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.

@lljkk

Well if you think @4Funnels was being rude, I'll tell you again.

You are the one being insulting for thinking that male doctors would take a "lingering gawp".

Maybe you don't have to live up to professional standards in whatever job you do, but doctors most certainly do.

The voyeurism you imply there is utterly ridiculous, and it's quite frankly embarrassing for you that you hold that view as an adult.

Doctors are there to help, ok? They're not looking for their own enjoyment, they're doing it to look for any problems that they can help to get fixed.

Grow up and stop acting like a hysterical teenage girl.

voluntarily letting a strange man have a lingering gawp at my fanjo

What a strange and insulting way to describe a male GP doing his job

I once watched a documentary about the rise of stds. The feature was a London std clinic.

A 18 year old man came in with an std and refused to see the male Dr who called him for an appointment and demanded a female. To the camera he said I'm not seeing a male Dr, do they think Im Elton John...implying it would make him gay to be looked at by a male dr.

Im all for women's rights however unless there is a reason such as being assaulted, see how ridiculous it sounds to refuse a Dr based on their sex just because.

As for the lingering gawp comment, is that what some people think male GPs do?!

@lljkk

I'd have loved to have been much, much ruder (and would be if you made that comment in real life) but that would have meant my post was deleted.

DH is a pediatric surgeon and has saved countless lives. I guess you'd describe him as a pedophile with all those "lingering gawps"? Or maybe, just maybe, he - many others like him - are professionals who could examine your breasts without getting sexually aroused and either save your life or put your mind at ease.

This isn't saying that you shouldn't be allowed a preference but

a) suggesting that Drs want a "lingering gawp" (you sexist idiot) is offensive .

b) if you have a preference then you don't have grounds to complain that the waiting time is longer.

Don't judge everyone by your own low standards, you idiot.

HTH

@FreeNiki

Interesting point about a preference for the opposite sex.

I have quite a few medical-profession friends (through DH) and it's apparently quite common for men to request a female examining their tackle as opposed to a man. I think that they feel more comfortable for some reason.

None of the lady Drs have ever said they mind being requested and none have ever mentioned a man behaving inappropriately in this sutuation. I guess these male patients probably feel pretty vulnerable in the circumstances.

@4Funnels I actually once had a friend at uni years ago who preferred a male dr for gynae as it felt more natural to her.

It's strange.

I for one don't care male or female.

I understand why people complain about services but I feel the brunt of the Moabite gets put on the wrong people. They moan and shout at the ones on the front line and it's not our fault. We do our best in the circumstances.

I wish people could spend a week working with a gp practice. They'd soon understand

Im all for women's rights however unless there is a reason such as being assaulted, see how ridiculous it sounds to refuse a Dr based on their sex just because.

Agree 100%. It's just embarrassingly childish.

Lingering gawp 😂 I think this poster must have a very high view of how appealing she thinks her fanjo is to a professional who sees genitals every day!

I showed up to an STI clinic for a full screen and was shown to the clinic room, where a lovely man around my age proceeded to ask me lots of questions about my sex live and examine me/take swabs and bloods etc. Can you imagine if I'd got in the room and said 'erm, I'll leave it thanks unless you can get me a female'. How embarrassing for me and insulting for him would that be

If it helps at all OP, my male GP examined my breasts when I found a lump. I was seen a week later at hospital by male doctors and male consultants, with a female nurse in the room to act as chaperone. It was absolutely fine, and I didn't feel awkward - they were medical professionals doing their job. I would much rather have been seen straight away and get the problem looked at, then wait longer worrying.

Lingering gawp 😂 I think this poster must have a very high view of how appealing she thinks her fanjo is to a professional who sees genitals every day!

Yeah that too 😂

GP surgeries are under a lot of pressure. It’s true that the appointment situation is hard going but as can be seen from some posters on here, the NHS is up against impossible expectations that simply cannot be guaranteed.

And receptionists are told by the doctors to ask the questions they do. If they don’t follow the directive they’ve been given they’re in trouble. If you can give them more information they can often help by going straight to the gp or a relevant HCP for advice. It’s all very well hating them as the face that says no or asking for details but they are the lowest paid and take the most crap and stress for decisions that are beyond their control.

@FreeNiki

I prefer a male OBGYN but that's because of him, not because he's male. He also delivered DC2 and was recommended by a few friends.

I understand some men or women may want the same or opposite sex Drs or even a specific Dr but they must understand that this might mean longer waiting times.

I wish @lljkk would come back and defend or apologise for her comments.

I assumed the phrase 'lingering gawp' was meant to refer to how her teenage self felt about it rather than what would actually happen. Teen-agers tending to be very self conscious about their bodies.

I've seen male GPs for all sorts of things, including repeated thrush infections that needed an internal examination in case it was a prolapse and in that case the GP was clearly uncomfortable doing it - he was a lovely man but known to be uncomfortable with "women's issues" so I did usually try to see one of the other GPs who all happened to be female but was just desperate that day.

@4Funnels I too ask for the male gp as he is good and very sympathetic. Because of him not because he is male so i get what you mean

The NHS is there to provide the bare bones of healthcare, enough to keep you alive.

The reason it is so overstretched is because of all the additional services it is now offering; its expected to be all things to all men and this just isn't feasible, irrespective of funding.

If you as an individual have characteristics that require additional criteria to be met, then you will need to pay for it yourself. No issue at all with you preferring to see a female GP, but that is something 'over and above' the basics that the NHS offers and I think you should pay for that privilege out of your own pocket.

@430West don't be ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with wanting to see a specific GP or just a female one. It's not 'over and above'. Sometimes it's because you want to see the GP that actually knows about your illness, sometimes it's because you want to see someone who has a special interest in a particular area - in work I'm always telling people to find out of their GP practice has a GP with special interest in mental health, when I had a mature teratoma on my ovary I always made an appointment to see the same doctor as she had a special interest in women's health and knew what was going on with me - the receptionists were very good at getting me appointments with hey once they knew the basics and that it was an ongoing situation she was dealing with.

And sometimes you just want to see someone you're comfortable with.

@mirime

And should the government be ploughing even more money into the NHS so people's preferences can be met.

Remember that the OP said how the woman GP only sits 2 half days a week. Assuming the surgery has 3 full time men GPs, what lengths should they go to to hire extra women for a 50:50 availability?

Someone asked an interesting question about 'requiring' a female-only staff should a lot of treatment be required. Where should it end?

@lljkk

Some fab online, video call options about now - so you don't even have to leave your home.

My GP surgery today

Me calling at 930: I'm pregnant and breathless can I get a phone consultation please I think it's normal pregnancy stuff

Receptionist: no best get you seen. 1pm give you enough time to get here?

Me: leaves house at 1215 due to snow, clear roads mean I'm there by 1240 walk in and seen straight away. Turns out is was serious and is an asthma flare up.

No issues here with my GP today!

@4Funnels if you can't cope with being examined by a male doctor because of PTSD is that a preference or a medical need?

As I've already said, if at the next stage of treatment there is a lack of options hopefully the person can be supported to have treatment, but if they won't see a GP they're never going to get that far are they? Primary care being a gateway to higher level services, if they can't see a female GP they're probably not even going to be able to access secondary mental health services for treatment.

I'm not sure why this idea is such a big deal. I've never had a problem seeing a female GP or a specific named GP. Yes, I might have waited a bit longer, but it's never been a request that's been treated as a problem, even if it's been asked why I'm making it - everytime the receptionist had accepted my reasons and arranged an appointment.

Just out of curiosity is it unreasonable to not want to see a particular GP if they've been a bit shit?

What do you suggest we do about it? The nhs has a recruitment crisis that is only going to get worse after the junior doctor contract debarkle. GPS work hard but there are not enough of them, so therefore not enough appointments.

@mirime

That's a preference.

I've already said

"I understand some men or women may want the same or opposite sex Drs or even a specific Dr but they must understand that this might mean longer waiting times."

The request is fine but don't then say that GP waiting times are unacceptable.

There are fewer female GPs than male. At my current practice there are 2 women, 4 men. Last one was worse - 7 men, 2 women. And women are still more likely to be the ones juggling childcare and taking on fewer hours.

We also have a population that is slightly over 50% female. And of course going by the sexual assault stats, possibly at least a quarter of adult women may have very good reason for being anxious to discuss physical/intimate issues with a male doctor.

Of course there is going to be a problem with seeing a female GP for a lot of us. But it's not going to get better under this government. The money is there, but it will not be invested in the NHS. I can only suggest going private if you can afford to do so.

Well, I managed to get an appointment this morning and the male doctor I saw says I need to be examined by a female gp or have a chaperone, before he can make a referral as he didn't want to examine me himself for some reason, so I need a follow up appointment with a female gp anyway