At the GP's...

[Fordian]

I'm waiting for adult DS. Obvs have to wait as they're understandably running a bit late.

Honestly, the entitlement of all the patients going up to the desk! All well over 60.

The muttering about 'probably sitting around having a tea break'. 'This is ridiculous!' etc. 5 mins after their appointed time.

The unreasonableness of being offered a cancellation blood test TOMORROW (I waited 3 weeks recently!).

Telling the receptionist what time they expect the doctor to call them (one who isn't on duty today, cue sighs and eye rolls). Non-urgent call backs are a not unreasonable 10 days here, currently!

The detective work the receptionists are having to do as people have no idea what appointments are booked or what for.

I wouldn't be a GP. Don't people see the news? Do the words 'staffing crisis' mean nothing, or do people think that only applies to OTHER PEOPLE?

And breathe.

I guess I'm a bit triggered as this irritated entitlement is one reason I resigned my HCP job and went private, recently.

I thought the same when I went recently. Someone just said "I'm going straight down" and refused to sit in the waiting area, they had to get the doc out to tell them off for not waiting.

l’ll be 60 this year. I’ve bought both my gp’s flowers this year for going above and beyond. Dh also loves both our Gp’s. He’s 64.

Nice ageist comment there op.

I'm already 60.

It was a statement of fact. Don't go looking for offence.

@Fordian I think you mentioned the age as you would expect people over a certain age to know better?

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

Meh, I was in my GP surgery this morning. All of us waiting were well under 60.

I didn't know the name of the GP I was to see, but who does? I don't get to pick who I see, they just tell me if I can see someone and when!

Managed to book my smear as well though as they refuse to book these online or on the phone, so when the receptionist harrumphed about booking it today, I asked how I'm expected to book it, which was ignored..... Booked into a clinic in 2 weeks.

Oh, believe me, I know the system is in a mess- I just find the disconnect between us all knowing it's a mess and patients harrumphing in the waiting room, or being irritated that a blood test was offered for tomorrow! Or that a non urgent follow up might be (gasp) 10 days! Or that a GP might be still seeing the previous patient 5 MINUTES into your appointment time!

It took us 3 mornings of calling at the dot of 8 to get DS's non-urgent appt but I know it's because the surgery is snowed under.

Op , your experience echoes my own recent GP visit, with the exception that to me, the irrational patients were waaaay over 60😂😂Probably because I am 61 and think I look younger 🙄
My experience of being involved with my late MIL’s care ( in her 90s) , was that she was hugely offended if she did not get instant service, a home visit, an immediate prescription. I think she wore the surgery out so they gave in to her.
I really feel for the staff at the sharp end there.

I was at the GP earlier this week. Everyone was sitting nicely, being super polite to the receptionist and other than there being a little queue, it was a calm pleasant place to be.

BUT

We have econsult
Can book appointments via PatientAccess/NHS app
Get a call back the same day if urgent (with a specific time)
Get an appointment the same day if urgent and submitted econsult overnight
Can book smears online
Can book blood test online the same day at the local hospital
Youngish on it GPs meno support top notch

I've told DH we can't move as I'm not leaving this practice!

They are probably the ones who remember when you could actually get a doc appointment, back when GPS actually worked full time and would be yoir family doctor who would do home visits if you were ill, therefore saving many visits to A&E having to sit among the piss artists who have been drinking for 12 hours accompanied by a police officer, therefore taking police off their duties for hours on end etc etc

I 'remember' that, too.

But 13 years of Tory - which my local populace voted for, kyboshed that.

I don't care if my GP works full time or not. This remark by you interests me. It comes from the same place as 'nurses knew what they were signing on for, when they became students in 1980! How dare they strike!' 1/3 staff missing, 13 hour shifts, complex patients, demanding relatives.?Burned out exhaustion.

Why do you think GPs should work full time?

They've paid far more into their training, and time, than the waiting room moaners EVER have or will.

I would not get so worked up about conversations/comments that you were not really meant to hear.

The thing is OP, we have been brainwashed into thinking the current levels of service is OK. The patients at the surgery are actually correct - they are not in the wrong with the level of service they are looking for. I fully understand that the GP can't provide it due to having far, far too many patients etc, but that does not mean it is wrong to expect the blood test whilst you're at the surgery - if the doctor has just written you up for one. It's ridiculous to have to make another journey the next day and utterly shite to wait 3 weeks. There should be enough staff that they can just do the blood test. And you should not have to hover by a phone all day waiting for a doctor to call - time should be given and yes, 10 days is very unreasonable a time to have to wait - if you think that's OK, you're brainwashed. It's absolutely disgraceful. That's not to blame the NHS staff, it's just an objective fact that the level of service they are able to provide isn't OK. It isn't their fault, but that doesn't make it OK. There is a kid in my ds's school, predicted 4 A stars, loads of medical extra work/experience etc, knowledge and the UK medical schools have just told him to FO. He'll study med in Australia and no doubt stay there and be a doctor for them. Our country is totally broken. We've got brilliant kids begging to train as doctors and we're sending them abroad. No wonder we have not got enough doctors.

I'm surprised that anyone wants to actually train to be a doctor anymore. I'm a nurse and wouldn't want my child going into nursing/medicine/any frontline healthcare profession.

I think you're correct. I also think everything went downhill rapidly when Labour were in power. They changed the GP contract to reduce their hours (not complaining about that!) but didn't actually stress test anything to see what would happen when these GP's stopped covering nights and doing home visits.

Labour also brought in the PFI contracts for new hospitals. The Tories got in just after our A&E and maternity units were closed, but before the paperwork had been signed for the new hospital so we now have to travel miles for treatment or if you're really unlucky get 5 buses. No one can make early appointments without someone to take them through.

Then we also had the Labour debacle of centralisation of ambulances. We went from a town with three hospitals (A&E, General and another for Maternity PLUS a midwife led unit to fuck all once Labour had finished.

Don't be mistaken into thinking I'm a Tory voter - I'd rather eat shit. They're all as bad as each other, I think we're being screwed so we obediently accept private healthcare.

I'm 64 and I do remember as a child going to the Doctors and also waiting in for a visit if I had something contagious. I also remember as a young woman starting my family that we were in hospital for up to 10 days to give us time to recover from the birth. You've all ended up with a shit show and they should be ashamed of themselves for what they've done to the NHS. All of them. Politicians are the absolute worst.

So to @Fordian yes I'm old and bitter, but I don't blame the Reception staff one bit. I was at the surgery last week and watched as a Receptionist handled a queue that moaned non-stop, rolled their eyes, huffed and puffed. My crowd of moaners were all under 40.

Sorry for missing a bracket there! Hope my mega winge still makes some sense.

Hadn't got to your comment but you are 100% correct. It's so sad what we've become.

My final comment is that when the dismantling of the NHS started I worked as a contractor all over the UK. Every single place I worked had the same local headlines about how they couldn't recruit ANYONE to work in the area, it wasn't SAFE to keep the hospitals open. It was deliberate. It was wrong. They made it up.

I hate the implicit ageism in this. Many of the much older people waiting will also remember what it was like BEFORE the NHS when medical care had to be paid for and if you couldn't afford it, you didn't get it. I'm sure they are afraid as someone up thread says and it must be miserable and scary seeing the medical care they might have reasonably expected in old age disappearing fast.

I am sick of hearing and reading about people with terminal cancer whose diagnosis has been long delayed, about long waits for GP appointments and cancelled clinic appointments.

I got snubbed last year by my GP for using a service that helps with escalating diagnosis. Right now, having tripped down some stairs three weeks ago, and badly hurt my knee (I couldn't put any weight on the leg for two days) and being told to take pain killers and if they're not working, take more, that's it, no scan, no x-ray, no detailed diagnosis, I think this is appalling, I can walk to the front door and that's it and I'm not surprised people get angry with who's in front of them. The situation is not OK and it's extraordinary that people are willing to put up with it.

I am a GP Receptionist. Your post sums up my life 🤣🤣🤣

I have no great love for the nhs, it's been wrecked and is not fit for purpose as it's running now. But, I do feel for the staff, especially the ones taking the brunt of abuse like the GP receptionists. It's not the people on the front line making the decisions, as a country we should be protesting against the people in power.

This week a wonderful receptionist at my GP went above and beyond for me and honestly she made such a huge difference I can't even begin to thank her.

But, GPs at the same practise ignored my dh and fobbed him off with something that almost killed him (horrifically and will have life changing effects for the rest of his life). I won't be shy about pushing for a better service next time. I'd rather wait for a late appointment than have someone else go through what we have because the GP didn't spend 10 more minutes when someone needs it.

My receptionists and gps are really nice. I am surprised that when I compliment them, they tell me that praise is rare and complaints more common. I will speak to anyone, have any gp for a telephone consultation or face to face appointment. I am truly grateful for our doctors and all who work in the nhs. They are not all perfect but that is in every profession. I am an older patient but agree with op that older people are often more prone to moan than younger people who have other things to focus on in their lives.

Can I just clarify the point about GPs working full time versus part time.
A GP who works 3 days a week will be doing between 30-36 hours a week. Usually 6-7 hours of surgeries a day and then on top of that prescriptions, reviewing blood test results, acting on letters that have come in from the hospital and many other sources and yes some GPs will do a home visit which are now quite complex so can take a GP out if the surgery for 30-60minutes depending on travel time. Team meetings also have to be fitted in during the day to discuss cancer patients, safeguarding patients, and other things.
Self directed learning is usually done in the evenings or weekends.

So a 'part time' GP is almost full time hours. And yes I do understand that there are many jobs where people work 50-60 hours in their job but that doesn't make it right or safe for anyone.

Well
I'm just going to say regarding the nice post about part time but putting in full
Time hours is absolutely no different to many many private sector workers also.

Of the many gps that I see in my industry and I see quite a lot and have done for many years they all talk about how it's not just the gp surgeries that are being squeezed but other factors that make their time run behind on a daily basis.

When you start your day late due to an emergency (and at the minute I know due to the waiting list for mental health assessments)gps are trying to plug the gap between first referrals and the massive wait for people who need emergency help at that particular moment.

A family member had a breakdown months ago now and the only way we could get any help was to turn up at our surgery whilst trying to restrain him and beg for a dr to help us.

The receptionist ran like the clappers and actually locked the door for a few seconds for us while she could find a gp to come.

They went above and beyond in that moment but it would have put them well behind for the day.

The people that moan about them running behind have no idea what's going on behind the scenes and quite frankly (my mother included) many of the moaners need a kick up the ass and reminded that an appointment because you've got a sodding cold is really NOT going to help get it under control