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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is partly why the NHS is fucked?

95 replies

Babysharkdododont · 15/02/2019 12:21

Newly pregnant with 2nd dc. Went to GP practice today to ask to book in with Midwife. Was told I have to see a GP first, I queried this as last time was direct Midwife booking. Was told definitely have to see a GP, so I asked why, was told "well otherwise everybody would just be booking Midwife appointments". Surely only pregnant women would book, even if it was open access Confused
Anyway, asked for a GP appointment, they have none. I'm to go to morning surgery and wait.....the receptionist seemed completely oblivious to the fact I was having to take a GP appointment I don't need, when there are none available.
I'm a nurse and love the NHS dearly, but this petty beurocracy is killing it off.

OP posts:
dooryfish · 15/02/2019 12:24

well otherwise everybody would just be booking Midwife appointments

GrinGrinGrin

Sorry op, had to laugh. It is ridiculous!

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Sparrowlegs248 · 15/02/2019 12:28

Also, a colleague went to A & E for a sore throat. A bloody sore throat ffs.

PregnantSea · 15/02/2019 12:29

what's wrong with a pregnant woman booking a midwife appt?

Zywk · 15/02/2019 12:29

I had that years ago. The receptionist was adamant that far more midwife time was taken up by women who were not pregnant than by women seeing a GP to have their prrgnancy confirmed. When I went to the GP they gave me a standard test, exactly like the ones I had already done, and then the receptionist announced, "YES, YOU'RE PREGNANT" to me and everyone in the waiting room. Just as well it was planned really.

JasonGideon · 15/02/2019 12:30

I remember being shocked that I didn’t have to see a GP first but you’re right it makes no sense to see them for them to refer you to a midwife!

Original poster
Babysharkdododont · 15/02/2019 12:33

As far as I remember the Midwife dips your urine to check that you're pg anyway at booking in, how many times must they confirm the pregnancy I wonder!?
Obviously I don't want work to know I'm pg before 12 weeks, but I'll likely have to tell them to explain all these bloody appointments Sad

OP posts:
Ca55andraMortmain · 15/02/2019 12:34

That's insane! Where I am there's a central midwifery phone number that you call, give your details and they book you in then and there for 8 week midwife appointment and 12 week scan. It's so easy and quick.

ninalovesdragons · 15/02/2019 12:34

That's a joke. What a silly way of doing it. Can you push for a telephone appt? Otherwise ask to email the practice manager, the receptionist should be able to give you their email details. They've always been very helpful when I've requested referrals directly that way as it saves their GP appts being taken up.

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Thanks

PCohle · 15/02/2019 12:36

I mean on one had that does seem wildly inefficient. On the other, you see loads of threads on here from first time mum's who are really hacked off by the lack of support and are expecting a lot more fuss from the NHS.

RiverTam · 15/02/2019 12:36

I have to say, I am frequently ShockShockShock at how utterly inept the NHS often is, administratively speaking.

NWQM · 15/02/2019 12:37

Direct to midwife still available where we are. Contact midwifery provider but then please right to practise manager and ask them to look into their procedures. NHS England estimate cost of an average GP appointment as being £30. Multiplying that by the number of maternity book ins is why direct to midwife was introduced in the first place. It would cost over £20 million per year in GP appointments...for a referral.... that’s a lot of midwives.

Good luck with the pregnancy & congratulations.

Papillon45 · 15/02/2019 12:38

Ha ha sounds like our local NHS set up. When pregnant with 2nd DC I was told I had to be referred to an asthma consultant and a consultant obs. Neither one wanted to do anything without referring back to each other so in the end nothing was sorted because they both wanted each other to make the first move. They even suggested involving GP at one point who was the one who had referred me to then in the first place 🤦‍♀️ In the end I had to ask them to up my asthma medication (my asthma was very bad in 2nd pregnancy) and ask consultant obs to book me in for 2nd c/s, which he had previously said I needed but wanted to wait before booking me in (for what I don’t know as the reasons for my c/s weren’t asthma related and weren’t miraculously going to fix themselves!) It was infuriating as I was just passed from pillar to post with no one actually doing anything. It meant that I had loads of what turned out to be very pointless appointments. I can only imagine how much money that all wasted

WeeTinkerMonkey · 15/02/2019 12:41

It'll be some plan by an over paid 'manager' somewhere that's justifying their job by making endless and needless hoops for people.

user1474894224 · 15/02/2019 12:41

Completely agree. When I needed my coil changed I asked to see nurse....was told I had to see the doctor....why? So I went to appointment 1 for her to 'discuss' contraception with me. (Why? I know what I need.) Great I say....so can you change it. No. I have to see a nurse for a swab. Great can she change it? No - then you have to see the doctor for her to do it.....so 3 appointments for something that used to be 1 nurse appointment.

ineedaknittedhat · 15/02/2019 12:44

This is a job that could easily be performed by the practise nurse.

They may have had lots of women booking appointments with the midwife who've had a squinter result (very faintly positive) but which then becomes negative due to failure to implant (chemical pregnancy).

Sounds like they're using the GP as a gatekeeper to the midwife which is a ridiculous waste of resources. They need to examine their processes.

Dreamingofkfc · 15/02/2019 12:45

Have you looked online - most trusts have a form you fill on for the midwife to then contact you with a booking in appointment. You shouldn't need to see the GP at all

outpinked · 15/02/2019 12:47

Sounds like a huge waste of time. I had to book through the GP with my first pregnancy almost ten years ago but it changed to direct booking with subsequent pregnancies. Just a simple phone call and I was booked in, much easier all round.

Why on Earth would women want to see a midwife if they weren't pregnant? Confused. Also the GP doesn’t even confirm the pregnancy anyway!

Somuchroom · 15/02/2019 12:48

Mine was the same, had to book a gp appointment to confirm. Turned up to gp appointment who confirmed my pregnancy by taking my word for it... didn’t do a test or anything. Got my booking in appointment when I was 20 weeks pregnant but only because I demanded it because I needed the matB for work. Didn’t realise how bad this was as was first pregnancy. Midwife was more than useless, decided I didn’t need to be tested for pre eclampsia at my 36 week appointment “because I had been ok the previous times.” Despite me raising concerns that my entire body had swelled up over the space of 30 minutes. I got eclampsia and almost died. Sorry was a bit of a rant there but feels good to get that off my chest!

Crunchymum · 15/02/2019 12:49

You can self refer in my trust, which I have done with all 3 pregnancies.

skybluee · 15/02/2019 12:50

The thing I find most difficult is the length of wait, i.e. it's 4 weeks for a regular GP appointment, then when you get there you get a talking down to for 'waiting so long', I mean why else am I waiting, bc there are no appointments?

mummabubs · 15/02/2019 12:50

I had the same OP (and I'm also an nhs worker so find it equally frustrating). I was told I had to go to the GP when I found out I was pregnant, so went along and the GP then effectively asked if I wanted an abortion as otherwise he couldn't see why I'd asked to be seen by him before the midwives... ?!? I was just doing what I was told to do by the receptionist! 🤦🏻‍♀️

clairemcnam · 15/02/2019 12:52

OP this is your GP practice, not the NHS as a whole. GP practices are independent businesses with a contract from the NHS. There are some rules that are laid down in the contract, but I very strongly suspect that your GP made up this rule themselves.

SpoonBlender · 15/02/2019 12:54

Usually protocols change for one of two reasons -

  1. It's cheaper overall, and doesn't reduce quality of outcome
  2. It improves quality of outcome

They don't just tit around changing things for no reason, one of the reasons the NHS is overburdened with awful bureaucracy is to create the information to generate the stats that feed those decisions.

So it may seem ridiculous, as does user147's, but they do that because it improves the outcome on average. Or at least, the numbers are such that it looks like it'll improve things. It may not, and they go back.

What it isn't, is the NHS making shit up as they go along. They can't afford to.

PhilomenaButterfly · 15/02/2019 12:54

Sometimes you have to get angry with GPs' receptionists. I regularly had to argue with ours for DS1 to get a repeat prescription for fluclox (he has cystic fibrosis). "He shouldn't have an antibiotic on repeat prescription." "Well, if he doesn't, he'll end up dying because his lungs don't work properly. Get the GP out here."

AnxietyDream · 15/02/2019 12:57

The receptionist was adamant that far more midwife time was taken up by women who were not pregnant than by women seeing a GP to have their prrgnancy confirmed.

In my old area you had to have a GP appointment to get a midwife appointment, but they didn't even do a test.

-Hi, what are you here for today?
-I'm pregnant
-Do you want to be?
-Yes

  • Congratulations. I'll refer you to the midwife.

In my current area, you self refer to midwife and they ask for a urine sample and do a test at the beginning of the appointment.