To think GP surgery not being able to offer smear test is pretty poor?

[McAvennie]

So having had my smear invitation letter through in mid-November I contacted my GP surgery to book in, but was told the only nurse who did these had recently been signed off sick long term and to call back again in a few weeks once they had sorted an alternative.

It’s obviously now the end of January and calling again today I’ve been told my details have been added to a waiting list, but they still have no idea of when they’re going to get someone in who can do it.

I did ask if they had a ‘sister’ surgery I could book in to or knew of any other service where I could get this done locally - but apparently there isn’t. So AIBU to think there should be some alternative? I know it’s not their fault that their nurse is sick, but having had to have 2 colposcopys previously I would really like to have the smear done as soon as possible for peace of mind.

My last THREE have been cancelled and even though I've called up multiple times they have no appointments available

That really is poor. There are enough barriers keeping women from having smear tests without getting an appointment being one! YANBU.

That is ridiculous.

Make an appointment with your GP. Doctors are qualified to do smears, it doesn’t have to be the practice nurse.

Same situation here.
I've been waiting 4 months to get my smear test done. Had 3 appointments cancelled. So frustrating.

Family planning clinic?

Sounds like a few of us are in the same situation. It just seems ridiculous that we can’t get an appointment given the big push to get more women to go!

@Returning None of the GPs can do it apparently - I think they need to do refresher training every couple of years or something?

@Wavey Not offered at any of the clinics around here. Which is crap.

Looks like I may need to think about changing GP practice then, I suppose it’s one way of them getting their patient numbers down

My gp’s practice is similar. I got my invitation mid October (6 weeks overdue) and I’ve managed to get an appt for next month after a lot of ‘there are no slots’
There are the options of family planning clinic though which I couldn’t take up due to when the clinics were. I work in the nhs though so I know just how creaking the system is. I think I was more annoyed to receive a second reminder to make an appointment as that was just a waste of money given there was no availability for an appointment....

Complain to the practice, they could get an agency nurse in one day a week if they wanted too.
Make a comment on NHS Choices.
Make a complaint to the CQC (can do this online) and say you are happy to have them speak to the practice.
Contact the CCG, they are commissioned to provide this service and I think they get QOF points.
It's really not acceptable, make a fuss.

That’s pretty poor.

GPs should be trained to carry them out though. My last one was done by my regular GP as he reminded me it was almost due and said he could do it there and then to save me coming back.

Worth booking a routine GP appt and requesting the smear there and then?

It won't be the GP surgery's fault. As a GP, I know how hard it is to recruit practice nurses. The surgery are probably trying frantically to recruit, to no avail. At one point we struggled even to get a locum nurse. The GPs themselves won't be able to send a smear off and have it processed by the lab unless they have done training recently - you need a "smear taker's number" to get your samples processed. I know full well how to take a smear, but I don't have a number so I don't take them currently (I don't need to as we do have nurses who do them).

This is disgraceful, but it's not your doctors' fault - General Practice has been underfunded so badly that many surgeries can't recruit enough doctors and nurses. Blame the politicians, not your GP.

Not all GP’s can do smears apparently if they haven’t refreshed their training they can’t.

Practice nurses are like gold dust these days. There aren't any to recruit.
It a not your GPs fault they don't have another nurse. Complain away but what do you expect them to do?

They could send their gps on the refresher or get in locums that .ca do them

How can a gp practice function properly without a nurse? I'm quite shocked by this. Aside from smear tests who is doing all children's vaccinations, pregnant women vaccinations etc?