To get a GP call today it took me......

[debbs77]

Call the GP to be told there are no appointments left but to try the pharmacy, "sounds like a UTI and they can help"

Go to pharmacy.....can't help.

Ring for afternoon GP appointment, nope none left, but can send you the link for Push Doctor to book a video consultation? No appointments til monday 3pm.

Try a different pharmacy, can help but don't have the antibiotics I need. Recommends another pharmacy. Go there. He says it is an upper UTI and he can't give strong enough antibiotics for that.

Ring another pharmacy to see if that was just that one pharmacist but no, he can't either. Suggests 111 to get a clinician to call me.

Ring 111. He books.....wait for it.....for MY GP TO CALL ME.

Couldn't write this stuff.

In the meantime, my wee is a funky yellow colour, and my daughter walked in (adult daughter) and says "blimey your eyes look yellow". Good timing as the GP rang just after so I told him that too.

Being booked in next week for an appointment for an abdominal scan and maybe blood tests.

No pain tonight currently thankfully xx

I'm so sorry you've had this too.
The NHS is really not fit for purpose since lockdown ended. I've had chronic back pain for 5 weeks. My usual painkillers are making me violently sick now, couldn't get through on the phone. So my husband physically went to my GPs and asked for an appointment. Oh no, haven't got any, your wife will have to ring at 8am. I rang, continually on and off from bang on 8am. Couldn't even get in the queue. Absolutely ridiculous.
Glad your pain has eased. Have a chilled weekend 💐

And then they wonder why A&E is overrun with people who simply can't wait any longer.

Ah it is a nightmare isn't it! My DS has had stomach pain every day for 6 weeks, GP is doing an urgent referral to a paediatrician, but the wait is still 23 weeks. I'd hate to think what non urgent is! GP can't even get him a scan without a paediatricians say so. Hope you get a decent sleep tonight

We've had to wait till after the GP closed so we could phone out of hours just to speak to a doctor about a semi urgent but not A&E level problem because the GP could fit us in.

Had to ring them 65 times to get an appointment last time we needed someone to be seen. Was feeling like some kind of demented stalker by the time I finally got through.

It feels terrible at the minute.

@debbs77 Did the GP prescribe anything on the call?

It's appalling, I know. It's like mysterious forces have imposed several levels of hierarchy that don't work. My (now retired) previous GP used to call it "the parallel universe".

Until 6 months ago I would have said our Doctors were amazing, we are in a rural area and I have consistency in seeing the same Doctor (if he has appointments available) and he always listens and isnt dismissive.

However its getting harder and harder to see him. I asked multiple times for an appointment and kept getting told they had none, only 1 day to get a random call at 9am from a Doctor ive never spoke to, unscheduled to go through things and their basic response was it sounds like long covid and we cant do anything for it. They honestly sounded fed up to even be on the phone then in a rush to get off the phone.

But generally you ask for an appointment and its no longer even an obscure appointment with a long wait, its just simply im sorry we have no appointments. And we arent talking routine coughs and colds here. Ive got an ongoing health issue that im 3 years into trying to get to the bottom of and everyone keeps passing me around and the latest hospital department discharged me, my GP (when I finally saw them in October) said why on earth have they discharged you as your test results indicate you need further investigation, it then took until January to get told that the hospital will see me again, maybe around April ish (still no appointment). I seriously think unless I pay private, I am just not going to get answers any time soon despite having really worrying symptoms.

I do worry that if this is what is happening in what I consider a relatively good area, what is happening elsewhere. I worry people are going to have really concerning things missed and not get help until it is too late. I have been considering private health care but for me I think it will cost too much due to the issues being pre existing now, even though I have no idea what is happening.

Ive considered posting online as I feel thats far more likely to get me help than Doctors and Hospitals now. And I can hear they are fed up too and sound frustrated that they can do nothing to change it.

My GP is actually better now than it used to be. All appointment requests are sent in by email between 7:30 and about 11 am. You then either get an email response, a phone call, or an appointment offer. Some of the appointments are urgent same day, others are for a few days to a week ahead.

For example my son had a badly inflamed finger caused by an infection around the nail which was swollen and puss filled. I nearly went to minor injuries but emailed the GP just in case. He arranged to see my son and lance it that afternoon, and prescribed antibiotics for the wider infection. Recent mental health issues, had a call back at 6:30 pm; doctor spoke to me for 30 mins. I can't praise them enough.

It's so bad I'm sure it's not just incompetence, lack of staff or inefficient processes (although e-consult systems are awful and waste so much of everyone's time). I think its deliberate. There are more and more private medical clinics popping up around my city here and there. Our new hospital, a major teaching hospital, has FEWER beds than our old hospital. This is in a city with an increasing population. It doesn't add up. So there's only one conclusion we can come to, isn't there? They are PLANNING for a private health system.

There is actually a new private practice set up the other side of town! So could be right on that one.

Nope no prescription given at all, nothing to help me over the weekend. Just the promise of an appointment next week.

We do have a really good urgent treatment centre, with about a 3 hour waiting usually, triage in 30 minutes. Problem is they're also overrun with minor ailments. I have to take my daughter there for a chest infection!

I do wonder if its going the way of dentists, getting harder and harder to see someone and less availability until desperate people are forced to go private and the service will just keep dwindling.
Despite it happening with dentists for years, nothing has changed, maybe they tested it on dentists first and are going the same way with GPs.

It just feels harder and harder to see a GP and I cant see what has changed, we have the same number of GPs here, no new builds or cause for population increase, streamlined services with now no longer being able to call for appointments and essentially triaging you before you get to even get an appointment. I have no clue why it has got harder to get an appointment and they dont even book you in far ahead now, its just a no appointments available.

Same as @BigBreaths our is great, you can go online and get appointments, no more waiting in a queue at 8.00am to try to book one. (But you can ring if you are not computer literate). My son has been ill and he's even been able to get an appointment the same day when necessary and blood results are on the app within 24 hours of taking the sample, no more trying to get through to the receptionist. You can get sicknotes online or get a phone call back from the doctor rather than having to go into the surgery if that is more appropriate. I can't fault them, it's much more efficient since covid.

I've had a sore leg for about a month (knee pain and cramping in the calf) as well as a weird red and swollen toe, tried multiple times to get through but the GP was emergency clinic only. The knee seems to have got a lot better but now I have what feels like a chest infection coming on. I'm not even going to try and see someone for that. I feel like an annoying little pest when I try to access medical care.

These stories are dreadful!

It's so different at every surgery isn't it, you would think there would be some sort of standardisation - find out what works & everyone do it!

I have had a really good experience with GP today!

Am asthmatic had a cough from hell this week bit of a temp feeling really poorly

Phoned at 8:02 - 8th in queue hang up we'll phone you back, receptionist booked me in for phone triage with GP

He rang about 9 - I said I thought I needed some steroids - he said no come in at 11:00

Went in saw nurse, she took my blood pressure, pulse rate, oxometer temperature did a proper listen to my chest with stethoscope - said she thought I needed antibiotics

Spoke to GP - prescription sent to pharmacy - and she sign posted where to go if I deteriorated over the weekend!

Almost the opposite end of the scale to you Op!

@debbs77 Oh that's ridiculous you weren't given a prescription. I hope you get better asap 💐

It’s more and more difficult to see your GP- they have been deliberately underfunded for years and this years contract offer is likely to result in industrial action or closure. This is deliberate by the government- who are happy to fund anyone aside from a GP or a practice nurse in primary care, so they centrally fund physician assistants etc but not GPs. At the same time the public can’t access enough appointments with GPs, there are many GPs now out of work. Thousands of doctors were turned away from training as GPs this year. The government don’t want you to see a GP.

It's our blood clinics that have gone stupid
Get there at 8am to find 1 staff member doing blood, and people queuing from 6.30am so it's full and closed
Go to an afternoon one to find it's cancelled
Get a ticket to find it's a 3.5hr wait

And it's working hours so I have one chance to get it done, I take annual leave from work for it! I need bloods every 12 weeks and the hospital are getting shitty over me not having them done and saying they can't prescribe my meds

My next option is to go private as a local woman is doing a roaring trade in blood test taking at £15 a pop but there's at least a guarantee I would get it done

If your eyes are yellow you need to go to the hospital.
Dark wee, pale poo and yellow eyes are a sign of liver problems and/or kidney. And if your eyes are yellow jaundice is setting in.
Please go to a and e.

Yea… we need a new Governments.

11k applicants for GP training this year and 4 K jobs….not to mention rumours of GP redundancies.

We’re now facing a new problem with our GP practice. When you call at 8 for an appointment, the call is answered with a recorded message saying they are too busy to take your call and to please try later. When you try later, all the appointments have gone.

On a Friday night? I wouldn't go to A&E unless I was certain I was going to die if I didn't.

Even then, I'm not sure what would be preferable...

My adult son got a letter to state they were taking him off his GP list because he hasn't been to GP for 7 years. They think he's moved away. No, that would be because he hasn't been ill. He had to ring to say he still wanted to be registered but had not been ill. Now GP is insisting he goes in for a blood test and blood pressure too. You couldn't make it up, people who are not ill ordered in and people who are sick not allowed in. Madness.

Chronic underfunding of your Gp practice and a Tory government determined to sell it off.

Funding hasn’t gone up, staff wages and utilities bills for the practice have massively.

poor physical and mental health with more co-morbidities - just take the anxiety rise since covid as one example.

Secondary care waiting lists mean more conditions seen by the Gp and patients returning x2-3 times as often whilst on the waiting list.

An Amazon prime mentality to services - especially found in by 20-30 age group, wanting the health condition fixed today with no ownership. Tribal colds, cough and sore throat that haven’t had any over the counter treatment.

More social issues being medicalised - get a note from your doctor for absolutely everything. Poverty/COL and expensive food impacting health And increasing chronic conditions

but mainly the shit show is off the governments making!

I haven't seen a GP for 5 years because I just can't get an appointment anymore.

In 2019, I was prescribed the mini pill for 3 months at 44 over the phone and told they wouldn't be able to prescribe anymore without seeing me in person so they could do a physical check. I was never able to book the in person check up.

For other things, I've taken days off work to try and book an appointment and still haven't been able to get through. I ring as soon as the surgery line opens for appointmentsa on hold for 30+ mins ro he told all appointments have gone; advised to ring 111; 40 mins on hold to 111; get told I need a GP appointment. Call back for afternoon surgery only to repeat the morning's experience.

Our surgery does the call and GP calls you back within 3 hours thing with a f2f appointment if they think it's necessary. I haven't been able to even get a call back since since the mini pill prescription. It's always just 'there are no appointments'

I don't actually know how anyone gets an appointment anymore. Luckily, I'm rarely ill.

You told him you have Yellow eyes and he said he will make you an appoitment next week?

Sorry OP , but if ur eyes are yellow, you need to go to the hospital

Exactly this! The whites of your eyes turning yellow is not good, you need to go to hospital