Doctors won’t see me (saga continues)

[TheCatsPaws]

Previous posts about severe anxiety, recurrent miscarriages.

Had a D&C on Wednesday. Yesterday had a raging temperature, coloured discharge and general unwell feeling. Rang EPU who said to make an emergency doctors appointment today re possible infection.

Got an emergency appointment today. Stuck in traffic for half an hour because road is covered in snow. Rang GP, stuck on phone for 20 minutes. Got told by a receptionist that “sorry you’re too late, we won’t see you”

I explained I had surgery on Wednesday and the ward thinks I have an infection, and wants me to see a dr today. “Sorry that’s our policy”. After much arguing, I asked if she’ll be personally responsible if I get sepsis to which she just quoted policy at me again.

AIBU to be fuming? I’m going down to the surgery and demanding to see the manager right now.

Some common sense needed on both sides IMO.

If you think you need to be seen, get seen even if it means a and e. Don't just sit at home getting worse because the GP are being awkward.

Being polite will get you the best treatment - no point fuming and demanding to see managers.

On the other hand, GPs could do with being a bit more sensible. Seeing one extra patient with an emergency isn't going to mean every other patient turns up late forever more. Things even out over a day and someone else won't turn up or will have a quick problem that doesn't take the full 10 mins.

I work in a vets and we have 10 min appointments. If an emergency comes in it has to be squeezed in and other things run a bit late for a while. However, it doesn't happen every day, and you can usually make up the time somewhere. People whose appointments are running really late can be offered to rebook. People don't mind waiting if they understand why and are kept informed. It's really not the end of the world and it would never ever be worth turning someone away and then their animal dying, just to prevent someone else's nail clip being done 20 minutes late.

In the OP's case, if she was really ill, it would be quick as all they would do is tell her to go to A and E. Whereas in the vets we have to deal with it ourselves in between our other appointments!

But until the dr sees the patient they often can't know which one is priority?
Many patients don't tell the receptionist symptoms.
Ooh I've had a bit of pain in my chest indigestion? Heart attack?
Ear infection? That actually could end up with meningitis.
Pain in leg? DVT? Or muscle strain?

Most people attending a GP could have a serious problem.

frogsoup what triage are you talking about here? When I see a GP and book an appointment there is nobody triaging me like there is in a&e. You have your slot, you go. Who would do triage?

Unless you're suggesting there's a medic on hand at all times to triage walk ins like at a walk in? Because receptionists aren't trained to do it. If that's their system and they've chosen to employ a clinician to triage then fine, but otherwise who's gonna do it when the doctors are all busy with their patients?

According to 'my system' (actually not mine,
I don't work at a surgery) if you attend without an appointment and there's nobody free to see you then of course you go somewhere else, hopefully a walk in but if not A&E (serious allergic reaction and nowhere else to go). What on earth else could you do? If there's nobody to see you and no facility for walk ins there's nobody to see you

Doctors receptionists can be very officious and irritating. You should do what you need to do to get seen and treated ASAP. You could either go down there and try and see someone (try not to kick off), go to a walk in or go straight to A&E. Good luck

Who would do triage?
A lot of surgeries use this system these days. You ring up and ask for an appointment. Then the triage doctor on duty rings you back to ascertain whether you need to be seen by a doctor or whether you could be dealt with by another hcp, for example the nurse practitioner or practice nurse.

I can request a call from the doctor at my surgery, can you do that at yours?
After speaking to the dr for less than 5 mins they will decide wether I need to come in or not.
Doctors usually schedule time for telephone appointments.

Personally I’d keep your later appointment if you can, rest and drink fluids.
I’ve had miscarriage tests in the past too...but just a warning that there’s some they can’t complete if youre still ttc and end up with a positive pregnancy test.

Has any doctor or midwife suggested to take 75mg daily aspirin during pregnancy?
The only reason I have my 2 DC is because I took it.

But Lemon I was at the surgery at the time, having an injection with the nurse. So let me get this clear, you're effectively suggesting that of the 6 GPs in the building (or however many, I didn't count), they are all on such urgent business that they couldn't possibly interrupt an appointment to attend to somebody dying of anaphylaxis in the building?! Come off it.

And yes, we are talking about receptionists doing triage for immediate red flags - trouble breathing, possible sepsis, heart attack. It happens anyway, de facto. And if you need very urgent care, then yes you'll need to tell the receptionist what the matter is. Why are you refusing to accept that many GP surgeries ALREADY DO THIS, and that it works out perfectly well, because people use their common sense?

It's amazingly rigid, this mindset that suggests that if the rules are bent even a tiny bit, then the whole system will come crashing down. Luckily for us, most people don't think like this. The rules do get bent, and things keep working. No thanks to people who think a rule is akin to a sodding 11th commandment and Must Not Be Bent For Any Circumstance, even, apparently, somebody lying dying right there in front of the reception desk!

Catspaws I hope you're on the road to recovery and feeling better soon.

Catspaws I hope you're ok x

Catspaws hope you’re as well as can be and ignoring the pedants on this thread.
I am enormously grateful to be a patient at a surgery where common sense is utilized.

If you read symptoms are that bad then you go to A&E.

It does sound like your relationship with the surgery isn't great at the moment. They got you an emergency appointment and you didn't show and then expected them to bump some one else to accommodate you plus the demanding of drugs last time.

Maybe once the problem has been treated, you need to concentrate on fixing the anxiety and not adding any more pressures in life until that's resolved as it sounds like you are not coping so why add to that.

Yes triage works brilliantly at the surgery I use. You can book an appointment in the normal way, when those appointments are used up it goes to triage where receptionist takes details, they get pinged to duty doctor who will send you a message via receptionist (might be advice, prescription whatever) or doctor will call you back and again at this point make a decision. When I had a heart problem I phoned and all appointment gone, within five minutes I got a call, doctor said I could go in and she would do an ECG but if someone could take me she would prefer me to go to A & E and she would warn them I was on my way in. I went to A & E, had ECG and was admitted very quickly, specialist cardiac nurse was waiting for me when ECG was done. Very efficient use of NHS resources, excellent treatment for me.

If an appointment is for ten and you aren't there, the next person may not come until ten past. So you see them. The twenty past ten person was almost certainly not there. Most people actually don't come early for their appointments. So now you are left with an extra person to fut into the end of day. What a wonderful world you must live in, no one every arrives early and no doctor ever runs late, why aren't waiting rooms empty? Surely if the doctor is always bang on time and people arrive bang on time the waiting room is a total waste of space and there isn't any waiting.

I just don't understand why in my world there are always a crowd of people waiting and I don't think I have ever gone in bang on time.

The OP is obviously suffering greatly and I am sure we all wish her well.

However, from the GP surgeries viewpoint things may look very different. In other posts the OP has talked of being refused a certain medication for her mental health issues, ringing the surgery at least 3 or 4 times on Friday and saying the doctor did not ring back, an OOT appointment was made for her via 111,also mention that the OP needed to be restrained by her GP, then the next working day (today) there has been the confusion of the missed emergency appointment today for another issue and then another made later in the day. As I said earlier once the horror of the emergency medical issues are dealt with, I think the longer term problem of the breakdown of communication between the OP and the surgery need to be addressed.

I hope by now the OP has the medical help she so needs.

Frogsoup Why are you refusing to accept that many GP surgeries ALREADY DO THIS, and that it works out perfectly well, because people use their common sense?

It's unclear why you keep going on about the way things are done at other surgeries, however well it's done, when it's pretty crystal clear that's not how the OP's surgery works. How is it relevant if other surgeries triage and see walk ins if hers doesn't

And yes, often every single GP is working at full capacity seeing patients at a given moment do you think there's a system where one in six GPs gets to hang out in case emergencies (who shouldn't be attending a GP) walk in? I'm sure if someone did come in and collapse in the waiting room one or all of them would abandon their appointment and run out to help, as anyone would. That's something quite different to encouraging somebody without an appointment to attend a place that has clearly said they have no appointments now she's missed hers

Hope things are okay OP, slightly worried that your absence means they've taken you into hospital for sepsis.

Updating everyone. Rang 111 who told me to keep appointment. Went to Drs appointment, dr thinks I do possibly have an infection and has sent me to gynae. Currently in hospital awaiting treatment, feeling shitty.

Thank you for the replies.

Because the op asked if she was being unreasonable. She wasn't, it was her surgery being crap. And no, my GP surgery don't have a 'system' where they 'see walk-ins'. Instead, they bend their rules where common sense dictates that they should. I am amazed at how difficult a concept this seems to be for you to grasp!

EPU should have seen you in the first place! They have definitely passed the buck here.

Hope you get seen soon and things are ok. You’re in the best place to be treated. Hope it’s not too long a night for you.

Unfortunately, you were late regardless of the reason why and therefore cannot demand that your GP puts you as the sole priority as there may be other patients who are more priority than you.
A nurse can assess your wounds if not more than a GP as they assess and dress wounds on a daily basis and if necessary prescribe you antibiotics. If you was to see your GP, they may likely refer you to the nurses for regular dress changes to minimise or help reduce infection.
You must Go to the walk in centre if it is that urgent.

Not remotely difficult frogsoup, I've given plenty of examples of why surgeries not set up to take walk ins can't 'bend the rules'. For those who can, lovely. It helps nobody to pretend a surgery not set up for that ought to do it 'because others do'. It's worth saying considering some PP have no idea how or why surgeries can't see walk ins.

Glad you're finally getting treatment OP and hope you get things sorted. This thread has turned into a debate about surgery policies which I'm sorry for as it's not all aimed at you! It's been interesting though

Wishing you a speedy recovery - glad you got medical attention

I think also that this thread shows how much pressure acute but non critical care actually is under.
A and E is being pressed from all sides - underfunded overstretched GPs, lack of good accessible walk in centres plus pressure from bed blocking and lowered funding for social care. All these cuts focus eventually on A and E because patients who are too ill to wait a few days for a GP appt have nowhere else to go. If you’ve got an infection that needs treatment TODAY then you may not really need A and E but you can’t wait four days for a GP appt.

The system is creaking.

I don’t have wounds, a d and c is done vaginally. The Dr I saw was very good, kind and empathetic. I’m going to see if I can make her my regular GP, as the other GPs I find to be quite unsympathetic.

My surgery is a bit shitty with a lot of things, including my son’s prescriptions. I’ve wondered before if they have a vendetta against me, however I doubt it as I doubt they’d use a two year old’s prescriptions to piss off his mom. So I think they’re just a bit crap.

Totally agree Backenette, it would help to fund walk ins in areas that don't have one within say 30 miles or so. But I guess some people would still go to A&E unecessarily as they don't know any better or cba to go the correct route. But you're right, there is a difference between a problem that can wait and one that can't but isn't worthy of A&E.

I wonder what actually happens in the places without a walk in when you ring the surgery and get the answer phone telling you where to go. Does it just say hospital?

I think also that this thread shows how much pressure acute but non critical care actually is under.

Agreed. It really upsets me in general how much the NHS is suffering due to cutbacks and lack of funding.