That GP waiting times are unacceptable?

[frustrationfrustration]

I very rarely visit the doctor, I have only needed to visit once in the past year. I have rang up for an appointment today and apparently every single pre bookable appointment to see the one female GP at the practice has already gone, she apparently only sits on a Thursday morning and a Friday afternoon. The earliest I can ring up in the morning for an on the day appointment to see her is the 16th of March. I was interrogated by the receptionist who demanded that I tell her what my concern is as apparently this dictates who she should book me in to see, she was sharp with me and asked why I couldn't just see a male gp with a chaperone provided. Has anybody else had similar experiences with GP practices recently? I can't help but feel that this is the reason that a+e's are being overused. This is a busy practice that serves a large council estate so I can't help but feel that the female GP provision is inadequate.

@BrendasUmbrella

You ignored the second bit. Deciding if you have a male or female or even 'I would like Dr X' is fine but you must accept that waiting times might be longer that if you are happy to see the first GP available. The OP thinks that longer waiting times when you make specific requests are unacceptable. That's where I first disagree with her.

She didn't tell us why she wanted a female Dr and she obviously doesn't need to but it seems very hypocritical to then be unhappy again that the male Dr she has now deemed acceptable wanted a chaperone there for the examination. If she gets to make a choice then so does he, surely?

From your update, that is shit, if you were happy (or you know, not happy but allowing) to have the examination without a chaperone then you should be able to expect him to do it. You’re presumably not a child or vulnerable adult, you’re competent to make your own decisions. And if he was insistent on the chaperone then he should’ve gone and found one, not just tell you to rebook.

I wondered if it's because there simply wasn't time. It's a ten minute appointment. I went to my appointment the other week for something unrelated and something I said triggered the doctor to say I needed an in house pelvic exam and swabs by him or another GP asap, but as there simply wasn't the time during that session I had to rebook.

In Ireland where we pay I always get to see a GP the same day I ring. Low income people have medical cards and go for free so it is not discriminatory.

I hate the casual sexism that is encountered all of the time on MumsNet. @lljkk

The gp only sits a couple times of week because for the rest of the week they are locuming for obscured amounts of money.

I did a stint in NHS recruitment, you have doctors ringing in for shifts the next day in a different trust, after working a 16 hour one.. this was the norm.

All using LTD personal service companies to channel their earnings through. So not paying the same tax.

There are doctors and nurses in this country, los of them. but the locum business has made it the norm to get £700-800 a shift, so most are registered part time with their employee and don’t want work for much less..

Our GP's always use a chaperone for female examinations. They'd be a fool not to. Doesn't need to be a nurse or other GP, receptionists have had the same training. His insistence on a chaperone is right, his not getting one then and there is not.