To be getting f'ed off with the surgery giving me nurses apps when I ask for GP

[JumpRope]

This latest appt, I confirmed and checked on phone it was going to be my GP. I arrived this evening and waited 25 mins - to be called in to the nurse. Arggggg.

I'm annoyed because they aren't run of the mill probs, I made the appt well in advance, and I wd like the GP to refer me to specialists - gynaecologist and dermatologist for two unrelated issues.

Aibu?

Well am afraid this is the future, there are NO GP's to be had for love nor money. The relentless government pressure, bad spin/publicity, constant bashing, and dropping income with ever increasing workload is driving them out.
There is a massive recruitment problem that the government is conveniently ignoring, so they can sell NHS GP to their crony private providers.
In the future you will all see nurses or salaried doctors (who really dont care about the practice or long term continuity), in a virgin/serco business.
It will be just like the railways.
This is the future "you" wanted.
COI I am a GP, a fervent believer in the NHS, but my business wont be able to survive another 10years at this rate. I am the youngest partner, and I suspect I will not be able to recruit new ones, when my partners retire. What shall I do? I cant see 7000 people by myself, so I will leave too or employ nurses.

Macdoodle speaks the truth. I am a GP Partner working my last week in the NHS before heading off overseas to Aus where I'm not constantly blamed for the woes of the NHS despite working my hardest and where my skills are valued.

Thanks for your replies. I guess when the surgery says the nurse can do all the things the dr can, you as GPs don't agree?

Am surprised by this and the replies. Where I live, I had never had a problem seeing a GP and the out of hours service is great too. I would hate to see a change.

I live in the south east, London commuter town. Massive pressure on public services.

Mostly I prefer to see the nurses. Usually my kids or I can see them the same day as phoning. They always get a second opinion from docs if required. At least one of them at the practice I go to is also able to prescribe certain medicines. The nurses are very experienced and I respect that.

Hmmm I think the first two posters may be stretching the truth a little SIL is a partner GP, she is off on maternity next week and his still unable to find a replacement. There are GPs out there but they don't want to take a permanent postition, they choose to locus.

It's better money and less responsibility. She will either have to go back after 5 months or pay for a locum that will be more than her salary. One of her partners is leaving them in the shit by reducing to 3 days a week and working the other 2 as a locum for the cash!

Seems a bit grabby to me....

Oh and they also can't find a practice nurse for love nor money so she is run ragged trying to cover far too many patients with too few staff. GPS could get / do the job for a decent salary at her surgery, they just don't want to.

God knows what happened to my typing then!

Seems a bit grabby to me....

Yes because I'm sure you'd take a pay decrease and poorer worker conditions if there was an option!

(Not a GP btw nor related to one.)

I think it must vary from area to area and practise to practise. Our surgery is pretty good - if you make a GP appt you see a GP, unless they have to deal with an emergency.

If you need an urgent appt you will see a nurse who can prescribe or refer to a GP if needed.

I'm horrified to hear the views of the GPs on here, the future of the NHS is in real danger.

YANBU since you asked for the GP as outside scope of nurse to do a Consultant Referral.
My surgery has an internet booking system for non-emergencies - the appointment is always with the person you made it with and it is made clear that nurses are for minor things only.

I don't think the first 2 posters are stretching the truth at all, although I expect that given some places are more desirable than others to live in, some areas will have less difficulty recruiting permanent staff.

No, nurses cannot do the same as doctors. Just as doctors cannot do the nurses' work - they are different roles within the healthcare team. Nursing and medical training are very different and focus on different aspects of healthcare.

I left the NHS 5 years ago for NZ and it was bad enough then. I'm surprised it's lasted even this long.

My drs surgery are the same.
Phoned up, asked for gp appointment
Was told I had to see the nurse, but told she can prescribe etc just like gp.
Turn up (3 days later as that's the waiting time)
See nurse who tells me I need to see gp and to make appointment.
Return to front desk. Am told next appointment isn't for 10 days.
Ffs.

I'm scared by what is happening to our NHS, its one of the best things this country had IMO and its being destroyed :(

Remind me again why I want to go into nursing!

I think doctors workloads are huge, but so are their salaries- the average for a partner is £104,000 a year, about £55,000 for salaried GPs. Most of the GPs I know would rather earn less and not have to work ridiculous 12 hours days and feel constantly under extreme pressure.

It does seem something has gone wrong- wages are way too high under renegotiated contracts and the workload is excessive. This is not sustainable in the long-term as many GPs will jump ship- as the second poster is doing.

Our surgery is great. We have only recently got a nurse practitioner so I don't think to ask for her but twice now I have been asked if I would be happy to see her and its been fine. If I want my own GP (the longest serving partner) I have to wait a couple of weeks but he once saw me at lunchtime (on the day I phoned) as there were no other appointments that day. I can always get a "same day appointment" for myself or the children if it's urgent although I wouldn't ask if I thought it could wait and can see someone within 2-3 days if non urgent. Someone will phone me back same or next day if I think it is necessary.

I think it varies a lot tbh. But asking to see a GP and being send to see the nurse isn't acceptable IMO. There are lots of situations where you DO need to see your GP, not the least when you want to be referred to a consultant.

I also agree that this is exactly what the government wants. An NHS on a shoe string (ie A&E and..., some specialist care such as cancer etc) and for the rest, please go private.
I wouldn't mind as such if there was a system to go private alongside the NHS but there isn't as such. I don't know of any GP who works privately for example. And the system for private care us atm geared towards high wage salaries, not the average person.
Things are going to get harder and harder.

I received first class care and advice from one of our practice nurse when our GPs were overwhelmed (flu cases I think).
Medication was prescribed, consultant was consulted and the follow up care was second to none.

Btw at our surgery, you can ask to see the nurse or the GP. They will ask you if you could see the nurse instead if the GP but will always direct you to the 'right' person depending on what you have.
Eg I asked for the nurse, said it was for a sprained ankle and was send to the GP instead. In the same way, I was also directed to see the nurse for one of my dcs (he was little and though the nurses couldn't see him).
Sometimes nurses are better than GP (eg the asthma nurse) but there are many occasions when you need to see a GP instead.
Having said that you are actually lucky to see someone at all. I know some surgeries here don't even bother to see people anymore and only do tel consultations (with all the problems it creates!) in a lot of cases.

Yanbu

I have appalling problems even trying to get a nurse appointment at my surgery. For routine vaccinations! and the GPs in the surgery refuse to do them because it's the nurse's job. Go figure....

My DS was weeks late for all his jabs despite me ringing and ringing the surgery and begging for a nurse appointment. And this during a measles outbreak too, when the local health trust were sending me letters reminding me to get my DCs vaccinated. I could have screamed!

The surgery cannot recruit a practice nurse for love nor money. Full time one left a year ago and since then they (sometimes) patch the service with locums who don't turn up and they don't know more than a couple of days ahead if there will be a nurse or not and the GPs cannot fill the gap. So children's health suffers and may even put them at risk. It's been like this for a year and I've had enough and will swap surgeries. The lone (part time) nurse commutes from Cumbria 2 days a week FFS! We live in central London
!!

My DSis is a GP so I am massively supportive of the NHS, but I moan to her. Services are at breaking point in my area with high birth rate and immigration (which I'm not against by the way, but you cannot increase the population by millions and not resource a National Health Service appropriately)