To think it's no wonder people go to A and E for stupid reasons

[Doctordid]

Saw a locum doctor last night through our non emergency extended hours trial. We cannot get an after school appointment for weeks and dd is in gcse years and at school out of Borough and gets home late so we thought we would try it.

It is meant to be a full service for those who work and no different to your normal GP. It was in the same Borough and town as my gp.

Dd has been showing some signs of diabetes which runs in the family. My Mum (who is a senior nurse) tested dd with their kit and it came up pretty high.

Anyway she in fairness examined dds heart, blood, pressure and pulse, dd couldn't provide a urine sample as she had already been to the loo (she has bladder issues and wets herself/is on medication so couldn't hold it.). Doctor wanted blood tests to rule out diabetes and anemia as she was showing signs of this and her heart rate was high but the doctor told me that she couldn't refer for blood tests which dd needed as she didn't know how to refer to paediatrics blood as she was from another Borough and to come back to my own gp to do the referral and she would put it in the notes which my GP definitely have.

Been into my own gp this morning and spoke to reception. Full notes are there.
Can they sort the referral? Nope they won't do it without seeing dd again, they won't see me in an appointment so I can explain given dd was examined yesterday and all results are there.
They don't have any appointments available after work/school for weeks.

So we are faced with
Her missing hours of school to see a gp for five minutes to get a blood test referral she has already been examined for or waiting until half term in 23 days and hoping that they might have an appointment then.

School are a pain about time off for appointments and snotty about it.

All I need is blood tests which one doctor has already authorised!
OP post edited by MNHQ at OP's request

You'll have to take her out of school. It's ridiculous but it's the only real option.

So book a GP appointment during school hours. If you're worried about disrupting her lessons, just ask for it during double PE.

It's hardly a problem. Just Ignore the school, your daughter's health comes first

Surely you take her during school time? If you are in employment you are allowed to take time for necessary medical appointments. Not sure I get the issue. I doubt she'd miss more than 2 lessons and even during GCSE year this is isn't going to be the end of the world.

King that is what we are going to have to do.

Dds school won't let them leave for appointments during the day unless you collect and there is no school bus obviously outside pick up times.
So a bus out of the village, a bus to the school for me to collect her, then a bus back to town and to the village for her appointment then in reserve again.
Probably will result in her missing at least three hours to literally walk into the GP and get a form to ring an make an appointment with the blood team which another doctor has already declared needed.

So basically people are going to a&e because they’d rather put more pressure on a department not set up to deal with their problem than inconvenience themselves.

Clearly I'm being unreasonable. It just seemed a waste of time and money for everyone including the NHS to action something another doctor had already actioned. But hey HO.

As everyone said will just have to remove her from school. Lose half a days wage, half a days mark and however much a gp appointment costs just to collect a form for paediatrics blood tests.

I didn't say I would go to A and E. I said people do because they can't get gp appointments. I don't even know if I will be able to get a day time one yet although I think because she's a child so might see her soon.

If the first GP we saw had been able to do the referral (it's literally a letter they give you to ring here as doctors don't do blood tests in practice you have to go to hospital) then there wouldnt be this faff.

If I was worried about my child (and I’ve got 2 who have done GCSEs and A levels) who I thought might have diabetes I wouldn’t be bothered about them missing an hour or two of school for a GP appointment. If she does have it and you leave it then she’s going to miss a hell of a lot more.

Schools aren’t keepers. They can’t tell you you can’t take your child to the doctor. Just book an appointment, sign her out and go.

Couldn’t you get an early appointment, so you won’t have to pick her up? Or go in half term, it’s only in a couple of weeks time and although it’s important to get it checked out, it doesn’t sound like an emergency.

Is it more cost effective to use a taxi (quicker, so losing less time from work)?

There was an interesting article this week about the impact on A&E departments of extending GP hours. Short answer: no it doesn't. On the other hand, making it easier for patients to book appointments does reduce burden on A&E. Link to press release.

I think this is pretty standard to be honest, although it does seem to be a waste.

My daughter was recently seen at an allergy clinic in a different area as our local hospital dont have an allergy clinic. We were told we needed to see a dietician, but go to our GP so we could be referred locally. Phoned up to see if I could referral without appt as all tests had been done, speak to gp on phone, but the referral could only be done by GP that referred us for testing in the first place who was on holiday for next couple of weeks and doesn't do phone consultations. In the end just phoned up the allergy clinic and they did the referral their end so will have to travel again, but it saves waiting weeks for GP to return then wait weeks for the referral after that. A lot of faff for an appointment that a consultant deemed necessary and authorised. It is frustrating

I think YANBU. I know it's important, but wasting another doctors time to just sign the referral is silly.

I'm in Australia now and everything medical is just so much easier. Doctors can email you, they will leave a referral for collection, and just generally are flexible and practical. The whole system is kind of semi private but Gps are generally free at point of contact for this kind of stuff.

I love the NHS, and hate some of the issues here, but Gps are much more accessible and the system works more smoothly. (Including fines for no shows!)

Miss a bit of school or book a private GP appointment and blood tests, OP. If she does have T1, you need to know (you'll know all about that already if it's in the family). The advantage to the latter, if you can manage it, is that the results come back asap. It could be about £300-400 for the appointment and the tests, based on the tests for diabetes (admittedly a different type!) that I had a few months ago when I found out I was pregnant and panicked!

Fingers crossed your DD doesn't have it and all is well.

Frustrating but when I was in school I mum used to get an appointment right at the end of the day if possible so I might only miss a bit of school. What appointments can they offer? If your daughter has suspected diabetes I would just take the hit on the nose - can it perhaps be booked in on a lesson that doesn't impact her learning too much? Someone else said PE

I see your point - a recent 8 hour wait in A&E (fractured arm) was eye-opening for me as to how a little common sense would go a long way. Our A&E has a GP based there during days and evenings who sees the non-urgent patients who turn up, but when I was there the GP was coming to the reception completely frustrated because the hospital pharmacy closed at 6pm, and the nearest late opening one was 8 miles away with no bus.. so the people who had been diagnosed still had to wait until the following morning for the meds & antibiotics they needed. Then there were the usual people there with a cut that could have easily been sorted with a first aid box, complaining that the severe asthma attack had gone straight in. We need more minor injuries units and 24 hour walk-ins, in local town centres with good transport links.

This is like our surgery. The amount of wasted appointments we have had to get a referral signed here is unreal.
And DD's school are wankers about pulling them out during the day for appointments, even if you have the confirmation text to show them.

It's no wonder the NHS is short of money (obviously other factors involved too!) when so many patients end up on the revolving door referal system!

Could you contact the practice manager and explain, asking if it would be possible for the blood forms to be ready for collection without your daughter needing to take up an appointment for a referral. They may be happy to arrange this as it's not taking up an appointment which could be used by a patient who needs it more than someone requiring a few boxes being ticked on a blood form.

I wonder if the answer is some kind of of hours hub that has gp and nurses. Our nearest town used to have a brilliant one which could do blood and xray and all kinds on drop in.
Currently we will have to have time off for the appointment for the form
Then time off for the blood tests.
Then time off for any follow up.

I know she will be stressed as school have a stupid non uniform day for those with hundred percent attendance and she has been desperately trying to stay in school for that. She has sen so would be bothered.

I was going to suggest the practice manager too, you might have more luck there

Goodness, just book a morning appointment, ask for as early as possible and arrive before your appointment time, in case there's a no-show and they'll see her quicker. Take her to school on the bus, or if you can afford it, pay for a taxi to school. Call/email the school and inform them your DD has a doctor's appointment, but will be in as soon as possible after that. Don't fuck about with her health, you don't need the school's permission, you need to just tell them.

Must say, I do see your point though. We really have an attitude we should be grateful for any healthcare access, however unsuitable. Its been a bit of an eye opener having seen the very different access to healthcare available to family members living in different European countries. It's not a choice between NHS or US style 'healthcare for the rich', our system is great for big emergancies, but pretty poor at delivery routine/small issue care.

If my school age child was showing symptoms of diabetes, she'd be at the first emergency appointment the GP surgery had, regardless of the 'inconvenience'.

YANBU, OP, and I'm not sure why people are talking to you like you're stupid tbh.

Not clear what My Mum (who is a senior nurse) tested dd with their kit and it came up pretty high means exactly, but don't fuck around with incipient T1DM. If you really can't get a GP appointment then do go to A&E, don't wait weeks ffs.

Ex-doctor speaking before anyone gets their knickers in a twist.

My DD is missing a whole day of school for a hospital orthodontist appointment! Its at 11.20... and an hours journey away. So we need to leave at 10am and then the appt could last an hour or more, then travel home again... no point going to school before or after... school ends at 3:10pm. I ask for later in the day appts so she can go to school in the morning but they never seem to have them. I work 9.30-3.00 and have to take a whole day off work too

Unfortunately you’ll probably have to take her out of school on a second day to get the blood tests done as, our local hospital only does them between 8:30 and 4pm with no tickets handed out after 3:30 so they can get through the people waiting. The other local hospital (part of the same 2 hospital trust) only do blood tests for hospital based teams as they’re so busy they can’t do go bloods too. This means going quite a lot further to wait at the other hospital for bloods - can take 2 hours to be seen!!

I echo FadedRed. Things can go downhill rapidly. School is not the priority here.