To think I might just give up having a GP altogether?

[higgle]

I seldom need to visit my GP and when I do it is usually for some medication I could buy off the internet anyway.

I find the whole hassle of trying to get appointment, never being able to see "my" GP and the dark musty waiting room always staffed by a real dragon of a receptionist who has no idea of the concept of confidentiality a nightmare. The in house pharmacy never has either of the two things I've been prescribed in stock.

Now they have taken to pursuing me ( due to my advanced age) with patronising letters in large print about screening tests for things I know I haven't got or have made a conscious and informed decision I do not want. I can self refer for most things that might happen to me to the local BUPA hospital and if the need arises I suppose I could see another GP privately so I'm thinking of just asking to come off their list altogether and going without a GP - would that be a terrible thing to do?

Temporaryusername - there are many credible online pharmacies these days. As far as thyroid medication goes, the cynomel pills I buy from Mexico were tested for by Dr Lowe who said they were of a higher purity than the liothyronine we can ask for in the UK. It's not like it was years ago. Many people are reliant on medication ordered from the internet now, because we are becoming aware of how unsupportive the NHS is of some conditions. Plus, also for thyroid issues many countries overseas don't need to manufacture fake T3 pills, because they have reasonably priced medication freely available there.

The thing is the NHS IS over stretched so of course you can't get top notch care. It's physically impossible, even when all the HCP involved are trying their best to get the right treatment for their patients.

So some people, who are best informed, have some understanding of medical issues etc will form Their own diagnosis and will take their care into their hands.
Does it replace a good GP? Of course it doesn't. Does it replace a stressed out GP with not enough time to listen to all the symptoms, or a nurse who deal with straight forward issues? Well these are recurring non life threatening issues, it's probably ok. The risk is of course to not spot the red flags but then when you have to wait 3 weeks for an appointment as you are 'not urgent' according to triage..., or when you have to wait 5 months to get a test done to rule out uterus cancer... Then you can see why people are looking at other alternatives. Esp if like most people you don't have a private insurance.

I don't have a GP, I would like one though, I have a chronic condition and buy drugs on the internet for that, I know this is far from ideal.

I can't find a GP though, I would happily travel to the nearest city but can't find a GP there who'll take me because of catchment. I won't go to the local GP, just because I have a lot of friends who work there, I'm sure they're all very good but I don't want them knowing my medical history, or treating me. I live in a rural area so no alternative available.

I wish I could find a GP I would happily put up the letters and snotty receptionists.

that's a commonly mentioned rural health problem, Kendodd. Lack of choice due to restricted supply.

Kendodd - have you tried appealing via letter to the Practice Manager & Partners of the next closest surgery?

Most surgeries will have catchment areas but, in my experience of also working in a partially rural area, if a prospective patient has a very good reason for not wishing to register with their one & only catchment area surgery their application will be considered on a one-off basis. The request would be discussed at a Partners Meeting & a decision reached.

I can't say that it will always be accepted, but we certainly had "out of area" patients who had been accepted due to similar reasons to yours. It was generally on the basis of surgery care only - so the patient can access all of the services available within the surgery, but would not be able to request a home visit due to distance.

If you ask a Receptionist about it they will probably just say that it is not possible to take out of area patients (not their fault, it is what they are told to say and in most cases it is correct) but in your shoes I would definitely put a well thought out written request in to the Practice Manager & Partners.

The other thing Ken is that all practice staff have to follow a strict code of confidentiality.
They really wouldn't talk about your health outside work.

A lot of people say 'oh, but you'll never know when you need it', falling to realise that in some (most?) places it can take 5-14 days to get an appointment. As someone who would only wants an appointment when I am 'need antibiotics today' ill this is useless for me. As my mother always says 'an appointment in 10 days? I think we can assume he/she will be better or dead by then.'

I'm not NHS bashing at all, I am fiercely pro NHS but I'm also pro people doing their jobs properly!

re rural areas - I'm in a rural area too and not registered due to the fact that I just don't want the receptionist to know my business. I know she won't talk - but it makes socialising in the community difficult.

Of course YANBU. I used to be fiercely pro-NHS but then I got seriously ill and realised what utterly crap healthcare looks like. Now I live abroad and think we as a country are idealogically attached to the idea of the NHS (rather than the reality) mainly because of a lack of understanding of the alternative systems that exist in France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland....none of which have the same access problems that we have. Universal healthcare does not necessarily mean state-delivered healthcare. Governments are generally shit at delivering anything IMO.

Like the OP, I don't intend to reinstate a GP when I return to the UK, because there is simply no longer any point. I have a private GP near my house and I will use them if I am at the "about to keel over without antibiotics" stage.

Darkesteyes, the initiative the receptionist told you about probably is this one. They are big on pushing continuity of care right now, and targeting high risk groups. So kills 2 birds with one stone.

I got flamed recently on MN for saying I wouldn't go to breast cancer screening until I was over 50. I don't think OP got half as much flack for saying similar. I wish I knew how to do that.

If OP relies on drop-in sessions at BUPA, do they do any preventative medicine? Will they have her records (history of eczema, baseline blood pressure readings, etc.) Do they give out lifestyle advice or is OP confident she will always know everything she needs to know from other channels?

Some NHS surgeries do all or mostly drop-in appointments, I don't know why it isn't more common.

No back story at all. DS 2 born trouble free at home 20 years ago. My GP at the time suggested I transfer to a GP slightly nearer home for the home birth which was agreed but when I said I wanted a water birth they refused to attend so I had just 2 community midwives instead (they were great) So I was never formally registered with that surgery anyway. Why do people on here on here make assumptions? I have no criticism of my GP, just don't see any point in having one when I could almost certainly get my limited health needs met elsewhere. Why should I need BP readings history? always 120/80 for last 30 years, I suppose I could get a home monitor if I wanted to know.

P.S I'm sure surgery won't miss me if I decide to go because I have had very little contact with them! I always smile that I never even need my 5 minutes allocated time, last time I was in and out in 2 minutes.

I lived for years in a rural area where my dh was the GP - was no bother to register at the next-over practice. They kept any "HCP-related" notes separately locked away, as did my dh.

Dh now is a GP in a different rural area and all his staff are patients in his surgery, again, there is secure storage for notes.

I know living in a rural area is a minefield of gossip (little old ladies calling me "Mrs Doctor" and asking for their blood test results!!), I was a teacher in the local school, my best friends in the area were the policeman's wife and the minister's wife, who understood!! But my own GP was also a good friend - that's just how it is!

I think there is a very different approach to GP in different places. My dh provides all normal GP services, and will see you the same day if needed. No dragon-like receptionists. House calls if required. First responder to ambulance calls, full GP ooh service, home hospice and terminal care, doesn't charge for passports, and does a huge amount more than "blood tests and x-rays". I know people who live in his area - I know he's very well thought of!

I'm not sure if it's because we're in Scotland where lists tend to be smaller, or what. I'd far rather a rural service - my urban practice is rotten, in 2 years I've never seen the same GP twice. But most of my health issues are related to my disability, so I tend to phone my ward for help.

The NHS are great for me - I get a drip every 5 weeks which comes in at about £8000 for medication alone each time. But it means I can walk, work etc.

My dh does earn a good wage. But he works for it. 5 years medical school. 3 years GP training. 1 night a week, 1 weekend in 5. Regular 12-14 hour days. He saved someone's life on Monday (acutely, dying in front of him!) - that's what he does.

Thankyou for the link lljkk

weegie your h sounds amazing.

I am suspicious of places that sell prescription drugs online. I have family members that buy them, so I know the need for it. However, how responsible can these places be? They don't know who they are really sending them to or what the intended purpose is, whether the drug is right for them or what they may be taking with it. I do really sympathise with those who can't get things they need prescribed, in that situation I might have to resort to online buying myself but it does worry me. I hope you're right Gatorade that some are safe but the whole process is fraught with problems.

I think the appointments systems for some of you must be worse than the surgery I've mostly used. Yes, to book an appointment in advance could be a wait of 10 days to 30 days, the latter if you want to see someone in particular. But twice a day they release appointments for same day and if you keep ringing at those times, or turn up in person in advance of those times, you can usually get one within a day or two of trying - obviously when you ring at those times sometimes all appointments are gone by the time you get through. It isn't ideal, but I have never had to wait more than about 2 days to see 'a' GP by trying that method - to see your own GP may take longer if she/he is popular. Also, they have emergency appointments which you don't even have to make, as long as you have a reasonable case for urgent you will be seen same day - with whoever is doing emergency appts that day, and you may have to wait hours (but often don't).

Weegie, your DH sounds fab.

I absolutely agree that you should do plenty of research into these places before placing an order. I wouldn't click on any random pharmacy site. I am a member of a large patient support group, and I know the pharmacy I use is safe because dozens of other site members have used it for years. Of course it's always best to get treatment from the NHS - if you can!

weegiemum your husband sounds amazing, if he can do this I would like to know why no GP in my area offers a remotely similar service, his patients are very lucky :)

oldfarticus I completely agree with your observations & perspective, although my son's & husband's lives were saved by the NHS & I have had good treatment including 2 x CS, I don't think successive governments have supported NHS staff by learning from the superior medical systems elsewhere in Europe. Longevity in France is clearly attributable to the systems, and the staff do not seem so stressed

One of my colleagues (aged 50) had a mammogram a few weeks ago. She had no reason to suspect anything was wrong.

Well, 3 weeks ago she found herself having a lumpectomy for breast cancer! Luckily she needs no further treatment.

This is why screening tests are a good idea.

Gee thanks.

He's good partly because he wants to be, he's never worked in a place he calls "tesco medicine", rural gives lower list sizes, and in Scotland things are easier in the NHS, better funding etc.

I wish he was my doctor. He's certainly an incredibly effective advocate for me (I have hospital phobia) and for his patients.

I think YABU not to be registered with any, but YANBU to leave your current GP

There's always going to be that one time you actually do need a GP or you'll end up taking up A&E time when there are lives for them to be saving.

Paying for private appts is fine (and admirable if you can afford it) until you have a situation where they need to have your full medical history to diagnose/treat you

Sorry haven't RTFT just adding in my opinion

Salmotrutta They're not struggling to recruit GPs. It's massively oversubscribed for not enough places due to funding issues.

Sorry weegie, it's not Scotland, it's not rural, it's to do with the practice and the patients. My English suburban practice provides everything you mention apart from the out of hours. I always get an appointment on the day and the reception staff are lovely. However I very rarely need to visit and I think this is the norm for our area.

Kendodd - have you tried appealing via letter to the Practice Manager & Partners of the next closest surgery?

I've tried that, no luck anywhere.

The other thing Ken is that all practice staff have to follow a strict code of confidentiality.
They really wouldn't talk about your health outside work.

I know, but I don't want them knowing/treating me.

General Practice is not oversubscribed, quite the opposite. No one wants to do it any more because it's such an awful job. Impossible targets and mandates from on high, telling us what we should and shouldn't be doing. We would love to see patients and deal with their problems, but the government says we have to do other stuff, so I'm afraid the parients lose out.

OP your GP certainly won't miss you, but be very wary of on-line advice and drugs. And don't be too ready to dismiss screening, it saves lives.

Margy agreed. My suburban English practice is adjacent to a city with seriously bad outcomes for diabetes, obesity etc - it's one of those places that's always bright red on colour coded health maps of the UK. Also SW so we have loads of retirees down here. They are still amazing and do everything weegie's DH practice does. I'm very grateful!

By contrast I used to live in a naice market town in the Yorkshire Dales - high property prices, yummy mummies a go go, you couldn't swing a cat without hitting an Audi. Generally very good average health outcomes, long life expectancy etc. Practice was quite poor, long waiting times for an appt, always running late, rushed and stressed drs, incompetent decisions made (I had to go back 4 times over 2 months before a routine UTI was diagnosed, eg).

I don't know why they are so different but I don't think it can be down to location.