To think a good GP is a rare thing these days

[BackInTime]

Just based on experience but I feel that GP care in this country is seriously lacking. GP appointments at my local surgery seem to be filled by locums and it is virtually impossible to get an appointment with a GP. When you do get seen they barely pay attention - I took DD last week for a pretty bad infection and he was more concerned about his printer than DD.

I get that the NHS is stretched but it seems that they way they are failing to treat people in the first instance leads to people either having to come back or they end up in hospital which is not cost effective or good patient care. Why not just give patients their full attention for 10mins in the first place.

Think it depends where you are. It can be a real headache getting an appointment- but the GPs thenselves are v good.

Mine are fab. Have never had a problem with them, even the locums. They’re busy but will always see a baby/young child on the same day.

You couldn’t pay me enough to be a GP.

seems your slagged off whether you do
It must be so frustrating, having all that training and then be so limited to how long you spend with people
Working for the nhs must be a constant ball ache

A printer is important when you think about it as imagine how many people would moan if they have to say collect the prescription from reception instead of said gp handing it to them.

I think it depends on your expectations tbh. Our practice has a variety of GP's some of whom are very quick to write prescriptions and others who listen more. 

It is a hard job tbh with high patient numbers and limited time to see everyone so I understand why they may not appear 'good' if you see what I mean. 

You are basing this on your sample of many GP,s the system maybe a ballache but i have had no complaints about the GP,s i have seen.

Of how many GP,s?*

You're absolutely right. GP surgeries are being squeezed so badly that they can barely operate in many areas, and there is a massive shortage of GP's in the country generally, so it's impossible to recruit. A friend is a partner in a very big surgery in the South East in a great, accessible town that people want to live in and last time they advertised for a new GP they got ONE APPLICANT.

Surgeries are heavily dependant on costly locums because they can't hire permanent staff, and this drains their resources even further.

Most GP surgeries are independent businesses, not NHS-financed. They bill the NHS a fixed amount per annum per registered patient, but the GP salaries, rent/mortgage and surgery running costs all come out of a private business bank account. The NHS is squeezing surgeries dry, and for what? Most people think that surgeries are NHS owned, so the NHS gets the blame anyway, but they still put the pressure on the surgeries to take everything on for less and less money.

As healthy young people often don't bother to register these days, or use a service like Babylon, the surgery's margins get tighter and tighter, and morale gets lower and lower, so GP's start leaving or reducing their hours (requiring expensive locum staff because they can't recruit), as their admin goes through the roof.

So yes - you're right that it's awful. Tell your local MP.

It is a hard job tbh with high patient numbers and limited time to see everyone so I understand why they may not appear 'good' if you see what I mean.

I agree with this. My family is registered with a practice in a fairly deprived bit of a fairly deprived bit of London and I can only think of one occasion where I felt our care was less than good. And on a few occasions it's been excellent.

The majority of GP's are massively overworked. There is a serious shortage of them becuase they are leaving in droves - that's why your surgery may need locums or why it's difficult to get an appointment. It's very difficult to work as a locum - you have to walk in, take over a whole caseload, you might not know surgery proceedures.

I can't praise my GP surgery enough. And PinkHeart is right - it's very stressful working in the NHS at the moment (I know first hand).

I think the majority of GPs themselves are caring and competent professionals, but like everything in the NHS, the service is majorly stressed and under resourced. I would imagine GPs are as pissed off at this as the patients. I'm an NHS nurse and I know I am.

I had the weirdest doctors appointment a few months ago. It was just an appointment to get more contraceptive pills. Firstly he looked like he was wearing Pyjamas. Then he noticed I was wearing a smartwatch and said "Do you realise you're being microwaved?" and started going on about mobile phones causing brain tumours. He googled it while I was there, found some random article in the Guardian, printed it out and gave it to me. He said he has a doctor friend who is really concerned about it. The way he emphasised doctor made it sound like he isn't a doctor.. some random bloke who has wandered in maybe? Eventually got some more pills.

I have an appointment next week about something I'm really worried about. I have requested a woman, mostly to avoid him.

Lots of previous posters are spot on, we are completely stretched, under-resourced and under-staffed. Often seeing way more patients each day than is safe, spending hours on admin, and struggling with creaking IT systems which are endless source of frustration and slow us down.

I would love to spend more time with each and every patient if I could, it gives me no job satisfaction to rush patients, and s miserable for all.

Thank you for all the kind and understanding comments, it means a lot and is often the only thing that keeps me going

There’s a gp at my surgery who has blown me away. He’s always running late but when I took ds for 1 thing he was thorough and reassuring and made the referral I’ve been desperately wanting. He also then ran through some of ds’s other issues checking everything was ok.
He seems quite young but I think he’s maybe just one of those people who looks like a teenager. I really hope he doesn’t burn out though. I wrote him a thank you card to let him know that his effort is appreciated.
The others used to be a bit hit or miss but according to DH there were 2 drs doing flue jags at the weekend.

It's so easy to criticise GPs but they do such a tricky job with limited resources. I don't think we should bash them!

My practice has one GP who is amazing and the rest are so-so. That means it's incredibly hard getting an appt with the amazing GP as everyone wants to see her.

Strangely enough, my neighbour is a fairly newly qualified doctor who is now doing her GP training. She has been unable to find GP work in London and is commuting weekly to Norfolk where she's a locum. I find it strange given the shortage of GPs. However, my neighbour has zero social skills and is a little weird so maybe that's why....although seems like she'd fit straight in with some GPs.

YANBU. NHS GPs just aren’t up to scratch. I have live in various parts of the country and if I have even managed to get an appointment the standard of care is usually poor. Ok at best. Never visited what I would call a good GP in Britain (not necessarily because the individual doctors themselves are rubbish but the appointment slots are just too short. As a result there are always delays and the appointment is rushed). If I had to visit regularly I would just move back to Australia. I can’t update cope with constantly dealing with substandard care. That said I did use the vitality gp service and the was very very good (just like back at home) but not living in London I could only use the video appointments which wholereally good for what they are are not always adequate. Finding other private gps can be quite difficult where I live. I don’t think we have any in my town at all, I haven’t found any. There is one in the next book fest town but it is twenty minute drive or a once hourly train which isn’t great or convenient.

I think we must be lucky with ours. Receptionists are always polite, can usually get in on the same day and the GP always takes me seriously.

I agree, it depends who you see.

At my surgery, I avoid certain gps now - the ones who start typing a prescription before you have even explained why you are there, rush you out, dont offer advice or help...then two days later you are back with the same symptoms, see a different Gp and end up in hospital

I know they are overworked. and i get its a nightmare of a job triaging people. But some of them end up costing the nhs money as you end up going back to see someone else a few days later

Our practise is great. There's one GP who has a dreadful bedside manner. As a result it's pretty easy to get an appt with him! Other than that the other ones are great. You never feel rushed with them & they really listen. I'd have a chronic medical condition & if I phone up because it's flared up I'm guaranteed an appt that day.

I'd hate to go to another practise

Unfortunately at our small GP practice there are 2 Drs who I would not go to due to previous bad experiences. There has been a recruitment crisis in the last couple of years meaning It can be very tricky to get an appointment (and I am aware it is my choice to limit my options eith the above situation) Unfortunately It is very hard to get a GP appointment with our own (excellent) GP

Mine are great. Sometimes it can be two or three weeks before you get a generic appointment, but they usually accomodate urgent ones within a day or two. Babies are always seen on the day you call. I called to request a phone consultation this morning and GP called back within the hour.
Luck of the draw I suppose.

Haven't had a problem with the GP's or for that matter with the local hospital which often comes in for a lot of criticism (though their day surgery practices could do with improving).

I would say that for most problems I'm more than happy to see the APN rather than the doctor.

Sorry - I think I mean nurse practitioner (well a term like that)

We have a great GP, it's pretty straightforward to get an appointment, they have a great online system, and the receptionists are really lovely and helpful. Ditto my NHS dentist. We're more rural, so maybe that's it. I'm very grateful to have such great care, but notice people still complain about their experience on facebook etc, so some people are never satisfied.

My GPs are great. Locums can be a bit hit or miss but I've had mostly good experiences. There is one nurse I refuse to see though.

It's not fun being a GP. You are pushed from all sides and someone is always moaning at you. They are expected to do so much.