Have you given up on NHS GP and switched to private?

[LaSourciereEfrontee]

We used to have an amazing GP surgery. We knew the two GP’s running our village practice, could easily get in touch for information or an appointment, just before she retired one amazing GP spotted early sepsis in my baby son, and maybe saved his life.

Fast forward five years. All the staff have changed. It’s mostly staffed by locums and it is impossible to make contact. All appointments now are via limited daily online triage slots, which means waiting about all day for a call back (tricky when you are meeting your own clients all day.) And more often than not, after a brief phone call, but sometimes not even that it’s either a prescription left at the front desk, or an initial nurse appointment (the nurses are great, but not if you want to see your doctor.) All the other services, like routine screenings are still good, it’s just GP access that is impossible.

A private GP practice has just opened up about twenty minutes away and the difference in service is like night and day. We can make an online appointment for a face to face visit on the same day, and it’s so calm and friendly. The GP’s are great (one worked at our old practice) and have time to really listen.

Luckily, we are in pretty good health so only need a few visits a year. Despite the cost (and I do know how lucky we are to afford it), we’ve decided to move across to the private practice and it feels like a such a relief knowing that there is one time and and admin can rule out of my life. And we probably won’t be any worse off as I can choose appointment times and not have to cancel my own (freelance) work.

Anyone else made the switch? What have been your experiences?

If I could I would. Ds has used private through work and resolved a very distressing condition with an accurate diagnosis and treatment following tests after the NHS gave up and gaslit them it was 'normal for them'. A new persistent horrible symptom that had never been normal for 25 years.
I've paid for blood tests which are more in depth and useful and sent them to the GP, paid for private physiotherapy which identified a treatable condition after being told it was psychosomatic. Now treated, and gone. Honestly I feel we would all think we had stress related symptoms or weird 'normal for us' symptoms if I didn't pay for proper testing. Significant blood disorder found by dm after going private because GP didn't know enough about it to test properly - now she's on life long meds and has a much improved quality of life.

Ask the pharmacist to put the prescription back on the spine if they cannot fulfill it. This will allow you to go elsewhere the same day. They will know what you mean if you ask.

You can’t ‘switch’ to private, you still need to have a named NHS GP.

For the most part though, yes, we only really bother with private GPs nowadays. Mainly to avoid the 8:30am telephone hell to get an appointment! I just don’t have the time or energy to sit ringing them for half an hour (only to be told that there are no appointments left and to try again tomorrow) when I need to be at work.

Like anything though there are still good and bad GPs in the private sector - it’s not the panacea to amazing care. A private GP failed to recognise a serious condition in DD requiring emergency treatment and completely fobbed her off, even when she gave him the NICE guidelines. Long story short - DD was right, he was wrong and she has permanent hearing loss because of it.

But on the other hand.... given the state of NHS and how overburdened it is, surely its beneficial for anything to be taken by private? Whilst it may be the "easy stuff", that still means the NHS can focus expenditure and doctor's time on the big stuff. I think it all helps relieve some of the burden.

General consensus is that NHS is a bit crap at the "easy stuff" too. Physio is useless on NHS for example. NHS isn't great at speeding through tests to help come to a diagnosis for conditions that are not life threatening, but still bring a lot of discomfort or distress to those suffering from them. And are generally awful for any womens health related stuff IMO (I've lost count of the times I've been told "well.... you've had kids so I this is just what happens after you've had kids sadly" - that's not an appropriate or helpful response!)

It doesn't feel right to take the easy things away from NHS but still expect them to save the day for the really important things.

Isn't that exactly what we should be doing if possible, though?

The NHS was never designed to fund all the minor procedures it does today.

We currently have private healthcare and have used a private GP. I wouldn't if we didn't have it though.

What makes me cross is that the private provider wanted a referral from my NHS doctor for something discussed with the private GP. My NHS doctor charged me for the referral as its 'private work'. All they had to do was sign a form. That's unacceptable imo.

If we lose the private cover I will go back to using my NHS GP. I get why people are using private but the government are pushing people to private by not providing the NHS service. That's not acceptable either and people need to demand a better service rather than just giving up.

I'm pretty sure my GPs are moonlighting in Wales but Google won't show them in Wales. I know one does hospital on call work and another does police station work, but private I can't discover.

I have private health-care with Spire so have seen consultant, had MRI scan quickly which has been put on my surgery notes. My condition has worsened, because my NHS GP had access to the consultant notes, he's fast tracked me for an x-ray and will see me when he gets the results.

If you can afford it, then do use it.

This is exactly what we should be doing. Any pressure taken off the NHS at the minute is a good thing.

Leave the NHS to the big, complex stuff that it is best at and outsource the simpler things (which often have the longest waiting lists) to the private sector.

I use a private GP for some things, but use my normal GP surgery for repeat prescriptions.

I use a private dentist, as the hassle of getting ann appointment with my NHS proved too much.

The NHS is crap for so much now. ☹️

More recently private insurers have began to accept referrals from private GPs, or even their own virtual GP service. It saves a lot of hassle

It's not that our gp is crap, it's that dh is genuinely so time limited that he just never organised to see one. So now we pay £150 a month for the two of us and that is unlimited appointments at home or office, usually same day and direct contact with your actual gp.
You do have to pay for blood tests and private prescriptions but we have private healthcare for consultant based things.

I assume that some if not many of the private GP's also work for the NHS. Good for them if they can earn some extra money by working privately but the reality is that if they are running private clinics it must mean that is time that they aren't working at their NHS surgery. So I am not sure that by going private you are freeing up NHS surgeries for people who can't afford to.

Also if too many people opt for private GP's they too will be under time pressure and unable to offer timely appointments.

A couple of people have commented on my prescription comment and it must be a thing local to me. None of the pharmacies will give you the prescription if they cant fulfil it. You have to nominate a default pharmacy for everything with the GP and when you discover the pharmacy doesn’t have the item you have to phone around pharmacies to find one that does have the item and ask the GP to prescribe it again. My point was this is a ridiculous system!

dd1 was suffering an eczema flare up and we had a prescription for something like 100g hydorcortisone cream with our default pharmacy. Default pharmacy didn’t have it. I phoned four other pharmacies. Pharmacy 2 had the ointment. I had to get the GP to rewrite the prescription with the word ointment and send it to pharmacy 2. Pharmacy 2 refused to do it because they had two lots of 50g ointment - and I hadn’t asked the go to write 2 x 50g.

i was about to ask the GP to write a third prescription when I discovered you could buy hydrocortisone at the correct strength over the counter anyway for a couple of pounds. Not one of the pharmacies I spoke to mentioned this! This was during the second or third lockdown so it’s possible that there were shortages but I’m happy to dm someone where I live because this prescription nonsense is the reality for my surgery.

@ProfessionalTeaDrinker: you can't get ABs from a pharmacist for a UTI if you're over 64.

My nhs gp wanted £150 to sign a form for me to have an expensive scan privately (and next week) rather than wait months on the nhs.

I agree - honestly one of the things I was looking for was a bit of empathy tbh y and understanding since I don’t have a partner or family nearby and I’ve had to struggle though all of it alone.

They literally could not have given a shit if I live or die - as long as I’m not clogging up their waiting room.

I couldn't get thrush treatment OTC either because of my age.

What nhs test for breast lumps did you have?
that’s really worrying they weren’t picked up

"You can’t ‘switch’ to private, you still need to have a named NHS GP"

That is not true, I do not have a named GP or are even registered with local GP's - yet have used a private GP for an appointment.

If you are employed and your workplace has life insurance that you have opted in for, double check the t&cs on the policy.

Someone at my workplace recently discovered we have access to a free online GP 24/7 via the life insurance policy. I will deffo be using this for minor infections or if I need to see a GP urgently

I couldn't see if you had anyone comment on this but in my experience you can 'release' the prescription to the spine which gives you a code that any pharmacy can fill. What I generally do is have it sent to Lloyds direct who deliver for free and if I want it earlier I just click a button online and it sends me the barcode to take to any one.

I don’t have any GP. Not private or NHS

It is true. I am a HCP, working in a private hospital and all patients must be registered with an NHS GP when coming in for treatment or surgery. The same would apply if you were admitted to an NHS hospital - just because so far it hasn’t caused you any issues doesn’t mean that it’s the right thing to do. All hospitals and consultants, private or not, liaise with an NHS GP re: ongoing care, assessments and treatment.

I mix and match but mostly private now. I use Boots for my HRT as trying to go through my GP became untenable as they wanted regular reviews but appts were not available. It's pretty cheap as I have a Mirena so only pay around £40 for 3 months worth of HRT. I have a virtual GP service through work for minor stuff and private healthcare for bigger things. DD has just been diagnosed for ADHD and that was done privately. We had hoped that we could get the prescriptions via NHS but the GP surgery has refused so medication will be costly if she decides to use it.

I'm currently trying to book my smear test as it's due but am not allowed to book it over the phone or in person and the online system only has appts for the following week making it impossible. Am pondering paying for a private screening.

I used to have a great GP (up to last year) but moved area and my current one is shocking. I'm sure it's not their fault but they just seem woefully understaffed so I prefer to go private and let those who can't afford it take the few available appts. I appreciate that I'm fortunate and can afford it.