To think that this is dangerous practice

[OhTheDrama]

I'm prepared to be I'm being entitled and be flamed but here goes. Like most places in the UK, it's impossible to get an appointment with my GP. There is a standard 3 week wait and at least a 4 week wait if you want to see a particular Doctor.

I usually only ever need to see a GP in an emergency, I don't have any health issues that mean I can book appointments weeks ahead. If I need to be seen it's usually that day. If you ring up with an urgent need to be seen, you are told a doctor will ring you back. Twice I have diagnosed and prescribed antibiotics over the phone. I wasn't happy especially as I was pregnant at the time but they solved the problem with no issues.

What is making me really uncomfortable is that they have tried to this with my 7 week old baby. They have been quite unhappy when I have insisted on her being being seen and only got an appointment when I asked how I could contact the practice manager to complain.

I live in an area with high number of European migrants, so I can see that they would be overstretched but feel it's only a matter of time before something goes badly wrong. So am I being unreasonable to think this is dangerous practice and should be highlighted, my GP's can't be the only one that does this.

Never heard of a GP diagnosing or prescribing over the phone around here and they always, always see children under 2 ASAP.

Oh and nice stealth dig at EU immigrants by the way

You don't go by the name of Adizzylasss do you?

Diagnosing a 7 week old baby over the phone is absolute lunacy. Adults I can understand if it's straight forward, small babies and children is, as you say, a very dangerous practice indeed.

I live in an area with no migrants whatsoever and the local surgery still takes weeks to give you an appointment.

So I registered with one of the dozens of better run surgeries in the surrounding area where you can actually get an appointment when you are ill.

No I dont and it wasn't a dig at all, I was just stating the full facts as to why they are overstretched and may need to do this. I have no issue with European migrants, for the most part they work hard and pay their taxes like everyone else so are also as entitled as me to be seen. I knew the racism card would be pulled by someone!

I think it’s unusual that they didn’t want to see such a young baby, they always make space for young children here. What have immigrants got to do with it?

The was meant to indicate that I don't know what migrants have to do with anything.

It comes down to how the surgery is run.

I think the immigrants comments is meant to show an increase in the general population rather than a Pop .... doctors are at breaking point and are increasingly asked to sign housing forms passports diabillity benefit - you name it - doctors are not treating patients !!!! Yes.most people unwell need a doctor sooner than 3 weeks - do u have a badger clinic? I always say what time does the clinic open? as the drs are charged for your visit and the usually have a canx!!

If they have too many patients to cope with, what difference does it make what nationality those patients are? But surgeries have a limit on numbers of patients anyway, so that's not relevant. They are just disorganised, if this is true, and also not meeting the requirements of their contract.

Perhaps this isn't true at all and it's just a stealth anti-immigrants post?

My doctor always saw my children Asap. What's wrong with your baby? It might make a difference to their approach.

The European migrants comment was unnecessary.

At my practice a nurse will see children the same day then if they need to see Dr you see them straight after . The same goes for adults , although you go through a telephone triage first. I am happy with this and am confidentbi can get medical advice or help the same day. Babies before their first injections always go straight to a Dr the same day. We live in an area with a high number of EU immagrents so I don't believe they are the problem with your practice!

"Like most places in the UK"

Where do you get your information from?

Some GP practice's seem really badly run, but only the patients can change things by contacting the Manager and then voting with their feet.

As for the baby, if your being fobbed off, contact your HV, they usually ensure (or should do) that they are given an appointment.

I also fail to see the difference having EU migrants has, most that I know are happy to travel and use Walk Ins/OOH etc to not take up a GP appointment, unless for a child.

I've rarely struggled to get an appointment with a GP but have on occasion had a telephone consultation. My last phone consult was regarding migraines, the doctor prescribed something over the phone and emailed my local pharmacy so I could just go pick it straight without having to drive to the surgery. Personally I thought this was a must better option than sitting in a waiting room.

Obviously there are times when you need to be seen in person. Without knowing why your baby needed a doctors appointment it's hard to comment as to whether or not a phone appointment was appropriate.

I would imagine it's hard to get appointments because of the multitude of time wasters and no shows rather than eastern europeans. If you don't want to sound racist then don't say stupid things

Not sure what EU migrants have to do with it? They are as entitled to GP services as you are. I think you mean there's a high population, and therefore the surgery is stretched. I can't get a GP appointment sooner than in a fortnight because of all the OAPs in my area, don't give a shit who's booking all the appointments, it's the government that are responsible for the lack of funding.

DFOD with the 'for the most part'. Do you even make a net contribution?

Was you baby in danger?

I live in a part of London jampacked with immigrants, and the surgery is right next to a huge sheltered housing unit, so plenty of elderly with complex health needs as well.
I can get an appointment within a week for non-urgent things, or on the day for urgent.
So not sure your sweeping generalisations are remotely valid

"Never heard of a GP diagnosing or prescribing over the phone around here"

Our surgery does that as well. Last year I was diagnosed with a urine infection over the phone. After a weekend of antibiotics for it and feeling so unwell, plus having a red swelling in my groin that was tracking up my stomach I managed to get an emergency appointment on the Monday where I was diagnosed with an abscess. This time I was given the right antibiotics. It was frightening at the time because I felt so ill. They were shocked when I returned to work because I had lost about half a stone - not good on my spare figure.

I am horrified that your surgery wouldn't see a very young baby OP.

Sounds like a management decision taken too far. I worked at one local practice and am registered with another and children are always squeezed in at both at some point in the same day. The only time I had a phone appt for DC was when DS's injection site came up red and itchy, the Dr gave me some advice and told me to come and see him the following day if it didn't get better.
I would maybe have a word with the Practice Manager to clarify the phone appointment system.

I've had prescriptions issued for a 22 day old baby over the phone. I also thought it was potentially risky but a hv had seen the baby so it was a bit different. My local area has lots of immigrants from all over the world

It depends what is wrong with the baby really.

I often phone up and get antibiotics prescribed for DS, no need for an appointment if we know what the problem and best cause of treatment is. His hayfever is out of control at the moment so I am going to nip in later and ask them to do a script for him.

An appointment isn't always needed IMO. Just a dr who can listen to the symptoms and then decide and see if he needs to.

GP's take on as many patients as they are allowed to do so, it's all down to how well a Practice is run.

There are lots of feeder services for Patients whose health dramatically changes, because it is recognised that GPs have their limits.

Form filling can be refused, outside of confirming a Medical Condition.

If you put up with a rubbish service, it doesn't change.

You have a point about your GP and prescribing medicines without seeing a new born/ very young baby...

But you've conflated two different and unrelated factors, and by dragging migration randomly into your post you've side tracked your own thread.

It will now turn into a bun fight, or a discussion about migrants and politics instead.

Have no idea why you'd want to do that, but it was pretty pointed and so unrelated you really had to crowbar it in!

I'm sorry I accept that my comment was ill judged. I was trying to say, in a not very articulate way, that the population around here has grown sharply over the last few years. It has probably caught them off guard, they have also had a partner retire recently and have been relying on locus to cover.

My baby had a sticky eye which I was told is common in young babies and prescribed eye drops. When they had no effect they wanted to give me something else, at that point I insisted she was seen by a doctor.

For things like that I would find the nearest pharmacist with a drop in service. If they then decide a doctors appt is needed it's easier to get in

For a sticky eye I see no issue with prescribing without seeing. I agree with you insisting on an appointment when it didn't clear though. Our practice wouldn't give anything for the first 72 hours or so anyway and just reccomend cleaning it with cool boiled water.

On the other hand DD was really poorly just before one of her GCSE mock exams and the GP fitted her in straight away. She was then really poorly over the weekend just before her real GCSE exam for the same subject. Luckily the OOH doctor was incredibly understanding and she was seen the same day.