AIBU to wonder why it has become so impossible to get a Doctor's appointment?

[Bluebananas01]

I remember when I was a child in the 80's, if you were ill you could always get to see the Doctor the same day. I even remember the Doctor doing a home visit when I had the measles. I called up this week to try and get a Doctor appointment and it is a three-week wait (South East).
Everybody seems to talk about there being no Doctors appointments but what is the real reason? Is it just down to underfunding? Are people not turning up for appointments? A sicker population?

Even when I get to see a Doctor it is as if they are trying to get me out of the surgery asap and heaven forbid if you need a referral. Two years ago I went to the Doctors with joint pain, shooting pains, weight gain etc. I told him that autoimmune disease runs in my family and it felt AI as it came in waves (like flare-ups). He pretty much told me I was a hypochondriac. Asked if I exercise (because of the weight gain) and when I told him 6 days a week he told me to take up yoga and sent me packing.

Fast forward to this year when I was going overseas with my husband to his place of birth where it is super cheap to see consultants and have blood tests done. My symptoms had been progressing so I have blood tests etc and saw a Doctor there and discovered that it wasn't all my mind as suggested by the Doctor and that I actually had:-

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (Autoimmune underactive thyroid)
Pernicious Anaemia
Severe Vitamin D deficiency.

How the hell did my Doctor miss so many warning flags about my health? I only ever go to the Doctors for smears and pregnancy so hardly one to visit the Doctor for the slightest sniffle.

It makes me wonder how many other people are being fobbed off and are living with a poor quality of life because their Doctor just can't be bothered to give a proper consultation.

[alreadytaken]

No point in tagging me - I wont see it.

The other reason I dont believe this is that no-one could possibly fail to know what pressures the NHS is under. So this is not "my gp made a bad mistake -why and what do I do now" but an excuse to bash the NHS.

No point in trying to claim it isnt when your initial post and comments about being "fobbed off with a nurse" make it more than plain what you are really doing. You may have a few supporters roped in to appear to support you but I wont believe they are genuine either.

This is made up to try and create a climate of opinion where the NHS can be further ground into dust.

[mygrandchildrenrock]

I have no idea how the system works at our GPs, other than you have to turn up at 7.30 and wait outside until the doors open at 8.00 if you want to see someone on the same day.
My family is off school for a fortnight and my DD couldn't get a pre-bookable appointment with anyone, GP, nurse, health care practitioner etc. Then I find out (through a receptionist at a different practice) that there are appointments this weekend, Easter weekend .So, my teenage DD has an appointment at midday tomorrow, Bank Holiday Monday but couldn't see anyone within a two week window! Barmy!

[Timeforacupoftea]

It is the most underfunded. General practice deals with by far the majority of all patient interactions but receives a very small proportion of nhs budget to deliver this care. General practice is by far the most cost effective part of the NHS, and GPS are expected to do more and more with less funding.
I’m trying to find the study which breaks this down, and if I can locate it, I will post it.

[lljkk]

General practice is the most underfunded medical speciality.

The problem with a statement like that is.. how do you prove you know that with such certainty?

Other specialisms are more under-subscribed.
Or have much lower total #s of places available.
Or have much lower rates of satisfaction.

Or are worse paid.

The tariff system is too scary for me to look at, but I'm not sure that per minute of qualified time, GP surgeries earn less than hospital doctors do.

[Timeforacupoftea]

General practice is the most underfunded medical speciality.

[Timeforacupoftea]

Even with a drive towards more medical students, that doesn’t automatically equal more GPs. The stress, workload, insufficient pay and low morale, mean that many medical students choose other specialities.

[Timeforacupoftea]

Also changing demographic with an older population and therefore more people with more complex health needs that need more time/money/resources/appointments.

[Timeforacupoftea]

Underfunding, stress, workload and more underfunding.

GP’s are leaving the profession in their droves: leaving the UK, leaving the profession for better paid/less stressful jobs, retiring, or reducing their clinical days working. There is a massive recruitment crisis. It has become a very stressful and demanding job with 14 hour days being the norm as there is so much additional work that has to be done. Morale is low. GP’s are leaving after reaching breaking point. Surgeries are struggling to fill posts.

[HoppityChicken]

My GP admitted that they had failed me as a patient. This was after two years of appointments, often with random locums. It was literally impossible to get an appointment with my actual GP and with two weeks the normal waiting time for any appointment you take what you can get. Eventually someone acted on my symptoms and referred me and a six month wait for a hospital appointment with a consultant ensued - to the wrong department. This was followed by a frustrated letter from a neurologist to my GP instructing an Urgent referral for me to see a cardiologist. This was ignored at the surgery as my GP was on holiday and then lost in the system somewhere for 6 weeks, until I rang to ask how long the wait would be to see the cardiologist would be as I was now starting to panic. I finally got to see my actual GP for the first time the next day, who was mortified to be fair. She managed to get me in with a consultant a week later. By this time I was actually terrified but I was finally on the right road and was diagnosed. My doctor insisted I only ever saw her from that point on and was lovely and super efficient, which is presumably why it was impossible to get an appointment with her in the first place. She moved practice a year later and I've never seen the same doctor twice since then.

[Kismett]

I think that a small segment of society has very effectively gotten the rest to turn on itself and blame each other. It’s quite striking when you see it as an outsider.

@ViennaLinz it does seem like a lot is lost through some sort of inefficiency. I was told by the hospital that I needed a supplement and they told me I could come in for a prescription, get one from the GP, or buy it from the pharmacy. Not wanting to waste NHS time or money, I tried to buy it from the pharmacy and pay for it myself. They told me I couldn’t have it and I ended up having to get an emergency GP appointment and prescription instead. I don’t pay for my prescriptions so that’s more NHS money spent on me despite my best efforts.

I’ve often tried to get a GP appointment and said that I’m happy to wait a few weeks. I am invariably told that there are no appointments available and that I need to book an emergency appointment, even when it’s not that urgent.

[Bluebananas01]

alreadytaken

I think you are maybe a GP and that is why you are not believing me. I think I am actually going to move surgeries, I can't be bothered to raise a complaint, I just want my health back.

This isn't the first time that the surgery has let my family down, albeit a different Doctor.
A few years ago my Mother was on Methotrexate for her Rheumatoid Arthritis. She developed a cold, then chest infection when it just wouldn't shift. We managed to get the Doctor to come out on a home visit and the female GP (different to mine) treated her like a nuisance for insisting on a home visit. The next day she was admitted to hospital with double pneumonia and placed in Intensive care. Apparently, that drug has possible side affects of affecting the respiratory system and yet nobody picked up on it. Strangely she started a call from the surgery after that,I think fear that she would have a case against them.
Because my post on this occasion is negative, I am not bashing the NHS nor GP's. I am grateful for the service, very grateful. However, I DO feel that the pressure put on GP's is impacting the quality of care on this occasion. It also triggers a debate as to how women 'of a certain age' are often treated when they present with the type of symptoms that I did. It was immediately put down to the fact I was now over 40, he said as much. This wouldn't be said to a man I am sure. Do I think the GP is an uncaring man? No I don't. Probably a tired and overworked man, not that this makes it ok. If this lesson has taught me anything it is that I must from now on I need to be my own health advocate and if I feel I need a blood test for something that my Doctor won't approve, I will organise it myself and also make myself as knowledgeable as possible about my conditions so that I can get back to the best possible health.

I've no idea why you would disbelieve my story, if you look through my posts there is a lot of detail and why the hell would I make it up? I'm a 42-year-old mother of two with two children, I have better things to do with my time.

[Jasmineallenestate]

Disbelieving, raised eyebrows and "if it's true" are no better than any other form of bullying.

It is very obvious the OP is being truthful about their experience and has been affected by the way they were treated.

Good old Mumsnet. If I don't like what you say, I call you a liar. Nice support.

[alreadytaken]

I dont believe your gp would send you away without any blood test if you are not a regular attender at the surgery. With increasing litigation this is dangerous.

If your story is true then you should be following the complaints procedure. www.ombudsman.org.uk/sites/default/files/How_to_raise_concerns_about_a_general_practice_0.pdf

[lljkk]

I got that partly wrong... Excerpt from Parliamentary report about # of spaces target & actually taken up each yr; closer to 7500 in each of recent yrs but was only about 6000 before 2012.

[Bluesheep8]

Small village practice

[Bluesheep8]

It's at least a 3 week wait here too. West yorkshire

[lljkk]

The government cut back the places for med. students years ago

That's not true picture. Kings Fund report on # of medical school spaces since 1960. Steady increase over that period until recent peak around 7500 (Parliamentary report) but plateaued at around 6000/yr since 2010. Active plans are to keep increasing.

What's truly changed is the high # of old people living in Britain (EU). In case anyone doesn't get irony, I didn't actually mean old folk should be blamed for having the temerity to stay alive. But nor could I handle unchallenged claim that 'immigrants' are cause of NHS woes.

Since we all should have known 20 yrs ago that there would be lots of old people living in UK by 2020, maybe we voters are to blame for not challenging our politicians to plan for their needs.

[user1471426142]

Just to counter some of the negativity my practice has been really good. We’ve never had an issue getting an appointment. Over the winter my toddler was really poorly and she was seen twice within 30 mins of me phoning. I can’t complain at all.

[scaevola]

'The government cut back the places for med. students years ago'

But in the last few years the number has been rising

Still not keeping up with demand though.

First wave fundhilders are retiring about now, those who came after never had quite the same resources. Those who benefited from the Blair new contract can afford to take early retirement.

What's left isn't looking a terribly attractive choice of specialty right now.

[dreamalittlebiggerdarling]

Fibroid sorry not cust

[dreamalittlebiggerdarling]

I don’t know what the solution is. I went to the GP five times in 2 months last year, as I had a cough that wouldn’t shift, was putting on weight like nobody’s business, my periods had stopped, and I had constant abdominal pain. Was prescribed antibiotics on every occasion and told that it’d stop if I exercised more. The 5th appointment I was basically told that there was nothing more they could do for me and that repeat appointments weren’t the answer. Eventually couldn’t bear it and went to A&E where they discovered I’d had a pulmonary embolism caused by a humongous uterine cyst, which left another week would’ve caused a bowel rupture. As it was a total hysterectomy was unavoidable as it’d grown so big. I still get angry thinking about the GPs now!

[mondaylisasmile]

A lot of the problems have already been highlighted in this thread.

However, a few of these are ones I've seen first hand - I rarely, extremely rarely, visit my GP (i think once every 10 years on average when i look back, aside from smears with the practice nurse!). i'm fortunate.

however, i have more than 1 family member who are constantly at the same GP practice - in many cases these visits can be lumped into two categories:

1. stuff that could be dealt with by a nurse / prescriber or possibly even pharmacist at non-critical surgery times. i'm not medically trained but i'm 99% positive they don't need a GP slot for some of the stuff i hear about - what's worse, when i've been biting my tongue unsuccessfully and tried to suggest if they could see a non-GP, I get told that they've "paid their taxes" and "need to see a GP", they aren't even interested in double-checking with the GP at their next appointment about whether it would be something to have a check in with the nurse about next time. or if they could use the pharmacy etc. instead of taking up pre-work morning slots "because they like to get to the shops before it gets busy at lunchtime" (!?!) - meaning people like me that work fulltime have NO hope of getting at pre-9am appointment if it's needed....!

1. gross misuse of "free" services and drugs. one elderly family member has a medication that needs to go in a fridge, and isn't safe to use if it's out of the storage temp after a certain amount of time. last time they visited i was in a panic because they'd left it out in the kitchen on the window ledge for the morning, and when i was in a panic, they said not to bother, because they had a dr apt the next day where they could get more. i couldn't believe the attitude of "oh well i ruined my medication but it's free so who cares" in an otherwise fairly responsible, civic minded person - i was really shocked at the idea that because it's "free" we shouldn't care about storing it properly!!!!

it can be summed up with an attitude of "i expect/demand this, so i'll cause a stink if i don't get it" - really, really selfish, entitled behaviour, and this is just a couple of people in my own immediate family/in-laws.

I've no idea how the NHS can cope if this is a common thing that GPs face.

[justasking111]

The government cut back the places for med. students years ago, it is expensive to train them. Add to that the bad press the NHS has I know two med. students, both intend to go to Australia as soon as possible. Add to that as my GP says the elderly with conditions that are untreatable that does not stop them making appointments a couple of times a week.

IMO there should be a red flag system for the worried well elderly who are plain lonely as well as in pain. If the GP has already seen a patient that week they should be asked if their symptoms have improved worsened. This will not happen by the way.

There should also be a private doctor system for those that cannot get an .because they are working hard.

Add to that the surgeries allowed to open are strictly regulated by the government.

It really is a mess.....

[BrazenHusky74]

I wouldn't mind paying a nominal amount to see my GP (£10) but I can't see it making much difference. Currently less than 10% of prescriptions are paid for and I would assume that the medical exemptions that apply to prescriptions would also apply to appointments.

[nolongersurprised]

I should add that paeds OT, physio, speech etc can also be done publicly as well. Most people with disability-based funding go to the private community therapists though.