual inhalers weren’t enough and I was struggling to breathe.

Yes, I'm asthmatic. I don't remember specifically which meds they were getting the green light for, but probably pred.

Dibbydoos · 09/12/2022 23:35

I had a home visit when I was about 6 or 7. I was really poorly and hallucinating. I watched the doctor make the medicine up.in front of me - no idea what it was, it was orange. He stayed with me for hours but his care did the trick I was better 36 hours later, though still hallucinating in the morning.

When my husband was dying. The doctor offered a home visit - I didn't know he was dying at the time, so they obviously still do home visits when it's critical.

I personally think there's a lot that can be done in a short phone call though - just wish I could get anytime of appointment. I waited so long having tried for weeks that I ended up emailing tge surgery. A week later out of the blue a doctor called me!

Cakeandcardio · 09/12/2022 23:36

I was born early 80s and def had a few home visits, as did my sister born in early 90s. Didn't happen all the time and we sometimes went to the surgery but the doctor def visited our home for various childhood ailments.

EmmaAgain22 · 09/12/2022 23:37

I was born in 76
I remember the GP doing a home visit for me when I was 14. I woke up with vertigo so bad, I could barely sit up. Apart from that, I would always go to the surgery if something was wrong. But there was a poster this week who was too dizzy to sit up and had to call 111.

allboysherebutme · 09/12/2022 23:38
  1. DR sat by my bed all night when I had glandular fever. Services aren't the same because there are too many patients. X
Reugny · 09/12/2022 23:39

shreddies · 09/12/2022 23:10

Not the norm in London in the seventies but as pp said GPs do still make some home visits

I had home visits in the 80's from my GPs in London as a child.

Oddly when my mother was seriously ill the GP phoned the house and told us what to do as we lived nearer the hospital than the surgery.

Kendodd · 09/12/2022 23:40

Born a few years before you OP.
I remember gp home visits as a child. I also remember that the slightest sniffle necessitated a trip to the doctor and antibiotics. My own children have only been to the doctor a few times in their lives, cough, colds, sore throats are just riden out.

I had a Ukrainian living with me for a while, medical treatment in Ukraine sounded similar to the UK, 50 years ago. Home visits from doctors for the slightest problem and antibiotics handed out.

I think we've both lost and gained. It feels like its drummed into us in the UK, - do not go to the doctor unless you are absolutely at deaths door, this is really bad. Going to the doctor, or taking your child, when not well, just to be told, it's ok, no treatment needed, should be an ok thing to do, and not seen as timewasting. We just don't have enough doctors though. I think it's good antibiotics aren't handed out like smarties anymore though, I think more care should be taken with other drugs as well.

AlwaysFullOfQuestions22 · 09/12/2022 23:41

80s few home visits when really poorly. Rest i went. My dm didnt drive it was always a bus and long walk.
I hated that walk

somethinsomethin · 09/12/2022 23:42

Born in 92 so completely different reference point but the thing I remember as making a significant difference is we had a "family doctor" then. Still remember his name. Live in exactly the same area but it's just whoever is working and has space and I couldn't tell you any of their names. Sometimes you'll see the question asked on forms for the kids school and I have no idea who their doctor is or if that even exists anymore.

Mushroo · 09/12/2022 23:42

Born in 1991 and remember having a couple of home visits when I was really ill. Definitely seemed normal, as did having an actual Dr who you knew, rather than whoever you get assigned

blebbleb · 09/12/2022 23:43

RuthW · 09/12/2022 23:08

The doctors I work with still do about 3 visits a day each. They also pop into very ill patients on their day off.

Nothing has changed.

They sound lovely!

ThinkingOfAWittyUsername · 09/12/2022 23:45

Born in the very early 70s and have only had a home visit once that I recall, and that was as a teen.

Blinky21 · 09/12/2022 23:46

Born in 80 and the Dr came out to me on Xmas day once. But doctors can obviously see more patients if the patients travel to them, I expect that's because there are fewer doctors and more patients these days

gogohmm · 09/12/2022 23:48

I'm 50, I've never had a home visit in my life. You go to the dr if you are ill

Kendodd · 09/12/2022 23:48

allboysherebutme · 09/12/2022 23:38

  1. DR sat by my bed all night when I had glandular fever. Services aren't the same because there are too many patients. X

Surely you mean there are too few doctors?