To think that we should cut doctors a little slack sometimes...?

[Latitia]

Now I'm not talking about doctors who are outright rude and obstructive. I know they're out there and there will always be people in every profession who don't act in an appropriate manner.

I'm talking more about not shouting and making a fuss when the doc is 30 mins late (could have been dealing with a child who can't tell them what's wrong or an emergency), or because they don't agree with your 'google diagnosis' and refuse to prescribe the medication you think you need etc etc.

I was in the kitchen at work the other afternoon and some colleagues were making comments such as 'what do docs even do in between patients anyway, faff around?' Etc. I just find it all a bit mad. My father is a gp, and whilst he is clearly a very good one, the abuse he receives is heartbreaking. Bricks through his windows for not prescribing tramadol, screamed at because he's running 20 mins late due to an emergency, hate mail because he cancelled his surgery because his car was entirely snowed in and tailbacks of 30 miles. He gets this almost every day.

Do our doctors maybe deserve a little more than this? Or am I being too soft simply because he's my father and I hate to hear of people abusing him...

dame. Sorry to hear of your loss.

Presents aren't required, just a note means a lot.

I agree writing to express thanks is a dying tradition.

is it scary/dangerous for women drs when a patient is angry? It is a very enclosed space compared with a hospital.

@RaindropsAndSparkles I don't think it is quite correct to compare a vet to a doctor, they are entirely different jobs. Animals and humans are treated very differently and the consequences when something goes wrong in each situation are vastly different.

I don't think you are any more likely to be prioritised than someone in a care home because you have to go to work. People will always be seen dependent on how sick they are. If you are at the docs for a repeat prescription, and there is someone in a care home who is in agony and at deaths door, they are likely going to be prioritised. It's unfortunate but no doctor in their right mind would put something like that on the back burner. It is really frustrating to be late for an appointment but the NHS is in crisis and there are usually extremely good reasons. That's my two cents.

I completely agree that more funding is needed. This is the crux of the issue. It's not always been this way but it's not looking like it is going to change any time soon

Bloody hell!
Do you mind me asking where your father practices?

@Puffycat without being too specific, he is in east anglia.

You are not wrong. The doctors at my surgery are run ragged, and I think they provide an amazing service.

It must be thanksjane I know the lovely office staff at our primary school are getting a grill and bullet proof glass.

@AssassinatedBeauty you maybe right, she was a locum so maybe she got lost or was stuck in traffic. I wasn't annoyed at her being late as such it was more her rudeness when I asked about my minor ailment.

If you are at the docs for a repeat prescription, and there is someone in a care home who is in agony and at deaths door, they are likely going to be prioritised. It's unfortunate but no doctor in their right mind would put something like that on the back burner.
Except they didn't know what I was there for.
And I wouldn't have needed the 2nd app when they were late had the dr just seen me at my first one when they were stood around the back of reception, telling reception to cancel my appointment (hardly rushed off their feet)

That's my point. I don't doubt the system is stretched, but then they can't be bloody awkward when it suits. The actions of that dr cancelling my 1st app made me a bigger drain on services and meant me taking a slot away from someone else, all because they didn't feel like seeing me.

There are absolute heroes in medicine who do a bloody awesome job, but there are also jobsworths who act like actually dealing with people is just a bit too much of a hassle.

Another GP here. I must admit I usually will see a patient if they are late, within reason; as I am often running late and people wait for me and their time is just as valuable as mine.

The job is hard. I wish that when I was on call for emergencies I didn’t also have to run a clinic; but I do and that’s the way it is. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to offer as many appointments.

Believe me, doctors don’t like it any more than you do that you have to wait for appointments for 2 weeks plus. And that we make mistakes, often because we are asked to make hundreds of decisions everyday - prescriptions, letters, results to be processed even before we see a single patient. I will see around 30+ patients a day too.

The patients and the people I work with keep me going though. The vast majority of my patients are reasonable people at least; many of them I genuinely like and it is an honour to have the chance to make a difference.

I am often asked to do patient satisfaction feedback forms at the Drs - does anyone else have that? You can see the disgruntled having a pop by the flames coming out of the pen. It's not like they'd be happy with anything ever.

thewavesofthesea
You sound like the GP i moved to withib that surgery.
Very reasonable and aware that there's got to be understanding on all sides.

@RaindropsAndSparkles

• comparing doctors to vets is a bit off.
• I'm sure doctors don't think you are subordinate. It's just so much easier for you to call them Dr insert name. I couldn't personally give two hoots as long as the duty of care isn't misplaced.
• I would be very uncomfortable if my doctor called me DPs mummy.
• I think your issues have veered a little from the point of the thread.

@MaisyPops I don't hunk OP has been aggressive in the slightest! Or rude. Ok she said someone was a muppet but it wasn't exactly misplaced was it...

Thanksjane, its scary for any staff male or female when someone is physically or verbally threatening
Physical & verbal agression toward public sector staff is unfortunately on the rise
GP, Hv,DN,Mw. OT, police, support staff,reception all encounter aggression.
Reception often get brunt first,as 1st through doors and visible.
Deescalation and managing aggression It’s not a gender thing it’s a situational thing

dunno what they do between appointments, must be magic that the dr knows who I am and my medical history when I walk through their door. {eyeroll}

some people are not blessed with common sense

Thanksjane most GP partners haven't had a payrise in years. They can't recruit new partners. Surgeries are closing or merging just to keep them going.

So no, they can't just give themselves a paycut to pay their staff more.

And GPs already work very long hours - I have 2 who work at my unit for much less pay than in GP but they tell me at least they get to go home on time. In GP land a half day is routinely a full day. And at my unit people are nice to them.

If you made the appointments a bit longer when would all the other work get done?

@FancyNewBeesly I came on to post the same thing. Shocking fobbing off going on at my doctor's. I only got a diagnosis when I moved abroad and got private health insurance. I would love to go back to my U.K. GP with my operative reports from two surgeries and ask him what the fuck he was playing at. Caused me years of unnecessary agonising pain and I lost my fertility but as I wasn't dying I guess I didn't matter.

That's terrible @Twotabbycats - sorry you had to go through that.

I think it’s a thankless job, which fewer and fewer people want to do hence the huge shortage. We will miss them when they are all gone!

It is frustrating to wait but a few weeks ago I waited nearly an hour at my GP surgery (to see a midwife, not a GP but still), and was getting a bit annoyed. When I went in, the midwife apologised for the delay, and explained there had been an unforeseen difficulty with one of her earlier patients. She didn’t say what, but it just made me think I was happy to have waited an hour with a healthy baby rather than have been seen and told of a potentially distressing problem.

I think it’s a difficult job, and the vast majority of HCP do their very best.

On he whole my GP surgery is excellent and the doctors I have seen there have been professional and kind. One GP did seem to lack knowledge in a basic area of medicine (told me after man positives and a chemical pregnancy that I had likely had false positive pregnancy tests) but she meant well.

A key thing at my surgery as well is that the receptionists are all very professional and good to deal with. Calling usually means being on hold for 15 mins before speaking to someone as they are so busy but they have always been helpful when I've got through. (Sometimes it takes up to 50 attempts to get through though.)

The one thing I would change is their system regarding test results- if you need to see a doctor they send you a text asking you to make an appointment just before close of day and you can't get through and then you're on tenterhooks wondering what's wrong and can't speak to anyone.

I can't really fault the staff though I'm very grateful to the NHS.

Should say I've also experienced quite a few mistakes such as wrong blood tests being done/ some not being done at all etc but that's life I suppose.

@ParkayFloor if it's a genuine concern of yours, why don't you write to the gp or on their NHS page suggesting the change? You never know, other people may have said the same thing and they might consider changing it!

I have a full time professional job. I earn GP type money. I usually work 60-70 hours pw. If I addressed my clients as subordinate to me, was late for appointments regularly and if my staff were rude and heavy handed I would be on a performance improvement plan.

I don't understsnd the abject sympathy for HCPs. They do what other professionals do with significantly more job security.

I find HCPs the rudest people i ever have to deal with and it's because most of their customers do not have a choice.

DH sees a GP privately. She works at the oractice opp ours and does two private clinjcs pw at our local private hospital. Funny how there surgeries don't run late and all staff are helpful. I doubt the care home patients would be prioritised during her private clinic. All the partners at our practice do private clinics too in addition to their £83k. I wonder if the NHS work which is compressed is more interrupted because of things like the private slots?

Raindropsandsparkles they won’t run late as they will have more than 10mins per appointment, and are unlikely to have emergencies to deal with as they won’t be ‘oncall’. If we had the luxury of longer appointments I would run on time too.

And the majority of GPs don’t do private work. It is only in certain areas (like the South East) where there is the demand. I don’t know of any private GPs in my area.