To think that there is little common sense any more, and o wonder why this is?

[jimijack]

Friend 1, her 12 year old had d&v, perfectly healthy boy, d&v for 30 minutes after school. Phoned GP, couldn't get an appointment, so called 111. Told to look after him at home, given advice about how to do it.

Friend 2, husband, had a cold, day 3, not taken anything for it, again, perfectly fit and well, calling gp for an appointment. Then 111.
Both disgusted that they could not be seen .

I have had this conversation quite alot with family/friends/colleagues.
May well be that I am a hard faced cowbag who never bothers any one with what I consider to be minor stuff, easily cared for at home, but is it just me that is gobsmacked by this culture of "ring the gp for sniffles"?
Why has it come to this do you think?

FeliciaJollygoodfellow - Because people have a attitude that makes them feel that anything they don't like should be fixed by someone else. Even if it's not possible. Even if it's something that shouldn't be challenged or changed;

^^ this.

I am a midwife. The amounts of panicked calls and messages I get from clients telling me about the colour of their stools, the fact that they have the sniffles or they have a sore throat never ceases to amuse me. What exactly do they think a midwife is going to do?

I'm guilty of going too far the other way. Don't see someone until me or dd in dire straits!! Only to get a ticking off for not going sooner. (But in a nice way).

Sister on the other hand has a habit of worrying about her dc ailments not making GP appointments as she's too disorganised then drags them to a&e for their various bumps/sniffles. Usually at the weekend as 'it can't wait till Monday' Most of which don't even need a GP visit!

Also been a care assistant and yes relatives that barely see their person monthly DEMANDING a dr for a cold/heartburn etc used to drive us and the GP bonkers!

It stems from health anxiety and the blame culture though, no one wants to be the one who didn't seek medical help because their child was ill or who assumed their partner had a cold but died of pneumonia. I think social media has a lot to do with it when you are constantly exposed to those types of stories so people begin to think they're the 'norm' rather than the exception.

I really have to stop myself from calling for an appointment when my DC are under the weather, I know deep down that they have a virus that rest will help but there's always that chance it's something sinister.

See I have had the opposite and been shipped off to a&e via ambulance due to helpful people not understanding that I have a migraine and it affects my muscles and speech. I have not had a stroke. But with increased awareness of stroke conditions people are more prepared to make that phone call and it ends up with me having to be properly checked out when all I want is a dark room, my meds, quiet, cold cloth and sleep. I feel such a fraud and waste of time. No matter how much I am reassured I should be checked out.

needtobebetter

Yes this: "It stems from health anxiety and the blame culture though, no one wants to be the one who didn't seek medical help because their child was ill or who assumed their partner had a cold but died of pneumonia"

Thats ridiculous. YANBU.

I pay $30 for a normal GP appointment or $60 when you go to A&E, so you only go when you are absolutely ill and do need medical attention as you cannot afford that everytime you have tummy bug or sniffle.

Also, what is a GP going to do about D&V unless it's being going on for days, you just ride it out until the bacteria has all gone.

It is ridiculous, I agree. YANBU

We pay $50 per doctors visit and we get charged $80 if we have to call an ambulance out.

I can always get an appointment at my doctors on the day within a hour of me phoning because people just don't go unless they really need. We still get the odd idiot though.

For the 4 of us, we've been to A&E 3 times in 7 years, once was my partner who was having a suspected heart attack and was told to drive himself to A&E because there was no ambulances available. It was 3am in the morning. I bundled the kids out of bed and into the car and drove him there myself. When we got there, a woman was being brought in by an ambulance because she had stubbed and broken her toe and couldn't walk. I mean FFS, I had to drive my dp with a suspected heart attack into hospital at 3am with 2 young kids while she was using up an ambulance for a fucking broken toe.

When we lived in the UK, the NHS was brilliant on the occasions we used them but something really needs to be done about the idiots. Waiting 3 weeks to get an appointment to see a doctor is ridiculous and it's mostly down the people like those in the op.

Forgive my lack of punctuation, it's been a long day.